TRUCK & TRACTOR NORWALK - AUGUST 14-16, 2020 - Monroe County Herald
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54TH ANNUAL
NORWALK
TRUCK & TRACTOR
PULL
AUGUST 14–16,
2020
Thursday, August 6, 2020 • Special Section • 8 pages
2 Thursday, August 6, 2020 Norwalk Tractor Pull
Norwalk Tractor Pull set to
go August 14-16
Spectators gather in the stands at the 52nd annual pull in 2018. Things might look a little different this year. Herald file photo.
Slight change of Lead organizer Glenn Degenhardt said
the Norwalk Lions Club, which puts on the
event, couldn’t get a permit from the DNR
venue to village’s for its usual site on a portion of the Sparta-
Elroy Bicycle Trail that runs through the
village park.
west side According to Degenhardt, the state
won’t issue permits for events that are
expected to have crowds of more than 50
After months of working out the logistics, people. That problem was made worse by
organizers plan to put on the 54th Annual meetings with the National Tractor Pullers
Norwalk Tractor Pull on its originally Association (NTPA) and its insurer, which
scheduled date. said it wouldn’t underwrite the event, and
Beginning Aug. 14, Norwalk will the NTPA dropped out.
come to life with the sound of high- After that, pullers began urging
performance engines and billowing clouds Degenhardt to put on the pull without the
of black smoke. Only this time, they will NTPA’s involvement and it was back to the
be emanating from a field owned by drawing board. What organizers came up
Muehlenkamp Family Farm located at the ‘TRACTOR’ cont. on pg. 5
west end of Railroad Street. Plumes of smoke will rise again amidst the COVID cancellations. Herald file photo.
Your Complete THE VILLAGE GUNSMITH
118 W. South Railroad Street, Kendall, WI 54638
Hardware, Paint 608-343-3470
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Congratulations Norwalk Lions Club A destination for
On your 54th Annual Truck & Tractor Pull enthusiasts of all calibers
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Cashton, WI 54619 WWW.VILLAGE-GUNSMITH.COM/FACEBOOK Other times call for appointment
Monroe County Herald Thursday, August 6, 2020 3
Celebrating 54 Years of Norwalk Tractor Pull
Norwalk Lions Club
TRUCK &
TRACTOR PULL
AUGUST 14-15-16, 2020 • NORWALK, WISCONSIN
FRI., AUGUST 14 SAT., AUGUST 15 SUN., AUGUST 16
5PM 11AM - 4PM 11AM
FISH FRY - VILLAGE PARK ALL SCHOOL REUNION - NEXT TO THE CHARCOAL CHICKEN
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5:30PM DUCK RACE - VILLAGE PARK START PARADE
AMERICAN MINI PULLERS 4:00PM CALL ALEX (608) 343-9734
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CAMPING Look at our website for Pulling Rules Check us out on Facebook
WWW.NORWALKLIONSCLUB.COM www.facebook/NorwalkLionsClub
4 Thursday, August 6, 2020 Norwalk Tractor Pull
Dave Madison of Mt. Tabor has a nice pull in the Outlaw class. Herald file photo.
IN
FIND YOUR FALL ATMonroe County Herald Thursday, August 6, 2020 5
‘TRACTOR’
continued from page 2
with, Degenhardt believes, will be one of the for a 2020 Polaris 570 UTV Ranger on
biggest pulls the village has seen, with all the Sunday. (See the full schedule inside for
same pulling classes and a couple more. times and locations)
That’s because very few tractor pulls have Degenhardt said the events will
gone off this year and pullers are anxious to be following sanitation precautions
test their machines. recommended by the health department
“Everybody worked and will be especially
on their tractors all winter
and they just want to see “Everybody diligent with high
touch areas. He added
where they’re at,” said
Degenhardt. “Did they worked on that he doesn’t believe
attending the event
make any improvement? will be any riskier than
Did they not improve it?
What changes will they
their tractors shopping at Walmart or
any other store.
have to make?”
He said on average
all winter and Degenhardt
he’s hoping for a
said
the Saturday event will
have around 65 hooks they just want big crowd since the
proceeds go toward
(meaning individual
competitors). “I won’t be to see where student
and
scholarships
community
surprised if there aren’t improvement projects,
85 there this year.”
A lot of the pullers
they’re at” but he’s just happy the
event is going on.
who compete in the – Glen Degenhardt, “If we break even,
NTPA will be there we’ll consider that a
along with competitors Event Organizer success,” he added. Jeff Steinhoff is part of the track crew. Photo by Pat Mulvaney.
from Badger State,
another tractor pullers association that has
similar classes.
To accommodate the larger field,
Saturday’s pull will begin at 5 p.m. instead
of the usual 6:30 p.m. start time. Sunday’s
session will have all local pullers, who will
be competing in 14 classes starting at 12:30
p.m. Saturdays event is $10 to enter, while
Sunday’s is $7. Children eight and under get
in free with supervision.
The temporary grounds will have bleacher
seating for around 1,100 spectators but will
include a lot of standing room. Workers
have begun preparing the track, peeling off
the topsoil to get down to the clay.
When finished, the track will stretch
350 feet along the field and will be 40 feet
wide. Two companies are bringing in the
sound system and lights. Besides the show
on the track, there will be the usual events
associated with the tractor pull.
There will be bands at the park shelter
Friday and Saturday nights. The Lions
Club will be putting on a fish fry on Friday
and will be serving grilled chicken on
Sunday. An all-school reunion will take
place Saturday and a parade will wind its
way through town beginning at 11:30 a.m. Duane Wallace, left, and Gene Degenhardt watch the pull from atop their antique tractors. Photo by Pat Mulvaney.
Sunday. And, of course, there’s the drawing
DEGENHARDT
TIRE INC.
“On The Farm Service”
NORWALK WEST SALEM
608 823-7521 608 786-22006 Thursday, August 6, 2020 Norwalk Tractor Pull
Not your father’s tractor pull
Jon Muehlenkamp cuts a track into his family’s farm field on Norwalk’s west side for the 54th Annual Norwalk Tractor Pull being held Aug. 14-16. The event had to
temporarily be moved from its usual location in the Norwalk Village Park after the DNR refused to issue organizers a permit. Herald photo by Kyle Evans.
Norwalk event has changed
over its 54 year span
The Norwalk Lions Club has been the Over time, the event moved off the
impetus behind the village’s tractor pull blacktop and is now held on a dirt track that
since its inception in 1967 when pulls were takes up 400 feet of the Elroy-Sparta State
a new idea. That year 97 tractors that had Bicycle trail that runs through the Norwalk
likely been in the fields the day before Park.
signed up in four classes, followed the next From those humble beginnings has
year by 107 tractors. sprouted an event that has placed the little
It was held on the blacktop, with the Monroe County berg with a population just
device being pulled little more than a over 600 on the competitive pulling map.
concrete boat that individuals jumped on In 2009, pullers voted the Norwalk
at designated points along the track to add
weight to slow the tractor. ‘PULL’ cont. on pg. 7
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608-269-5802 608-487-0933Monroe County Herald Thursday, August 6, 2020 7
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Dovetailed Drawers Beveled Edged Mirrors Full Extension Slides
Large Selection of Pulls Many Different Stain Colors Smooth & Durable Finish Calling the pull in 2017 was Norwalk’s own Glen Degenhardt and legendary the
Kenny Mack, a Hall of Fame announcer for the National Tractor Pullers Association.
Photo by Pat Mulvaney.
“Bring us your pictures or ideas
Furniture On
& we’ll build your dreams”
Display In Our ‘PULL’
Solid Wood Construction Showroom continued from page 6
Kitchen Cabinets • Living Room Sets • Bedroom Sets Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tractor Pull the number-one pull in Region NTPA Hall of Fame announcer Kenny
Individual Pieces • Combinations • Many Styles Custom
Orders • Any Wood Species
Mon.-Sat. 3 for a regional national pull. It was the first Mack called the competition before he
year Norwalk hosted such a competition. passed away a few years ago.
Region 3 includes South Dakota, But the true reason for the success of the
Live Edge Tables & Countertops Available Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and northern event are the volunteers. Eleven years ago,
Mission Ask About Our Butcher Block Countertops
Illinois. the Norwalk Lions Club spent $30,000 on
Along with Norwalk’s new prestige on a new shelter and kitchen and $10,000 on
Modern the pulling circuit came some big changes lights.
Traditional
“We Do It All”
to the equipment and grounds. As for Over the years, the Lions have donated
the equipment, the pulling sled has been more than several hundreds of thousands of
replaced by a state-of-the-art eliminator, a dollars in proceeds from the event toward
vehicle the tractors pull that transfers up to park facilities, scholarships and Washington
80,000 pounds of weight to a front pad as it D.C. trips for Brookwood students.
Closed on Sundays Closed on these Holidays is pulled down the track. And then there’s the community at large,
The track itself is a work of engineering, which also chips in. The event never wants
We may also be closed New Years Day Ascension Day requiring special preparation and the right for volunteers, who include residents,
for occasions like Epiphany Thanksgiving Day mix of clay and water to give the tractors businesses and youth organizations.
weddings and funerals Good Friday Christmas Day
just the right traction. Apparently, that assistance includes a
And the pulling vehicles have come a long little help from Mother Nature.
way, too, from that first event. Drivers can The Norwalk tractor Pull has never been
Located 6 miles east of Cashton, WI or 4 miles west easily drop between $50,000 and $60,000 rained out in 53 years. It has been threatened
Ontario, WI, off Hwy. 33, North on Newport Rd. 3-1/2 miles into their engines alone in the modified two- with rain and had a transformer blow up but
wheel drive and four-wheel drive pickup the event still went on.
to white shop on the right. Approximately truck competitions, while some of the In fact, the only time the pull was cancelled
18 miles from Sparta modified tractors cost well into six figures. was in 2001 when the eliminator didn’t
Instead of hundreds of spectators, the show up. That year, organizers quashed the
pull now attracts thousands. And big-name disappointment with a beer special and all
pullers aren’t the only celebs at the event. was forgiven.
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SUPPLY INC.
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Phone: 608-654-7871
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Monday - Friday 7:00 AM-4:30 PM • Saturday 8:00 AM-Noon
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kortneykuhse@gmail.com8 Thursday, August 6, 2020 Norwalk Tractor Pull
HAVE FUN AT THE TRUCK + TRACTOR PULL
Celebrating 54 years
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