Members of Midale’s Souris Valley Antique Association decided to try and keep at least part of their annual summer tradition alive, in spite of the impact of COVID-19 on nearly every summer celebration.
The association normally hosts the Pioneer Echoes event each year, including opening the Heritage Village for tours, and holding an antique tractor parade and old-time threshing demonstration, but this celebration was cancelled, along with the fairs and other events held in nearly every town and city in Saskatchewan.
As the antique tractors in the association’s vast collection need to be started up and kept in running condition, the members thought it would be nice for the residents of Midale if they could take those tractors around the town on a parade, since the town couldn’t come to them as they normally would.
Thus they arranged for a town-wide parade of antique tractors on Saturday afternoon, and the group was joined by classic and vintage cars and trucks from the Estevan Car Club.
The car club drove up from Estevan, after having a parade through the Energy City, and timed it so that they were the lead vehicles of the parade. Then they then made their way to Mainprize Regional Park for a show-and-shine.
The tractors made their way from the fair grounds, led by the town’s fire truck, across to Mainprize Manor so the residents there could view the parade, and then the parade wound its way down Main Street before ending back at the fair grounds.
A small threshing demonstration was held later on, but it was not advertised as it was meant for the association members to be able to run the equipment and make sure it’s all kept in running order.
As one member, Glen McGregor said, normally they want to attract large crowds to come out and see their tractors and thresher demo, but this year they didn’t want the crowds — so they brought the tractors to the town so they could enjoy them in a physically distant and safe way.
