North Iowa Tractor Ride staging at Waukon High School for Friday and Saturday journeys


Ride Route: Friday, July 23 (highlighted in brown), Saturday, July 24 (highlighted in green)

The 14th annual North Iowa Tractor Ride will be making its way through the tri-state area during the three-day event this week, Thursday, July 22 through Saturday, July 24. Approximately 200 vintage and restored tractors will be traveling two different day-routes along some of Allamakee County’s roadways, crossing over just a bit into Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Those tractors and their drivers and support crews will begin arriving at Waukon High School Thursday afternoon, July 22 in preparation to begin their ride routes each of the following two days from that parking lot location, arriving back there those same evenings.

FRIDAY, JULY 23 - TRI-STATE LOOP
The first riding day (highlighted in brown in accompanying map image), Friday, July 23, will begin at 8 a.m. with the first of four groups, with the final group leaving Waukon High School at approximately 10 a.m. The tractors will travel south from the high school parking lot, connecting with West Main Street and heading east through downtown Waukon and out to Elon Drive, stopping at Old East Paint Creek Lutheran Church for a morning break.

They will then continue east on Elon Drive to Lansing Harpers Road, taking a left to go north and then a quick right on to Lafayette Ridge Drive. The tractors will continue east to Great River Road, taking a left to then head north to Lansing, where they will have a lunch break at Kee High School from 11 a.m. to 12 noon.

Following lunch, the tractors will make their way to the Black Hawk Bridge, crossing the bridge for a brief loop into Wisconsin, turning around at the Winneshiek Slough Boat Landing #65934 on WI State Highway 82 (Dike Road) and heading right back to cross the Black Hawk Bridge again back into Iowa.

Once back in Iowa, they will head north off the bridge on to IA State Highway 26 toward New Albin, taking a left on to Pool Hill Drive just before New Albin and crossing over into Minnesota to arrive in Eitzen for another break between 2 and 3 p.m.

From Eitzen, the tractors will head south on IA State Highway 76 back into Allamakee County until they turn left on to Iowa River Drive and travel east to the intersection with Lycurgus Road, where they will take an afternoon break at Wild Landing between 4 and 5 p.m. They will then travel Lycurgus Road south to IA State Highway 9, taking a right and heading back toward Waukon to arrive back at the Waukon High School parking lot, beginning at 6 p.m. and with the final riders expected back before 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, JULY 24 - INTO CLAYTON COUNTY
The second, and final, day of the ride (highlighted in green in map image at right) will begin Saturday, July 24 at 7:15 a.m. with the first group of tractors, with the final group expected to leave the Waukon High School parking lot at approximately 10 a.m. They will leave the parking lot and drive south on Ninth Street NW/SW all the way to IA State Highway 9 (at Riehm’s Corner) and then take a left to head east to connect with IA State Highway 76  and eventually taking a right on to Forest Mills Road to head toward Luana. Forest Mills Road becomes Diplomat Road once it enters Clayton County and then turns into to 115th Street/Old Hwy. 52 as it travels through Luana, with the tractors stopping at Prairie Farms on the east edge of Luana for a morning break between 9 and 11 a.m.

Following the break, they will continue east on Old Hwy. 52/115th Street into Monona, where they will connect with Falcon Avenue and head north on what eventually becomes Volney Road as they enter back into Allamakee County. They will follow Volney Road into Rossville, where they will connect with IA State Highway 76, turning right and heading east to Waterville Road, which will take them to Waterville for lunch at the Waterville Community Center and Fire Station between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

After lunch, the tractors will continue north out of Waterville, traveling Waterville Road to its intersection with Elon Drive. They will then take a left and head west back into Waukon and to the Waukon High School parking lot. Tractors are expected to continually return to Waukon between 1:30 and 3 p.m. to bring the event to a close.

North Iowa Tractor Ride organizers say that spectators are welcome to join the riders for lunch, along the route or just to check the tractors at the headquarters at Waukon High School. More information about the ride can be found at www.northiowatractorride.com.