"Rivers and Bluffs Classic Tractors" holds inaugural meeting; Vintage tractor enthusiasts welcome

Keeping pace with the recent growing interest in older tractors in this area is the development of a group of classic tractor enthusiasts who actually held their first organized meeting as an official club Monday, Jan. 31. Adopting the name "Rivers and Bluffs Classic Tractors", the group's first meeting included a whopping 64 individuals in attendance from northeast Iowa, southwest Minnesota and southeast Wisconsin.
Within the past year, events such as the June 14 Great Eastern Iowa Tractorcade and the September 18 "Old Farts" Tractor Ride that made their way through this area helped further fuel the interest of classic tractor owners in this tri-state region, ultimately leading to the organization of the new club.
At its first meeting, the group laid out some organizational foundations, electing officers and laying out some qualifying standards for group members. Waukon's Lyle Mohwinkle, instrumental in organizing last fall's "Old Farts" ride, was elected president of the group, with Don McCormick being elected vice president. Brian Mahoney was named the group's treasurer, and Sheryl Bieber was chosen as secretary for the club.
"You'd be surprised at how many old tractors are around," Mohwinkle said. "There's a pride factor in having something from the past, like that, restoring it and bringing it back to life in some cases. A lot of these classic tractor owners have their dad's or their grandpa's tractors they used to farm the old homestead with, so that pride runs pretty deep."
An official club flag designating group members has also been put into the works to help identify and promote club membership.
Among the qualifying standards to become a member of the club is the ownership of a tractor built in 1975 or earlier. The machine must be operational, and the club member must have a valid driver's license - all facilitating participation in a variety of tractor rides being planned for the upcoming year.
Of utmost importance to club membership is the strict following of club rules and safety regulations. For further explanation of those rules and regulations, contact any of the above-mentioned club officers.
"We have our own insurance, as a group," Mohwinkle said. "That's an important part of this deal. It's a lot easier for the group to get a policy to cover all of us than to make each individual member get their own insurance."
The next event planned for the club is participation in the upcoming annual St. Patrick's Day Parade being held Sunday, March 13 in the streets of Waukon. Mohwinkle said not all members of the new club will make that event, but says the group will be "well represented".
Mohwinkle also said that, in addition to just holding "rides" throughout the year, the club hopes to incorporate the assistance and cooperation of other area groups - such as local FFA or 4-H clubs, Allamakee County Cattlemen, etc. - into events - such as luncheons or dances - that can be held in conjunction with the rides and possibly even be a fund raising source for the groups.
Another important focus of the newly formed group is involving the older generations of area residents who may have grown up right with the machines on display during the club's rides. "That's important to us, we like to alert the area nursing homes when we're going to be out and about, so we can parade by and let those folks see a part of their history," Mohwinkle said. "When we had that ride last fall, we went by the nursing homes, and it was a lot of fun to watch some of their faces - they'd be pointing and talking, all excited because they used to drive a machine just like what they were seeing parade by. It was great to be a part of that and bring back some memories for those folks."
The new club's president said just about 40 of those in attendance at that inaugural Jan. 31 meeting paid the club's membership dues that night. He anticipates a good many more individuals also officially joining the ranks of paid members by the time the group's next meeting takes place.
That next meeting is scheduled for Monday night, April 4 at 8 p.m. in the community room of the Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank in Waukon. Anyone wishing to join or having any other questions about the group is invited to contact Mohwinkle at (563)568-2023 or Mahoney at (563)568-6096.