Raccoon Valley Festival

Miraculously, today started with clear skies! The sun shone all day, though a cooling breeze kept it to about 70 degrees - just about perfect weather for the day.
By 10.00 the place was bustling - vendors had their food stalls going, craft stalls were set out and under way, the sound man, John, was making good noises from the P.A. All around the site the Patt Family had set out old farm implements, trucks, tractors, and homesteading equipment. It was a great day. The bands started at 11.00 and played continuously through the day. There were tractor rides and a band competition (Pickin’ In The Pines), Molasses making, the saw mill operating and a blacksmith. Down in the little valley they had a Lawn Tractor Pull. Lots of people came and all had a great day. Sally and I wandered around having a great time, spent a lot of time listening to the bands. The most famous of which were Paul Williams and the Victory Trio and Shadow Ridge, though I thought that Blue Moon Rising were a great band. The West Ladies also did two spots and brought the house down. A great day put on by the Patt family and we felt pleased that we had been a part of it, though very small.
Lawn Tractor Pull. This is a great event. You bring your lawn tractor (mower) and see if you can pull a sled along a track, fastest tractor wins. The sled has two wheels at the back, with ski type things at the front. There is a big weight that starts over the back wheels and is slowly pulled forward over the skis as it moves forward, this makes it progressively more difficult to move the tractor, so it is easy to start, but difficult to finish. Of course some people modify their tractors, so they are often very noisy and powerful. It is a great spectacle.