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Tractor Club?

Well, sure, that's what it says on the letterhead, but as our Fearless Leader is fond of saying, "It's not just a tractor club, it's a people club”. This weeks Feature space is dedicated to the more social aspect of our 34 year organization. This is the "good stuff”.

Our club has accomplished a great deal throughout our colorful history, we've acquired land, put up buildings, entertained a lot of people, and had a considerable impact on our community, but those achievements are pretty much in the material realm. Today we look at the human side of the story.

On behalf of the MMOGTA, we are pleased to announce the upcoming union of two of our long time members, Keith Gross and Glenda Birchmeier, which will take place on April 12th, 2008.

By way of introduction to those who might not know them, Keith had roots in the Chesaning farming community, and currently resides in Hemlock. He is a union electrician by trade, and has served us by countless hours of running wire and bending pipe as we electrified the various buildings on the showgrounds, even though he may have fallen in with some questionable characters in the process. He has definitely "paid his dues” you might say, as a productive part of our team. Many know Keith as a quiet, unassuming, friendly guy, with a ready smile, who is always willing to help. His fellow tractor pullers see him as a friend as well, but they mostly just see the backside of that Farmall H, as he runs away from the pack in a very competitive environment. In a world where talk is cheap, horsepower rules, and traction talks, his fellow pullers can hear this "quiet, unassuming guy" just fine.

Glenda is a second generation member, having practically grown up on our showgrounds with her parents, Roger and Eva, who have been members for decades. Along with her sisters and brother, they have all been familiar faces at our events since they were children. Like all of our lads, they began to gravitate toward whatever events interested them, Glenda was always at or near the announcer's stand to watch and take photos as her Dad, brother and sisters participated in the tractor pulls. Somehow, we managed to drag her into our work area, stuck a pen in her hand, and the rest is history. She continues to be the most reliable, hardworking, least complaining person on the staff. For what must be nearly 20 years, it has been our privilege to be her co-worker and friend. However, for many years, despite knowing the whole business inside and out, when one of us announcers were forced to leave our post, she would continue to keep flawless records, but steadfastly refused to pick up that microphone. There could have been a funnel cloud approaching the track, and there would not have been a word of warning from Glenda. Finally, I guess we just found the limit of her patience, with our unexplained walk-offs, food gathering trips, and old guy pit stops. That was the day that Glenda found her voice. With her knowledge of the sport, her accounting office skills, and exhausted patience, Glenda had something to say. And she started to say it. She continues to say it. Turns out she has opinions, too. She will share them when the occasion warrants. And we are all the better for it. We all hope Keith is grateful for whatever small part we may have played in helping Glenda find her "voice".

This brief bio finds it's way to our Feature page this week as our own small tribute to a couple of good friends, who have become each other's best friends, and step forth in their own journey down life’s path on April 12th 2008. We wish them an endless supply of happy years together with each other and with the rest of our group. There's even an added bonus, by this one simple ceremony, you have cut the cost of your annual MMOGTA dues by 50%!! 50%!! I don't care who you are, that’s good economics for these troubled times.

From all of us at MMOGT… the best of luck to Keith and Glenda !

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