May 2013

May is here at last and along with the beautiful, unseasonably warm (for Northern Maine) weather comes the knowledge that our first pull of the season is now just a month away.  We are starting the season a week earlier than we did last year.  One of the new additions to our schedule is that of our new first pull in Skowhegan. Hopefully everyone has made a note of this and we have a nice turnout thus getting the season off to a great start.

A couple of weeks ago we attended a meeting in Grand Falls concerning their truck and tractor pull that's coming up the middle of June and they have a lot of great things going on, as usual.  They are expecting several pullers to come down from Quebec which is exciting.  Year after year, the people who put on this pull go above and beyond to make sure that everything is well planned out and goes off without a hitch thereby providing the best possible pull that they can.  I feel quite confident that this year will be no exception.  We certainly appreciated the invitation to this meeting from John Belfour.  It makes you feel preety confident that you're going to be doing a good pull and that the crowd is going to get their money's worth when the planning committee looks you in the eye and asks you point blank, "What do you need?, What can we do to make your job easier?, Do you know of any areas where we can make improvements?, What kind of power do you need?", etc.  Sure would be great to see some of our Maine pullers make an effort to make it to this event as well.  Competition should be great! This is a two day event and always proves to be a fun weekend. Please be sure to go to our links page for this event and check out the classes that will be offered each day.

We are pleased to welcome a couple of new sponsors.  Central Maine Pyrotechnics and Steve Pelletier of Valley Auto (and Pelletier Ford) in Fort Kent have stepped up to the plate and their sponsorships will certainly help to ensure that our pull sled is in top form and you folks keep getting the first rate shows that you've come to expect from us over the years.  We greatly appreciate their support and welcome them to our family.  Please be sure to check out their businesses on our links page.

The sled is looking great as maintenance, additions and improvements are coming along nicely.  A locking door has been added to the cab and we are presently adding wear surface to the pan.  There is still much to be done but, rest assured, we'll be more than ready by the first pull.

As always, we hope that all of you have had a good, productive winter and that the warm winds of spring find you finishing up work on your rides as well.  As I have mentioned in the past, I am excited to see some of the new rides, drivers, teams and competions that we will surely have this year as there seems to be a bit of a shake up, of sorts, taking place in several classes.  I anticipate good things for the year and can't wait to see all of you again at the pulls. 

April 2013

I love the month of April!  Usually by now "Old Man Winter" is starting to relax his grip on us and we begin to see signs on a regular basis that spring is here.  Usually!  Here in northern Maine the winter seems to be dragging on a bit longer than usual even though we are starting to see some robins, have the occasional warm day and that groundhog in Pennsylvania, what's his name, Phil?, promised us otherwise.  Guess it serves us right for putting stock in a rodent!  It's like the ultimate April fool's joke is being played on all of us ... "Here's a beautiful day for you, spring is here!", and then the next day the temperature is way below zero with blowing snow and it's, "April Fool's...Gotcha!."  But, no matter how much back and forth we have with the temperature it still can't dampen my spirit because I know for sure that in about sixty days pulling season will be starting anew and, to my way of thinking at least, it doesn't get any better than that!

We officially started our seasonal overhaul of the sled this past weekend and we'll be going over it from one end to the other to make sure that by the time that first pull rolls around and the season kicks off it'll be purring. We are adding some new lights this year to the front as well as the back of the cab.  At some of the venues we pull at, nighttime can creep up on us pretty quick and often there isn't adequate lighting out there on the track to see as well as we'd like to while hooking up so one set of lights that we're installing will help out in that area.  The other set, on the back, is really going to come in handy when we're backing back down the track to reset. Anything that we can do to provide extra safety for our crew or the pullers is a must in my book.  If somebody gets hurt, a good pull can go south in hurry and it's paramount to address these issues before, rather than after, the fact.  As Ben Franklin said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

I have heard through the grapevine that there is a good bit of activity going on in garages throughout the state of Maine and the Maritimes amongst our pullers.  I know of a couple of new tractors that are being built to compete in the pro farm class and I expect that we are going to be seeing several new competitors this year as well.  There seems to be some juggling going on out there as a few teams have changed hands and others are planning on competing in new or different classes than they have in years past.  As with any sport, an infusion of new blood is often what's needed to get us to another level.  I have been impressed with some of the younger pullers that have been drawn to our sport in recent years and I would like to be the first to welcome the new kids on the block.  It's going to be a lot of fun to watch the new guys learn a thing or two from the older pullers ... and vice versa!

We are currently in talks with a new venue that is seriously considering adding a pull to their line up of entertainment this coming year.  Hopefully something will be worked out one way or the other by the middle of the month and we'll be able to add another date to our schedule.  As always, changes or additions will be posted promptly as we receive them so keep checking in with us.  Here's hoping that all of you are having a great spring and marking your calendars for a fun filled summer.

March 2013

Spring forward.  It's the time of year that everyone ... friends, family, co-workers and the man on the evening news, reminds us to set our clocks forward, signaling that spring is officially here.  The days are getting longer and the countdown to pulling season is getting shorter.  Soon it will be "mud season" here in the state of Maine.  The trees will start budding out, the first crocuses and daffodils will be poking their heads up through the last of the snow and the earth will wake from it's winter nap and give way to the rebirth of the land that signifies spring and warmer weather.  And, it's the time of year that I'll once again be happily spending long nights in the garage. It's time to go over the pull sled from one end to the other, make improvements, and updates and prepare for that first pull.  YES!!!!   I can't wait!

This season will be a special time for one of our venues as they celebrate a milestone.  The Presque Isle Fair will be celebrating 40 years of tractor pulling.  There are many things in the works to make this a special pull and commemorate this achievement.  I urge all of you to try to make it to this event as there will be something for everyone. I am not 100% on this, but I have overheard talk of them putting together a Tractor Pulling Hall of Fame.  I am excited about this as I have involved in pulling at this venue since it's inception in one capacity or another, pulling, track preparation and sled operator. And, I have been priviledged to witness first hand the evolution of our sport at this venue, from the stone drag to where we are today.  This event will surely put a spotlight on our sport and I hope that all of you will makes plans to either participate or attend the festivities that weekend.

Most of our weekends are booked and contracts have been signed.  There still are a couple of openings available but if you are thinking of putting on a pull I urge you to get it on the books now.  I encourgage you to keep an eye on our Schedule page as we will be adding event times and classes as they become available to us.  Please notice that there are a couple of pulls that are new to our schedule this year including a couple of midweek events. We welcome them and hope that you will make plans to support them either by your participation or your attendance.  

One of our long time modified pullers, Ron Shriver, from Bristol, New Brunswick is battling cancer.  We all need to remember him in our prayers as he continues this fight.  As I understand it, Ron has to travel quite a distance for his treatments so prayers for safe travel are also in order.  

I hope that all of you had a good winter and have been working on your rides so that, again this year,  we have the quality competition that we have gotten so used to.  I know that some of you have got the itch to get back out there as badly as I do.  Won't be long now!

February 2013

Here we are, already well into the month of February and with the news that Puxatawny Phil didn't see his shadow, and thus predicted an early spring, the anticipation of pulling season is really starting to build.  Of course, up here in Northern Maine, you'd never know that spring was right around the corner as the grip of Old Man Winter is still holding on pretty strong.  It's hard to imagine, with the temperatures below zero, the snow flying and the wind rattling the windows at night that spring is anywhere near close. Winter/spring repairs on the pull sled, as well as updates and improvements, will get underway in the next few weeks.  Parts are already starting to arrive and excitement builds with each delivery.  We think that this year's updates will make our pulls even more exciting for the fans as well as the drivers.

We attended the annual Maine State Fair Association meetings in Portland, Maine the end of January and were pleased to not only finalize many of the pulls that we have had in the past few years but to also add a couple of new ones.  In addition to being able to see many old friends and talk shop for a couple of days, we were also able to pick up more sponsors which is always helpful and appreciated as sponsor support is instrumental in allowing us to stay up to date with the latest technology and put on great shows.  It was a great weekend!  

The schedule that we have posted is pretty much finalized as far as dates go and start times, as well as classes, will be added as soon as we have them.  As you can see, we are pretty much booked for the summer but do still have a couple of empty dates which we hope to fill within the next month or so.  We encourage you to check it out carefully as some of the venues have shortened their pulls this year and others have added a day to theirs.

We were saddened to hear of the death of a member of our pulling family.  Joey Flemmings of Somerville, New Brunswick died unexpectedly the end of January.  Joey helped in many areas of pulling and was a fixture at many of the pulls in the Maritimes, helping out wherever he was needed and doing everything from announcing to flagging.  He will be sorely missed and we would like to extend our condolences to his family and friends.

As always, here's hoping that all of you are having a good off season and are busy making plans to be with us this summer.  If any of you have any suggestions or updates that you would like to get out to the pulling community you are encouraged to let us know and we'll do what we can to help.

January 2013

Here we go again with another pulling season bearing down on us and, I don't know about you but, I'm tickled to death about it.  Knowing that the first pull is just around the corner seems to make these first few cold, dark months of the year tolerable, gives me something to look forward to.  I'd first like to extend an apology for the lack of a Newsletter in December.  One thing seemed to lead to another and before I knew it the month had slipped a way from me. I trust that all of you had a very Merry Christmas and a safe New Year?  While that time of the year is a lot of fun, I'm always so relieved when it's over and things get back to normal or for many of us, abnormal.

Though the pulling season for 2012 had ended a couple of months earlier, there were still pulling banquets in November, both in the Maritimes as well as the state of Maine.  We had a great time at both of them and enjoyed seeing the pullers get recognition for their achievements throughout the year.  As always the committees that orchestrate everything did a wonderful job making sure that every little detail was taken care of and it was evident by the many smiling faces in attendence that their endeavors were, yet again, successful.  It's always great to see the pullers (minus dust, dirt, mud, grease and skinned knuckles) enjoying the fruits of their labor with their families.  Inevitably, as the evenings progress, groups of pullers form and talk turns to the coming year and who'll be building what and competing in which class the next time around. 

We also were pleased to represent our area of the country at the National Pullsled Owners Association meeting in Columbus, Ohio in December.  This is the second year that we've been able to attend.  It has proved to be very beneficial to us as far as being able to network with other sled owners around the country and ensuring that pulls in our region rate right up there with the best in the country as far as quality entertainment and professionalism. This is also an excellent way to make sure that our equipment is on the cutting edge as far as the technology we use and that we not only keep up with but, many times, surpass our peers in the industry. As always, safety concerns and ensuring the safety of pullers and spectators as well as our crews were paramount in the discussions.

We have posted a tentative schedule for the 2013 season and hope that you will check it out and start making your plans to attend and/or compete this summer.  Towards the last of this month the Maine Fair Associations will meet in Portland, Maine as is customary this time of year.  During that weekend we usually sign contracts with several of the fairs statewide and not only lock in dates for pulls but also add a few more.  We are optimistic that we'll be adding a couple of new events to this year's calendar and encourage you to keep checking back for any changes or additions.  We will add not only new events but also classes and start times as they become available.

Towards the end of this month the pull sled will be brought into the shop and we'll start the process of going over it end to end and making any repairs or upgrades that are needed for the upcoming season.  We look forward to another great year and can't wait for the weather to start warming up so that we can get back out there and see all of our old friends again as well as get the opportunity to make new ones. Isn't it funny how you miss the taste of dust and the smell of burning fuel? I'm excited, can you tell?