Corn Fest to feature WTPA pull
One of the biggest draws of Corn Fest has always been the Saturday night truck and tractor pull, with drivers pitting their machines against each other to see which has the most power. This year, the pull will be sanctioned by the Wisconsin Tractor Pullers Association (WTPA), a move that event organizers say hope will attract even more people to the event.
“We wanted to do something to kind of take it to the next level of pulling, and bring that type of experience closer to home,” said Dennis Jakobi, WTPA member and puller from Granton who is helping organize the event.
The pull will take place on the dirt track by Northside Elevator this Saturday, Aug. 23, at 6:30 p.m. sharp, a half-hour earlier than the typical start time of years past. Six of the 13 WTPA classes will be featured: light super stock tractors, light limited super stock tractors, super farm tractors, pro street diesel trucks, modified mini tractors, and super stock 4-wheel drive trucks.
Event organizers tried to pick classes that had at least one local participant. Some of the local competitors will include Jakobi; Kevin, Ryan, and Jon Lynn of Unity; Frank Shaffer of Stratford; Derrick Howard of Loyal, who is also the current president of WTPA; Tim Peisig of Dorchester; and Derek Vaughan of Chili.
“We hope their friends and family will come out to cheer them on and enjoy a good pull,” said Jakobi.
Since it is a WTPA pull, competitors will receive points for attending and passing their safety check, and also for how high they place in their class. Their points will contribute to their place in the state standings. At the end of the year, the top three pullers are honored. The WTPA also pools its sponsorship money and pays out a designated dollar amount per point to each puller.
The WTPA is affiliated with the NTPA. The National Tractor Pullers Association is a national tractor pulling sanctioning body in the United States, born of a need to unify the rules and classes in the sport of truck and tractor pulling. Jakobi said by Corn Fest hosting a WTPA pull, it gives the weight of a national pulling organization to this local event.
“You’ll be seeing some of the same vehicles that you would see at Tomah at the national pull there,” he said. “So it’s nice to bring that opportunity here.”
The admission fee will be $15 for ages 13 and up, $10 for ages 4-12, and 3 and under free. Ticket sales will begin at 4 p.m. There will be bleacher seating available and people are also welcome to bring their lawn chairs for seating on the spectator side of the track. The pull is expected to last about three hours.
Jakobi hopes to continue the WTPA pull next year and continue to offer a variety of classes to keep it interesting.
“Maybe next year, we will pick a couple of different classes. We want to give a good variety… We hope to see it get bigger and better every year.”
For more information on the pull, contact Jack Mechelke at 715-223-7063 or David Loos at 715-937-2008. For any weather-related updates, go to LoyalCornFest.com.
