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Addison County Benefit Truck and Tractor Pull Enters Fifth Year of Giving Back

photo by Cookie Steponaitis

Tuesday September 29, 2009

By Cookie Steponaitis

    It has been said countless times that one good deed is like a ripple in a pond and with each new ripple increases in size and impact. Ten years ago community members reached out and raised money to help Ken “Zeke” Van De Weert who was struggling during a long battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease. The funds that were presented anonymously to the family allowed Ken to install a track system in his home and equip his vehicle with hand controls, permitting him more freedom and mobility as his body slowly lost its mobility to the disease. The family also took Ken on a family trip and was able to spend valuable time with him before his passing.  In honor of Zeke and to give back to the community that supported him, Addison County Benefit Truck and Tractor Pull was born.

    Zeke was an avid tractor pulling enthusiast and besides being a loving husband, father, friend and member of the Christian Reformed Church, Zeke was also involved with the agricultural community of Addison County his whole life. Jason Van De Weert, Tim Van De Weert and Danielle Dragon took a two year discussion and turned it into a reality in the fall of 2005. The three along with Randy and Marie Boise of the Vermont Tractor Pullers Association formed the Addison County Benefit Pull and established a tradition of having an annual weekend of pulling and giving that continues to grow and flourish in the changing of seasons in Addison County.

    The weekend pull is based at Addison County Field Days and brings tractor and truck pulling  enthusiasts from New England together to compete for bragging rights, cash prizes and the joy of meeting with and spending time with farmers and tractor pullers alike. The two day event involves hundreds of hours to put together and depends on sponsors and volunteers to meet the goal of opening the doors with all the bills paid and with that formula in place all admission and entry fees become a sizable amount of funds to donate to a local family in need. While there are a growing list of sponsors the event could not function without the continued support and generosity of the following platinum sponsors- Lions Club of Middlebury, P.R. Construction L.L.C, Van De Weert Tractor Pulling, Gold Sponsors: David’s Repair Service, K Pope & Sons, A& D Automotive, Matthew’s Trucking, Dragoons Farm Equipment, Vergennes Auto, Wright Family Farms, Curtis Super 40, and Ferrisburgh Bake Shop. The group also wishes to extend a thank you to the Vermont Tractor Pullers Association, Adirondack Tractor Pullers Association, Four Hills Farm, G. Stone Commercial, Kennet Farm, New Haven Fire Department, Weybridge Fire Department, Vergennes Rescue, Carr Electric, Dorchester Lodge # 1F, Al Van De Weert and Addison County Fair and Field Days.

    Packing more into two days than any other fair or tractor gathering the Addison County Benefit Pull offers a diverse offering of classes for tractors and trucks including Street Legal Pickups, Modified Street Legal Pickups, Vt. Class B Minis, Diesel Street Legal Pickups, Altered Stock, Street Legal Pro-Stock, Farm Stock and others.

    “Basically there is no limit on classes,” commented Tim Van De Weert. “We make room in the day. If there is more interest, we just go longer.”

    While 90% of the tractors present are used only as competitive pulling tractors, the gathering of people is as diverse as agriculture itself. “It really is a big family,” explained Jason Van De Weert. “These are people you only get to see a handful of times a year. But when you get together, you never miss a beat. You just pick right up where you left off. The people are gathered to have fun, to pull against each other and to know that in a day, a community can make a difference in the lives of a child or a family in need.”

    Plans are already in the works for next year and the Van De Weert’s and other tractor pulling volunteers are sending out a call for more sponsors and volunteers. The proceeds from this year’s pull will be delivered to the family of a child dealing with Cystic Hygromas and a family who recently lost a member to cancer after a long and financially crippling battle. While the VanDeWeert’s admit to being “…tired for a day or two,” they are openly moved by the families and the community that they work with. “It is simply amazing,” remarked Tim Van De Weert. “When people give a little and a little more comes from others in one weekend it can turn into a lot.” Started in love and to honor a man of the farming community the Addison County Truck and Tractor Pulls is a commitment of love of the land, people and the knowledge that a ripple once cast becomes more ripples moving outward creating works of beauty and impact.

    Anyone interested in joining the efforts, please check out the organization at Addisoncountybenefitpull.com and realize that it takes the hands and energies of many volunteers and the generosity of many to make the event the growing success it is today. The pull takes between $ 10,000- $ 12,000 in sponsorships to even open the doors and generate profit. It annually gives back to a family in need the gift of money earned by volunteers who love the land and people. Where in that equation can you help? Contact the group and watch your time and talents meld with all the others to make a difference and honor the life of a man who never smiled bigger than at a tractor pull. All involved with the event have no doubt that on that weekend every year Zeke Van De Weert is looking on with an immense smile, no matter who crosses the pulling line.

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