Dorchester's Antique Tractor Event Gets Major News Coverage

The Lincoln Journal Star's July 17 edition has dedicated major coverage of yesterday's antique tractor plow held at Tabor Hall.

The story can be read here.  

The Journal Star article reports that rural Dorchester's Shelley Bruha decided six years ago "to break out the old 1936 John Deere Model A that he'd restored and head to the fields. Since then, neighbors and folks across Nebraska have shared Bruha's enthusiasm -- 20 other antique tractors plowed a wheat field alongside him 40 miles southwest of Lincoln in Dorchester."

"This is a big thing to him, the old tractors, because nobody does this anymore," daughter Pam Fuller said.

The story continues:  Tractors today are much different, Bruha said. Things move faster and there's more technology to get the job done efficiently.

"The good ol' days maybe weren't so good after all," Bruha laughed. "It's pretty hot out and the cabs are a lot better now. The biggest thing we had back then was an umbrella and that was a pretty big deal."

He doesn't farm too much anymore, but he does help his son and grandsons with their farms. He's proud to pass down decades of farm experience through generations of his family.

When he brought his '36 John Deere out to plow his daughter and son-in-law's field six years ago, he was joined by just a few friends.

But, to his surprise, a lot of people wanted to join. The next year they moved to fields near Tabor Hall,  to create a day-long event.

Nearly 100 people stopped by the old white building to visit with neighbors, have a meal or check out the craft fair on Sunday. It's a good way to bring people together and also to raise money to help maintain Tabor Hall, Dorchester's community center, Fuller said.

Just like the antique tractors, the building is a reminder of days past for Dorchester residents.

"A lot of people come just because the hall is open," Fuller said.