A group of central Wisconsin farmers and antique machinery enthusiasts show a bit of history while helping their community.
The Rudolph Old Tractor Club began twenty-five years ago when some local collectors of old John Deere tractors started having a picnic at the village park.
Secretary-Treasurer Tina Lassa says the show is free to display and attend. The club uses proceeds from food, beverage, and auction sales to benefit local programs. “We donate to Mid-State Technical College some scholarships, and then this last year, we were able to sponsor 100 kids to go through the YQCA class, which is a class that is required to be able to take their animal to the market sale in Marshfield.” Lassa says they’ve also donated to the park, the fire station, and nearby Auburndale’s tractor cruise.
Ron Linzmeier is an Allis Chalmers enthusiast who still has more than twenty old orange tractors. He has been with the club since the second year. Linsmeier says there are fewer tractor collectors now. “We had probably seventy-five to one hundred family members at one time, but now, we’re probably down to around twenty-five. We still keep the club going and everybody that can comes to help the club out by putting on the best show possible.”
The Rudolph show has grown to include more than old tractors. Club President Brandon Behrens tells Mid-West Farm Report COVID forced the show to take a year off. When it came back, cars and trucks were added to the lineup. Behrens says, “Dick Trickle, the NASCAR driver, is from Rudolph, so we have a pretty big car following in the area.” A local government official approached Behrens about adding the car cruise to the tractor show, and it’s grown every year.”
The Rudolph Old Tractor Club holds its show on the second Saturday of every August.
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