Ivory Snipes is shown pulling in a tractor pull during the recent SummerFest held by The Echoes of the Past antique tractor club. Photos provided.

News Release

CLAYPOOL — The Echoes of the Past held its annual SummerFest event at 6840 S. County Farm Road in Claypool Friday and Saturday, Aug. 2 and 3, attracting hundreds of visitors from Kosciusko County and surrounding areas, according to a news release from the organization.

Attendance was at an all-time high this year despite the rain on Friday, the group said. The new pavilion provided shelter from the inclement weather as well as a gathering place to socialize. The tractor pulls were delayed a bit, but eventually the track was dried, and the tractors were able to pull for a couple of hours before the rain returned.

Good weather Saturday provided for a packed day of new and familiar events. A fundraising breakfast at 7 a.m. kicked off the day at the pavilion. Funds raised benefited the Kurt Miller Memorial Fund through the K21 Foundation. The Mystery 4-Mile Race, new to SummerFest, started at 8 a.m., taking runners and walkers on a tram ride through the country to the surprise starting line.

Tractors started at 9:30 on their trek for their 17-mile drive through the countryside. Forty-seven tractors participated in the memorial drive, honoring Kurt Miller. The garden tractor pull began at 2 p.m. with pullers from all over the area. Following the garden tractor pulls, the die cast auction began at 3 p.m. Die cast tractors were auctioned off to benefit the Echoes of the Past Scholarship Fund, and $890 was raised for the fund. The evening finished with tractor pulls starting again at 5 p.m. and going late into the night.

Throughout both days, tractor-churned ice ream was made and food was served by Wheels on Fire Cancer Crusaders. Kids activities ran throughout both days, including a barrel train ride and tractor driving experience. The corn pit, gravity wagon basketball and coin treasure hunt were also kept busy both days. Duke and the horse-drawn wagon ride was seen making many trips throughout the grounds over the weekend.

The next community event for the Echoes of the Past is the Fall Festival, which will be at the same location Friday and Saturday, Oct. 11 and 12.

A crowd gathered for SummerFest Aug. 3 and 4 near Claypool.

A tram took people to the starting line for the Mystery 4-Mile Race.

An unidentified child is all smiles during SummerFest.