Lyndonville’s celebration was more than parade and fireworks
LYNDONVILLE – There were numerous activities on Wednesday at Lyndonville for the Independence Day celebration.
The parade at noon and fireworks at 10 p.m. drew big crowds. But there were a lot of other events and activities.
The Gates Keystone Club Police Pipes & Drums played a concert after the parade on the school grounds near the vendors.
Provided photo: Lyndonville Close Up students and baseball players volunteered in the hot dog stand with members of the Lions Club.
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Jason Snell of Stafford pulls away in a cloud of dust during his winning heat in V-8 class in the garden tractor pull at Lyndonville’s Fourth of July celebration. He pulled 262 feet 11 inches for the win over Daryl Kempston, who pulled 261 feet 10 inches.
Paul Townsend of Springville has been participating in garden tractor pulls longer than he can remember.
That’s one of the reasons he wasn’t going to let 90-plus degree heat stop him from competing in the garden tractor pull Wednesday at Lyndonville’s Fourth of July celebration.
“If they are pulling, I’m going to be there,” Townsend said, black from the dust and sweat pouring down his face. Townsend finished second in the super modified class.
Nearly a dozen and a half drivers braved the heat to compete in Lyndonville’s event, which was run by the Western New York Garden Tractor Puller’s Association.
One spectator said the heat kept a lot of the crowd away from the event and she only came because her son had helped build several of the machines. Only a handful of people sat on the bleachers to watch, while several others sat in the shade of their vehicles.
Winners and their categories were:
Stock – Michael Robb.
Sport stock – Frank Burket, first; Don Seaver, second; and Anilee Seaver, third.
Stock altered – Paul Van Valkenburg, first; Ricky Dellinger, second.
Super modified – Juston Preischel, first; Paul Townsend, second; and Tom Ronson, third.
Modified – Juston Preischel, first; Kyle Carmichael, second.
Stock V-8 – Tom Bellanca, first; Frank Burket, second.
V-8 – Jason Snell, first; Daryl Kempston, second; and Tyler Scofield, third.
Dirt and heat didn’t make for a very pleasant afternoon watching the garden tractor pull at Lyndonville’s Fourth of July celebration, but that didn’t stop diehard fans and drivers from showing up. Here, a driver is nearly obscured by dust as he pulls the weighted tug down the track.
