“There are a few stipulations, with one of them being that you can’t ride the clutch, but, basically it’s how slow can your tractor idle and still go in the forward motion?” explains Club President, 30-year-old Joe French. “Another tractor game we have is ‘Parking a Chain in a Box’ where we connect a chain to the tractor’s hitch, and the driver gently maneuvers their tractor to pull the chain so it drops into a box.”

And, why would you play these kind of games? “I feel members just need to have fun while driving their tractor,” French commented.

The tractor games are just a small part of Heritage Days.

The following was written by Cyndi Apsey of Alcona Classic Tractor and Engine Club.

Courtesy Photo The Alcona Classic Tractor and Engine Club Tractor Trot (Ride) is seen leaving the North End Park in Hubbard Lake, with a 1962 DC Case in the lead.

For me it’s so fascinating to watch children simply study the action of the comparatively simple farm machines of days gone by. What is nostalgia to us older folks, is very interesting to kids learning about their world.

Heritage Days is for anyone wanting to connect to their agricultural roots. You don’t need to own a tractor or be a farmer to join the club. The public is encouraged to check out the event which is being held this year on

Saturday, Aug. 23 at the ARA site in Lincoln. Gates open at 10 a.m. Admission is free.

As a child examines a simple machine, I enjoy observing them. You practically can hear “the gears turning” in their minds. Simple machinery. Mechanical sounds. Products of some kind being converted or produced. And the magic of Heritage Days transforms a complicated world into one to be embraced as your roots.

The Alcona Classic Tractor and Engine Club was established in 2013 by a group of individuals united by a commitment to preserving farm heritage and antique agricultural equipment. The club maintains a strong focus on promoting agricultural history and actively supports youth through agricultural projects and educational initiatives. Every member has a memory, a history of working with or on tractors and engines. We will have working displays set up such as our threshing machine, stationary baler, a burr mill and more, along with some great hands-on items for the kids to try.

Courtesy Photo Club members feed hay into the stationary baler at a past Heritage Days event.

After the national anthem at 11 a.m., club members will parade their tractors around the town of Lincoln. Members’ tractors will also be on display throughout the event. Some tractors will compete in Just for Fun Tractor games.

Bryan Ratz with his Redneck Friends, David and Brenda, will be there playing live music. Lunch will be catered by The Smoking Trolls at 1 p.m.

New this year is a petting zoo and a kids’ treasure hunt. Toy tractors and farming equipment will be placed throughout the event, and the child who finds the marked items will receive additional prizes.

You don’t want to miss out on the small item raffle items we offer at this event, including the annual pedal tractor, donated tractor quilt, and goodies from local businesses, crafters, and producers. The $1 tickets will be available for the day only and the drawings will begin at 3 p.m. As with all our club raffles, you do not need to be present to win.

The club also has two current big item raffles going on. The annual gun raffle drawing will be at noon on Aug. 24 at the ARA site. The first prize is a Henry American Farmer Tribute Edition .22 rifle. The second prize is a Ruger American Farmer 10/22, and the third prize is a two-person cedar deer blind. Tickets are $5 and available from club members or at the event.

Courtesy Photo Every year the Alcona Classic Tractor and Engine Club restores a pedal tractor that is the same make as the featured tractor for that year. This year's model will be a Massey Ferguson. Pictured is an International pedal tractor raffled a few years ago.

The club is excited about a new raffle project that they decided to try this year. Club members have completely restored a 1952 Farmall H Tractor. Raffle tickets are available for purchase at a cost of $10 each, either at our event or through any club member. The drawing will be on Aug. 22, 2026 at the ARA Site. The Farmall H Raffle Tractor will be on display at Heritage Days and travel to other events over the next year. Please follow the Tractor Club’s Facebook page for updates.

Given the various raffles and fundraising activities conducted by this club, you may be interested in how the funds collected are allocated. We support local youth by making purchases at the Youth Livestock Market Sale at the Alcona County Fair, and scholarships are awarded to graduating seniors who are pursuing agricultural studies. We also support our local county fair with class sponsorships.

Follow Alcona Classic Tractor and Engine Club on Facebook. Plan to attend the Alcona Classic Tractor and Engine Club’s Heritage event, check us out, see what we do, visit with members, and enjoy a family event. Club members love to visit with the public and share lots of interesting information and stories.

Courtesy Photo Tractor Games 2024 included seeing who could go the slowest without stalling. Pictured are Ben Apsey, left, on his family's 1965 Case 930 Comfort King, and Marty Patrias, right, on his 1949 John Deere B.

Courtesy Photo Club members are seen working on the Ken Hawes Threshing Machine. This machine will be at Heritage Days working for the public to watch it process grain. Pictured from left are Club President Joe French, and members Ken Hawes and Roy Rifenbark.

Courtesy Photo Club members are seen binding rye. Before the Heritage Days event, the club heads to the field to bind grain. This year it will be wheat donated by Leo Somers of Lincoln. Pictured are members Jim Quick on the tractor, Ken Hawes on his binder, and Roy Rifenbark manning the pitchfork.

Courtesy Photo The treshing machine is seen in action. Behind the pile of straw sits the stationary baler. Members pictured, from left, are Ben Apsey and Rick Labonte feeding the straw into the baler, and Roy Rifenbark and Bob French bagging the grain.

Courtesy Photo A club member feeds shocks into the threshing machine at a past event. Shocks are bundles of harvested grain stalks tied together and left to dry in the field. The threshing machine separates the stalks and chaff from the grain.