Grand Meadow Heritage Festival

Rural ride - There were a large number of classic tractors on display at this year's Grand Meadow Heritage Festival. Josie and Jacob Hodgdon of Cherokee, for instance, thought Jim Slechta's 1955 John Deere "40" was a real rural ride.

Cabin fever - Many of the visitors dropping in at this year's Grand Meadow Heritage Festival took advantage of the opportunity to check out some of the Center's rustic structures. Darla Rock of Pierson was one of those who took a stroll down the memory lane of those rural days gone by when she toured one of the Center's log cabins.

The bucket brigade? - A lot of folks pitched in to make this year's Grand Meadow Heritage Festival a success. Roman Galles, Denise Cobb and Beverly Waugh, for example, were three of the worthy volunteers who turned in exemplary labors serving coffee, juice and water during the fete's Sunday morning Brunch.

Future farmer - Although he's still a bit on the youngish side, Colton Edwards of Washta feels that it won't be long before he measures up to this 1950 John Deere "B." The tractor, which is owned by Ray Todd of Kingsley, was one of the many pieces of antique farm equipment on display at the Grand Meadow Heritage Festival.

A fine Ford - The 34th annual installment of the Grand Meadow Heritage Festival had a lot of oldies but goodies from the rural days of yore, including this 1918 Ford One Ton Truck owned by Bill Jensen of Battle Creek.

Getting his goat - The Petting Zoo was a popular attraction at the Grand Meadow Heritage Festival, especially for the younger folks. Jacob Ebert was one of the visitors who was completely charmed by one of the zoo's many goats.

Bryant's barbecue - Barbecued beef and pork loins prepared by barbecuing nabob Steve Bryant served quite well as the main course for the Grand Meadow Heritage Festival's dinner on Saturday. The award winning grilling guru is seen here displaying one of the delectable pork loins fresh out of the grill. Steve's barbecuing team has already received an invitation to strut their culinary stuff at the Invitational Barbecue Contest taking place in Kansas City later this year

Watermelon moves - There were a lot of special treats found at this year's Grand Meadow Heritage Festival, including a load of watermelon grown by melon magician Joe Linn. Among those who couldn't resist diving into a chunk of the icy sweet treat was Seth Bryant of Albuquerque. Seth is the grandson of the late Russ Bryant, a local farmer who for years was a mainstay on the Grand Meadow Heritage Board.

Puppy love - A medical emergency reported during the Grand Meadow Heritage Festival wasn't really a bad thing. It was just MaKenna Kass displaying some of the symptoms of puppy love

Shelled out - The Happe boys, namely Colton and his dad Brian, were just two of the many folks who visited this year's Grand Meadow Heritage Festival. They had a high old time checking out all the antique farm equipment found at the event, including this 1918 corn sheller.

Center souvenir - Those attending the Grand Meadow Heritage Festival could take home a memento of their visit. Many visitors opted for one of these Grand Meadow Heritage Center sweatshirts being displayed here by Mahaley Dirks and her great-grandpa, Kenny Irwin.

A fine Farmall - Tom Dawson of Washta is a firm believer in the adage "Red power rules!" This should come as no surprise since his pride and joy is his restored 1942 Farmall "H," just one of the many tractors on display at the Grand Meadow Heritage Festival.