Following behind the lineup of antique tractors along Allman Road just west of the winding lowlands where the village of Concord once maintained a town dump.
By KEN WYATT
Contributing Writer
It was no small thing to bring up the rear in a parade of 15 antique tractors. I had to go in search of them, and the search was successful. But a little context is needed …
Ken Foster, owner of Ken’s M-60 Grill at Concord, had mentioned in April that the Jackson Area Antique Tractors Club would be stopping at the grill for lunch on May 2.
The tractors were expected at 11:30 a.m. last Saturday. When this reporter arrived, I observed that the place was nearly packed with diners, so I asked a waitress if they were going to serve the tractor guys on the roof.
On the east side of the diner, bicyclists from Jackson were chowing down at the midpoint in their morning ride. One of them explained they are bikers into the recent trend of biking gravel roads. “Well,” I told him, “You’re in a great area for those. Pulaski Township, where we live, has more gravel roads than any other township in Jackson County.”
By noon there wasn’t a hint of any antique tractors. The bikers left, and I set out to leave as well, disappointed that I had missed the tractor convoy. But I couldn’t quite let it go without a search.
So, I set out to the north along Albion Road, not knowing which route they might be taking. At Warner Road, I turned west, thinking I might spot them coming down Mann Road.
And it was heading south on Mann that I spotted a couple of tractors crossing at the Allman Road intersection up ahead. And then I could see a long line of tractors across the fields heading down Allman Road toward Concord.
That’s where I caught up with the tractors, following the rear tractor, which was hauling a small trailer with a portable “John.”
It was a slow-moving convoy – traveling about 15 mph. And since they all were moving along the right side of the road.
When they arrived at the grill, they all lined up alongside a semi-truck rig in the back parking area. And that was where some of the men were available for an interview, as others went on into the grill for lunch.
This reporter’s previous encounter with the club, was in the summer of 2017, when 50 or so members gathered on Bob Pierce’s 250-acre spread for a picnic. One of the leaders back then explained something basic about the group: “Our goal is to have a good time and enjoy antique tractors and equipment.”
That remains true. The men interviewed May 2 said the current members are from throughout the region, well beyond Jackson itself. They had journeyed down 29 Mile Road for their meeting at the M-60 Grill. A trip of 22 miles.
They all repair and maintain the antique tractors they were driving. Some have multiple tractors.
Howard McMurtrie was driving his 1947 Oliver tractor. He said the club dates back to 1995.
Newly elected president Jim Ekins of Tompkins later sent a detailed account of Saturday’s route:
“The tractor drive round trip was around 44 miles. Started at Howard McMurtrie’s house Northwest of Parma. Began heading north on back roads through southern Springport area to Albion with stops at various locations on the way. Heading to Concord, having lunch at M60 grill. Continuing east through Concord a few miles. Then northwest back to Howard’s house. With a stop at a member’s house on the way.
“Some members drove their tractors to Howard’s. I did an additional 22 miles. The club has been doing these rides for many years. Howard has been organizing them for a couple years now and does an excellent job.”
One of the club’s major ventures is the annual tractor crossing of the Mackinac Bridge. Over the years, many of the Jackson area club members have participated in that crossing. Last year more than 1,000 tractors made the crossing.
This year, Ekins said, about a dozen members of the Jackson Area Antique Tractor Club plan to do the crossing, which is planned for Sept. 12. Until then, watch out when driving those country roads. You may find yourself at the rear of a Jackson Area Antique Tractors Club Convoy.
