More than 600 tractors participated in the parade.
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ST. IGNACE -- History is made on the Mighty Mac with hundreds of tractors lining up for a one of a kind crossing.
Hundreds of spectators lined the streets Friday throughout Mackinaw City and St. Ignace to view the first antique tractors parade and show. However, this parade is no ordinary parade; this one is making history.
“I had a time or two when I could glance off and look at the view but the rest of the time I was trying not to hit the tractor ahead of me,” said Denny Zeiss, who traveled from Midland to participate in the parade.
More than 600 drivers on antique tractors made the inaugural journey across the Mackinac Bridge.
“This is fantastic,” Zeiss said. “I think another seven or eight hundred tractors should have signed up.”
Drivers came from all over, some from as far as Ohio and Wisconsin. Bill and Jane Dunn of Traverse City drove their 1946 power graders.
“Most of the time we’re trying to stay on the road and off the rails but a duck flew under us, it went under the bridge,” said Jane Dunn. “It was such a neat feeling that a duck flew under a tractor.”
Denny Zeiss of Midland made the trip on his 1932 F-20 Tractor.
“The bridge was bumpier than I thought riding a tractor, but it was rather exciting, I would say it was a white knuckle trip for me, but exciting,” Zeiss said.
The event was organized by the Owosso Tractor Parts Company. Organizers say they have been planning for the parade for the past year.
“We weren’t going to miss it when we found out about it,” Bill Dunn said. “It might be the first time but it might be the last time so at least we got to cross it once.”
The fun for the tractor enthusiasts doesn’t end with the parade. People are gathering at the Kewadin Casino in St. Ignace where tractors will be on display all weekend for the group’s first antique tractor show.
Many drivers and spectators say they hope the event will become an annual event.
