ELLERBE — Classic and modern tractors will roll down Main Street on Saturday for the annual Farmers Day Parade.
The event, now in its 24th year, kicks off Farm-City Week — a time for city folk to thank farmers for their toil of the soil to provide food for the rest of the world.
Organizers say there are 60 official entries for this year’s parade, but added more are likely to “just show up” in the morning, bumping the lineup to around 100.
The grand marshal for 2019 is Windblow farmer Homer Bynum, who will be followed by local leaders and a caravan of classic tractors including those manufactured by John Deere, Massey Ferguson and Allis Chalmers.
Kids standing on the sidewalks will have the opportunity to catch candy tossed from the tractors, trucks and floats as they make their way at 11 a.m. from the staging grounds at Ellerbe Middle School to the parade route’s end at Dixie Burger.
There will also be vendors downtown selling food and merchandise. Millstone Men BBQ will be selling barbecue sandwiches and pork by the pound to raise money for community building repairs.
“This is one big day for Ellerbe,” outgoing Mayor Lee Berry said. “This is when the people really turn out.”
Berry said he is concerned about the weather and the effect it could have on attendance.
The National Weather Service is calling for rain between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., with showers continuing into the evening and overnight.
Berry said a lot of local churches and other organizations rely on the parade day to raise funds.
“I’m praying that it holds off til 2 or 3,” he added.
The parade, which begins at 11 a.m., will roll on — rain or shine.
Farm-City Week festivities continue at noon Monday with the annual appreciation luncheon at the Cooperative Extension office where several awards will be handed out, including the Family Farm of the Year.
