Heart of America Tractor Cruise June 27

In late 2005, a group of

men who are crazy about
old classic tractors formed
a group called, The Heart
of America Tractor Club.
The club motto was chosen
to be Kids need angels, too.
The club members wanted
to drive their tractors where
everyone could see and enjoy
them, and decided a tractor
cruise for childrens charities would be the solution
to that problem. The worthy

causes that have benefited

every year from these nine
years of driving are: Camp
Quality, Camp Encourage,
Muscular Dystrophy Camp,
Special Olympics, and the
Abrielle Neff Foundation.
To date, the group has given
$135,000 to these charities.
Some of the drivers also volunteer their time at the various camps with tractors and
wagon for hay rack rides.
Club members also help set

Rumble by the Refuge back in

Mound City on June 26 and 27
The fifth annual Rumble
By The Refuge Truck and
Tractor Pull, sponsored by
the Mound City, MO, Rural
Firemen, will be held Friday, June 26, and Saturday,
June 27, 2015. The event
takes place on the old rodeo
grounds west of Mound City
at Exit 84 of I-29 (20728
Holt 193).
On both nights, the gates
will open at 5 p.m., with the
pulls beginning at 6:30 p.m.
General admission and pit
gate cost is $20; kids 10 and
under are $10 each; and kids
six and under are FREE.
Rumble By The Refuge
is part of the Lucas Oil Pro
Pulling League Champions
Tour (CT) and Prairie Brand
Western Series (WS). Classes for the two day event are
Speedco Pro Modified 4WD
Trucks (CT), Protect the
Harvest Pro Stock Tractors
(CT), iON Camera Unlimited Super Stock Tractors
(CT), 95 Limited Pro Stock
Tractors (WS), 85 Limited
Pro Stock Tractors (WS) and
2.6 Diesel Trucks (WS). The
total purse for the event is
$56,000.
Come early and eat supper on the grounds. Several
food choices will be available. Kiwanis and Mound
City R-2 After Prom food
shacks, Breadeaux Pizza,

the Enchilada Lady and hot

dogs will offer food selections on the grounds, along
with other snack options.
No coolers are allowed at
the event. Beer will be sold
on the grounds by the Community Building of Mound
City. Bring the whole family
for a fun night of truck and
tractor pulling!

Elmo Fourth of
July Celebration
The 65th annual Elmo
Fourth of July Celebration
will be held on Saturday,
June 27, 2015. The celebration includes a variety of
events that entertain young
and old alike, such as a pancake breakfast, 5K run, kids
fun run, volleyball tournament, kids games, greased
pig contest, giveaways, freewill donation concert, and a
fireworks display. Concessions will also be available.
This event is sponsored
by the Elmo Community
Betterment Club, a nonprofit organization. If you
would like to help the club
raise funds for this and other projects, donations may
be sent to: 101 North Scott,
Elmo, MO 64445 or contact
Jennifer McGinness at 660725-7194 for pick-up.

up and take down the camps

when asked.
The first cruise was held
in June of 2006. The drivers pay $35 to drive and
are challenged to collect, at
least $100 in pledges. The
entry fee provides each driver with t-shirt, a picture and
certificate of participation
and their evening meal with
the group. Different groups,
many of them school groups,
use the lunch they provide
for the drivers as a fundraiser. The cruises have covered
all of Nodaway, Gentry, and
Worth counties and they
have even cruised to Lake of
Three Fires in Bedford, IA.
Club members went to Jefferson City to help get a bill
signed so these cruises could
continue - this just shows
how strongly the members
are dedicated! The Missouri
State Highway Patrol approves the route, as well as
the local law enforcement
agencies. These entities also
provide escorts to stop traffic at intersections.
This years Heart of
America Tractor Cruise is
expected to involve at least
150 classic tractors. The
event begins at 4 p.m. on
Friday, June 26, at Northwest Missouri State University at 800 University Drive
in Maryville, MO. The cruise
has an early registration and
the Nodaway County Cattlemans group will provide
dinner, available for a freewill donation. The Pride Lions Club will provide a pancake and sausage breakfast,
also for a free-will donation,
before the tractors pull out
at 8 a.m. Saturday morning,
June 27. The evening meal
is being paid for, in part by
MFA Oil Co. There will also
be homemade ice cream provided by Ron Sabatka, which
is always a big hit! Once the
cruise takes off, the tractors
will travel through Conception, Stanberry, and Ravenwood before returning to the
Northwest campus. There
is a family picnic late Saturday afternoon once the
tractors have returned. The
proceeds will be distributed
at this time.
The public is encouraged
and invited to come out and
see all the tractors, eat the
meals, and visit with the
drivers on Friday evening,
early Saturday morning,
and late Saturday afternoon.If you are in need of an
entry form, please call 816244-1785 or go to the heartofamericatractorclub.com.

Thursday, June 18, 2015 - Page 9

78th Annual Pickering

Horse Show July 30 and 31
Aladdin is
coming to town
For the 14th year, the
nationally known Missoula
Childrens Theatre will visit Tarkio July 20-25, 2015.
Two touring directors from
Missoula, MT, Terry Alan
Evans and Daniel Boughton, will bring with them in
their little red truck all the
costumes and stage props
that are needed to present
the musical Aladdin, except
the boys and girls who will
be in the musical to be presented to the public at the
end of the week! All boys and
girls who have completed
kindergarten through high
school graduates can join in
the fun and experience the
magic of presenting their
very own musical on stage
Saturday, July 25, 2015, in
the Tarkio High School Auditorium! Tarkio R-I drama
teacher Casey Martin and
vocal instructor Melody Barnett will be in charge of the
weeks events.
Terry Evans hails from
Newton, NC. Recent favorite
credits include Toad in A
Year with Frog and Toad at
the Springer Opera House,
Gobo Greenwreath in the
world premiere of An Elf
Tale at Birmingham Childrens Theatre, and Corny
Collins in Hairspray at
Trumpet in the Land.
Daniel Boughton has directed over 1,800 children
in Aladdin and Blackbeard
the Pirate. He has also directed over 800 children in
Jack and the Beanstalk, and
about twenty adults in seven shorter plays. Daniel has
performed over 320 roles in
film and theatre projects.
For Aladdin, its not easy
to find a magic lamp, but its
even harder to get a date!
Its a swirling sandstorm of
famous Arabian Tales from
Ali Baba to Scheherazade,
and even Sinbad the Sailor,
as Aladdin journeys to find a
magic lamp in a Cave of (notso-great) Wonders. Along his
way, Aladdin seeks answers
and advice from wise Genies,
a powerful Sultan, and his
own Mother to find a way to
meet the Princess. However,
even with the lamp in hand,
Aladdin will have to learn
that it takes more than a
wish to make a good impression. Full of memorable
characters, from lost Penguins to talking Palm Trees,
this is an adventure worthy
of 1001 laughs.
Tuition for the Aladdin
experience is $30 per actor/
actress or $40 for 2 in the
same family or $60 for 3 in
the same family (living under the same roof). Scholarships are available, too! Registration forms were given
to each Tarkio R-I student,
but are also available in the
lobby of the Resource Center or the Flower Mill. Anyone with questions should
call 660-736-4126 and leave
a message.
Rehearsal hours will
be held from 10 a.m. to 12
noon and 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Lunch will be provided for
those who stay for both rehearsals. When registration
forms are received, a letter
of information will be mailed
out. The Tarkio Missoula experience is sponsored by the
Mule Barn Theatre Guild
and local businesses, organizations, and individuals.

ATCHISON
COUNTY
COURIER

The Pickering, MO, Lions

Club will be hosting the 78th
Annual Pickering Horse
Show Thursday and Friday,
July 30 and 31, 2015. Both
nights are full of fun and
everyone is invited to come
take part. A list of activities
follows:
THURSDAY, JULY 30
Country Gold featuring
Leroy Van Dyke and T.G.
Sheppard at the Pickering
Horse Show Arena - Gates
open at 5 p.m. Madison Von
Behren will be the opeing
act at 7:30 p.m. Leroy Van
Dyke and T.G. Sheppard
will perform at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 (nonrefundable)
and children five and under
are free. Tickets are on sale
now at Maryville Hy-Vee,
Clarinda Hy-Vee, Bedford
Hy-Vee, and at the Nodaway
Newsleader. You can also
purchase tickets by contacting: Bob Whipple at 660927-3478, Marcia Cline at
660-778-3732, or Linda Vogel at 660-927-3728. Lions
Cook Shack will be serving
food. Shuttle service will be
available from parking areas to horse show grounds.
If it rains, the event will
take place at Northwest
Missouri State University in
Maryville, MO. Stay tuned to
KNIM, KMA, and Pickering
Horse Show Facebook page.
Friday, July 31, 2015
The night starts out at 7
p.m. with a performance by
Peruvian Paso horses from
South English, IA. This will
be followed by the Shooting Star Trick Riders, Sara
Sevits, Unionville, MO, and
Sarah Rouse, Pilot Grove,
MO. The girls are former

performers of Dolly Partons

Dixie Stampede in Pigeon
Forge, TN.
The Annual Horse Pull begins at 8 p.m. A free bounce
house will be available for
the kids. The entrance fee is
$6 at the gate and children 6
and under free.

50
Golden
Years
Fairfax Fair
Aug. 14 - 16
The Fairfax Optimist
Club and sponsors, along
with the Fairfax, MO, community, will celebrate 50
Golden Years at this years
Fairfax Fair. The fair will be
held August 14, 15, and 16,
2015.
Those who would like
to share their talents with
the community during the
Saturday evening program
should contact Bill Slaughter at 660-686-2509. The
weekend invents include the
Little Mr. and Miss, Jr. Miss,
and Miss Fairfax contests,
the Fairfax Fair parade, carnival games, contests, a talent show, and a dance. This
is a great time to come out
and enjoy the evening with
family and friends while
supporting local organizations.