Riding for a cause: Relay for Life Tractor Ride draws 92 tractors
Published 11:52 am Thursday, October 4, 2018
STANFORD — A rainbow of tractors from the 1940’s to present day paraded on the byways and backroads of Lincoln County Saturday all the while raising money for cancer research.
Drivers along U.S. 150 and U.S. 27 had to endure some traffic delays at times as the long red, green, white, orange and, yes, purple line of tractors journeyed 25 miles around the county as part of the annual Relay for Life Tractor Ride. Donations raised from the event benefit the American Cancer Society.
Donya Saylor, chair for the Lincoln County Relay for Life committee, had hoped to draw 100 tractors to this year’s event and, while the final tally fell below that mark, she considered the event a success.
“We are currently at $4,285,” Saylor said of the donations raised. “I still have money coming in. I actually collected money today (Tuesday). We did have 92 tractors and five or six wagons with riders.”
This year’s ride, which was held in honor of Bo Renfro, began at Veterans Park and proceeded west on U.S. 150 to the farm of John “Bud” Bright. Tractors and wagons rolled along the many acres of Bright’s farm and ended up in the Hubble community. From there, the tractor ride wound back into Stanford and onto U.S. 27, headed for Logan-Hubble Memorial Park where participants enjoyed a meal prepared by the Cattlemen’s Association. After an auction and drawings for door prizes, tractors and wagon riders left the park, headed out Gilbert’s Creek Road then onto Goshen Road bound for Veterans Park.
“It was a beautiful day for the ride,” Saylor said. “Thank you to Mr. Bright for allowing us to ride through his farm. Everyone had a great time! I heard several great comments that it was the best ride yet! We had folks drive all the way from Horse Cave, Mt. Sterling and Carlisle for our event.”
While the Lincoln County Relay for Life committee handles most of the organizing efforts for the annual Tractor Ride, Saylor said it’s the efforts of the community and several individuals who make it a great success.
“A huge ‘thank you’ to Kenny Stamper for all the hard work and dedication he puts into this event for Lincoln County Relay for Life,” Saylor said. “I want to thank the Cattleman’s for donating and cooking lunch for all the participants. Thank you to our community for always supporting Lincoln County Relay for Life. Thank you to the Relay for Life teams and everyone that participated, helped, sponsored or donated to our event. I look forward to another successful year in 2019!”