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In front, Michael Bowen, right, current Como-Pickton Vocational Agriculture Teacher, shakes hands with Gerald Walters,
who began the Annual Como-Pickton FFA Tractorcade 25 years ago.

25th Annual Como-Pickton Tractorcade
Honors Hopkins County Agriculture and
Reaches Milestone For School

by: Bobby McDonald

It was the day that students at Como-Pickton School pay tribute to Hopkins County Agriculture and drive or haul a tractor to school, and it marked a 25 year tradition at the school for the Annual Como-Pickton Tractorcade, as students began arriving on Friday morning. "There were already 30 tractors at the school when I arrived," allowed Michael Bowen, Como-Pickton Vocational Agriculture Teacher. "And, they just kept coming in all shapes, sizes, and ages!"

Longtime Como-Pickton Educator and Vocational Agriculture Teacher, Gerald Walters, was the
guest of honor, as he began the tractorcade 25 years ago at Como-Pickton School.

Retiring School Secretary, Phyllis Monk, Como-Pickton Superintendent Sandi Billodeau, and Assistant
Superintendent Lydia Walden, are shown riding through Friday's parade and waving at students.

This year's annual, double parade around the school featured over 60 tractors in all makes, models, and sizes, as students participated in Friday's event. We even found Superintendent Sandi Billodeau, Assistant Superintendent Lydia Walden, and School Secretary Phyllis Monk, riding on a tractor in the parade.

"The tractors are coming! The tractors are coming!" yelled members of the
Como-Pickton Eagle Band, as they blew the didgeridoo to begin Friday's
25th Annual Como-Pickton Tractorcade.

And, members of the Eagle Band performed this "chicken dance" in a pre-tractorcade performance.

However, the "Guest of Honor" was Mr. Gerald Walters, longtime Como-Pickton Vocational Agriculture Teacher and Educator, who began the annual tribute to Agriculture some 25 years ago. "I can remember the first one we conducted back in 1985," related Walters. "It began with a few of the students bringing their tractors to school to recognize the importance of agriculture to our school, our community, and our nation, and it just seems to keep growing more and more every year!"

"Get ready to start your engines!"

"The students continue to enjoy this annual day of observance and we even got the Como-Pickton Eagle Band involved, this year," continued Bowen. "It's a great way of marking the significance of agriculture in the lives of everyone, and letting the discussions begin, in the classrooms, before and after the event. Heaven forbid that there is a student in Como-Pickton that doesn't know where their food comes from, but likely in the society in which we live, there is some who has some concerns about the importance of agriculture, and we want them to know how hard farmers work, and what investments it takes to run an agricultural operation today!"

Anticipation was building!!!

Como-Pickton students lined the walkways of the school, as two members of the band blew the didgeridoo and yelled "The Tractors are coming! The Tractors are coming!"

Students, teachers, administrators, and community farmers began circling the school twice, on the tractors, waving to the students, as they made the circles.

Following Friday's tractorcade, participants, guests, and vocational agriculture students were treated with a chili lunch, compliments of cooks Jimmy Wayne Winfrey and A.L. Brown.