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Tractor attraction pulls in many loyal families
CANFIELD
A very expensive hobby.
Asked about truck & tractor pulling – the grandstand attraction at the Canfield Fair on Saturday night – that’s how several people involved in the event described it.
From interviews, however, it’s clear that the annual event, which has been at the fair since 1971, is more than just a hobby, and shares something in common with the fair itself: I t’s a family affair.
Full Pull Productions, the company that has produced the show for the fair for the past 25 years, for example, is owned and staffed entirely by the Feicht family.
The Jamestown, Pa.-based operation travels all over the region, visiting 60 venues just this summer.
The Canfield Fair is always the highlight of the season for them, said Rick Feicht, head of the team.
“The Canfield Fair is the culmination of our season. The Canfield Fair is invitational – in other words, a puller has to qualify,” he said. “This is the event of the season. All of our pullers really strive to be able to come to Canfield.”
Rick is joined on the road by his wife, Patty; son, RJ; daughter-in-law, Jennifer; grandson, Brady, 17; and granddaughter, Abby, 13.
“Everybody’s involved. We have nobody else,” said Feicht. “That’s the entire group, and everyone has a job. Without any of them, we’re in big trouble.”
Brady, who works doing basically whatever is needed, said he enjoys being on the road all summer with his family.
“I’ve been doing it since I was born, and I wouldn’t want to spend my summer vacation any other way,” he said.
Truck & tractor pulling — a competitive sport in which modified farm tractors, modified tractors or trucks drag a metal sled down a course — this year drew about 80 competitors to the fair.
Among those competitors were the Zedrecks of Chicora, Pa., for whom the event also is a family tradition.
Eddie Zedreck has been involved in the event for most of his life, starting when he watched his mother, Cindi Heltman, compete at the Canfield Fair. He’s been competing himself for about 20 years.
“I’ve probably been to the Canfield Fair 40 times since I was little,” he said.
His favorite aspect of the sport, he said, is the competitive nature of it.
The competition is made more interesting by the fact that one of his competitors is his wife, Crystal.
He drives a truck called “Thunder,” and she pulls in a truck called “Thunderbolt.”
“We do it together. It’s a hobby,” said Crystal, of why she enjoys the sport.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Eddie. “As long as she beats me, it’s a good ride home. If I beat her, it’s a quiet ride home.”
The Zedrecks were joined at the track by a number of family members, which seems to be common.
Phil Karnofel, of the “Let’s Roll” team, was joined Saturday by his father, brother and daughter. It was his first time competing at this venue.
“Growing up, we always went to tractor pulls,” said Karnofel, of Leetonia. “We pull with a good group of guys. ... We have a good time.”
Friendly competition is a hallmark of the event, Feicht said.
“If something on your tractor breaks, one of your competitors is likely to give you a spare part,” he said. “Tractor pulling is like a family.”