The Christmas tractors of Carrick-on-Suir are all set to sparkle and light up the town this Saturday, December 14. Now into its sixth year, the fundraising spectacle is hailed as ‘a light show like no other’.
The festivities will kick off with a mini Christmas market and amusements at 3:30pm. This will be followed by the children’s tractor run around the streets at 5:30pm. It is expected that approximately 60 children will take part in the eagerly awaited pedal power run.
Then it will be all eyes on the main tractor run at 6:00pm with over 40 participants.
Agri sparkle fest
Organiser Stuart Downie, a dairy farmer from Piltown, said there will be plenty of standout vehicles decked out with fairy lights.
Hitting the streets will be a Fendt 936 Black Beauty; a New Holland T7.230; our own Case Magnum 7140; a Claas 970 silage harvester; a JCB 435 loader; a Krone Big X 630; and an unusual three-wheel tractor self-propelled sprayer.
Stuart is hoping for favourable weather this year to make the most of the festive sparkle.
“Last year we had to change the date because of the storm and we lost 15 tractors that couldn’t take part on the new date. However, this year’s event promises to be a big one, with funds going to the meals on wheels service and Carrick-on-Suir daycare service,” he said.
“A lot of work goes into the event, with four to seven hours spent lighting up the tractors. It’s as much an occasion for the drivers in getting together as it is for the people who turn out on the streets to see the parade,” Stuart said.
“There is massive interest in the light show as we can see from our Christmas Tractors of Carrick-on-Suir and Crop Cruisers Facebook pages,” he said.
Stuart dreamed up the idea for the agri sparkle fest after a friend went to see the Coca Cola truck and voiced her disappointment with the experience. “She said she would rather look at tractors on the streets of Carrick, so I took a mad notion to line up illuminated tractors for Christmas.”