By Connor Lynch
STIRLING — Tractors are a familiar sight in rural areas. But nearly 300 of them rumbling through town?
Stirling, north of Belleville, hosted its 10th anniversary celebration of its world-record-breaking tractor parade that saw 601 machines rumble through town back in 2008. This year was not an attempt to beat the old record, but the World’s Greatest Tractor Parade on Aug. 25 still drew 286 tractors.
The organizer of the record-breaker 10 years ago, Dennis Heasman, said at the time that: “We were just happy we didn’t have to tow anybody.”
Before Stirling shattered the world record, an Illinois town had the largest tractor parade with 241 tractors. The record is now at 1,231 tractors, set at Dresden in Western Ontario in 2010.
