NEAT club partners with Elgin Missionary Church for fundraising breakfast

Members of Elgin Missionary Church’s breakfast team are joined by the executive of the North Easthope Antique Tractor Club during last week’s fundraising breakfast. Front, from left, are Bob Burford, Lynn Burford, Donna Schyff, Wayne Berry, Karen Berry, Dorothy Schultz, Marilyn Mills and David Mills. Back, from left, are Wayne Gerber (site coordinator), Dave Neeb, John Mohr (NEAT president), Murray Gingerich (NEAT vice president), Ron Neeb, John Schyff and Kevin Winhold. Gary West photo

By Gary West

Members of the North Easthope Antique Tractor Club (NEAT) are gearing up for another busy season of community visits and fundraising efforts across the region.

Last week, club members were invited to the Elgin Missionary Church, located at the northwest corner of Stratford, to take part in a fundraising breakfast prepared by church volunteers. The event brought together tractor enthusiasts and congregation members for good food and fellowship, while supporting local initiatives.

As warmer weather approaches, NEAT members are preparing to hit the road on their antique tractors, touring through Perth, Waterloo and Oxford counties. Their cross-county tours regularly draw crowds of all ages eager to see the machines that once powered area farms.

The tractors featured on these tours represent an earlier era of agriculture, when horsepower ranged from 25 to 65 – a stark contrast to today’s modern tractors, which can reach 350 to 400 horsepower. For many, the tours are a nostalgic look back at the equipment that shaped rural life in previous decades.

With more than 80 members, the NEAT club continues to invite area farmers and tractor enthusiasts to join in their tours and community events throughout the year.