Pulling for the Fourth in BP

"Come on Tucker, keep on peddling."
That's the enthusiastic banter Rich Scholbrock offered 4-year-old kiddie tractor pull participant Tucker Schneider during competition that featured 131 kids Wednesday night as part of the Old Fashioned Fourth of July celebration in Blooming Prairie.
Schneider was the first contestant in the age 4 category. Before he began his pull, he gave his mom Nicole a couple of huge hugs for luck.
The Blooming Prairie pull was sponsored by MJC Farms and by the Blooming Prairie Lions.
Scholbrock, who owns the tractor pull franchise, travels a circuit that includes Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Missouri.
He was back in Blooming Prairie last week for his eighth annual visit. As he was running the pull in Blooming Prairie, Scholbrock had another truck in Austin and Dover for their community celebrations.
Scholbrock's small tractors apply more resistance as the pullers attempt to complete a 33-foot pull.
"I love dealing with kids, and I guess it's because I have a kid mentality," Scholbrock laughs. "The tractor pulls are great kids events," he believes.
Assisting Scholbrock with the Blooming Prairie pull were Gage Lawson of Thompson, Iowa and Autumn Clausen of Owatonna.
First, second and third place trophies were awarded in age categories 4-11. Twenty-four trophies in all were given to participants in the Blooming Prairie competition.
The eight-year-old category had the most participants with 25.