Editorial: Tractor parade in October plans to stop for pictures

Brad Traskos of Sumpter Township, who is a retired Van Buren Township fire chief, came to the Aug. 7 Belleville City Council meeting to enthusiastically tell council members about his plans for this year’s tractor parade.
Last year was his first and it was a resounding success, except for the horrible traffic on Haggerty Road where vehicles tried to pass the parade and cut into the line of slow-moving tractors. This year he said he will take another route from and back to Sumpter and will ask Van Buren Township police for help.
The tractor parade is a part of Belleville’s Harvest Fest, which is set for Oct. 14. He said he was advised that those putting Harvest Fest together will ask to close Main Street from Third Street to Roys Street, or so. He would like to line up his tractors on the street and park them so parents can take pictures of their children on the tractors and adults can get up close to inspect the tractors.
He’d also like to get some food for the drivers from one of the restaurants downtown and to get a sponsor to pay for it. Maybe a hamburger or hot dog, chips, and pop for each driver. He’d also like to add a few military vehicles to the parade.
They told him Harvest Fest would be on the Aug. 21 agenda and he should come back then. He wants as many tractors as possible to join in, so he wants to pass the word around. There were 40 last year.