PHOTO BY JONATHAN MEYER

TRAER – Faith Dvorak of Elberon – 2024 Tama County Fair Princess and a senior this year at North Tama County High School – smiles as she drives a 1954 Ford 600 Series tractor down Traer’s Walnut Street as part of the Winding Stairs Festival grand parade which took place on Saturday, Aug. 10.

The tractor was first purchased by Faith’s late great-grandpa Albin Dvorak who passed away in 2002. Faith’s great-great-grandpa Frank Joseph ‘FJ’ also drove it to haul ear corn and hay, according to Faith’s grandma Andrea Dvorak.

“[The tractor] is still used [today] on the rope to pull the hay fork when putting small square hay and straw bales in the barn,” Andrea told the newspaper. “It was great-grandpa Albin’s favorite tractor. He used to rake the straw and hay into rows before baling. Faith is the fifth generation to drive that tractor. She and her whole family put away the second crop hay bales this year. It still is a very handy tractor to have and is used for a lot of other small jobs on the farm.”