Vance Jones of Randville and his grandson, Landon Thone, ride a John Deere 60 during the 11th-annual antique tractor ride at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center on Wednesday. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — The Northwoods Antique Tractor Club this week had its 11th-annual tractor ride to the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain.

The event featured 17 antique tractors and a Model A Ford that traveled Wednesday morning from East Kingsford to the VA center, where they circled in the front loop for veterans who lined up to watch the vehicles parade by. Many of the veterans are former farmers and many of the drivers are veterans.

They then drove to the nearby First Lutheran Church and parked so veterans could view the tractors up close.

Longtime club member Vance Jones of Randville was there with his 12-year-old grandson, Landon Thone of Felch Township. It was Thone’s first time taking part in the parade and he thought it was fun.

Jones said he has many grandchildren but none had ridden before in the parade.

“A few years ago, they had a kids day in Aurora, Wis., and I had a lot of kids’ rides,” he said.

Jones was operating a John Deere 60. He lost three of his antique tractors in a fire in 2022, along with a new John Deere side-by-side. “It was a disaster,” he said.

Jones has been a club member since he retired and bought a tractor in 2006.

The youngest rider, 16-year-old Caleb Erickson of Kingsford, was driving his Ferguson TE20 tractor. Erickson has been taking part since he was 5 or 6 years old, said his grandfather, Jerry Parrott of Spread Eagle, Wis.

“I started him out on a lawn tractor in front of us. We’ve been going together for along time,” Parrott said. “I have five grandsons. This is the first one that is interested in working on stuff. It’s really nice.”

Members of the Classic Farm Machinery Club in Iron County also participated in the parade.

“We had quite a few that came from Iron River. We really appreciate it,” Parrott said.

Mike Henschel, a member of the Iron County club, drives in the event every year. “I’m a veteran, that’s why I have to do this,” he said.

Participants traveled from as far away as Watersmeet, Iron River, Alpha and Pembine, Wis.

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Marguerite Lanthier can be reached at 906-774-3500, ext. 85242, or mlanthier@ironmountaindailynews.com.