ors, ACTION!
Origins and Intent
The Manchester Tractor Parade began in December 2010. It was originally organized by Don Dorr of Dorr Oil, and it was supported by the now-shuttered Manchester-in-the-Mountains Chamber of Commerce. At the time, the Chamber’ s Executive Director, Berta Maginniss, worked alongside Dorr to launch the inaugural event.“ The first Holiday tractor parade that Manchester put on happened in 2010,” recalls John Burnham, Executive Director of the Manchester Business Association( MBA).“ Don and Berta wanted to create a unique event for Manchester, and that’ s how the parade came to life.”
The event proved durable from its earliest years. Even in 2020, during the pandemic, the tractor parade survived, because it was outdoors and could be staged safely. The parade also survived a major organizational transition. When the Manchester-in-the-Mountains Chamber dissolved, the question of continuity arose. Mike Baker, Branch Manager of Dead River Company, recalls being the one to step forward.“ We [ Dead River Company ] bought Dorr Oil in 2016. After that, I called the town office and asked,‘ What’ s going on with the tractor parade?’ They said,‘ We’ re not going to do it anymore. Nobody wants to do it.’ I asked,‘ What do you need?’ and they told me,‘ Attendees.’ So, I went knocking on doors up and down Main Street and all over town. Before long, we had a parade again.”
Growth, Governance, and Logistics
Over the past fifteen years, the parade has grown in size, visibility, and significance.
“ Back in 2020, we probably had about 12 to 13 participants,” says Burnham.“ This past year, we had 34, and this year, we are hoping to get to 35 or 40.” That growth has required evolving routes and staging practices. Burnham notes that the parade originally traveled a longer path through town, even stopping at the Equinox Village retirement community for carols. Over time, the route was shortened for safety and manageability. Still, as participation grew, adjustments were once again necessary.“ This coming year, it will be a new route,” Burnham explains.“ It will still launch from its original point at MEMS, but instead of going out School Street, the parade will come down Memorial Avenue to Main Street, take a left onto Center Hill Road, head down to Depot Street, and then come up Main Street back to MEMS. This ensures the tractors will never overlap, which was an issue in recent years.”
Behind the scenes, the logistics are complex.“ We create a lineup from one to thirty or forty, depending on how many tractors we have,” Burnham says.“ Everyone has their spot, and we create a map so they know exactly where to bring their tractor or float. We lay out cones, number stakes, and use every inch of the MEMS parking lots to accommodate the growth.” Unexpected challenges arise each year, but they often reveal the camaraderie that defines the event.“ Some people bring their tractors fully decorated,” Burnham explains.“ Others build them out on site. Sometimes a generator won’ t work, and then another team will step in and say,‘ I’ ll run and get mine.’ It’ s kind of like the British baking show— if somebody’ s done, they’ re helping their competitor.” While the setup can be unpredictable, one thing is constant: punctuality. Burnham stresses the importance of timing:“ We’ re very punctual. When it’ s 5:30, we’ ve got to start. As a spectator, you don’ t want to be sitting there for another half hour waiting for a tractor parade to come by when you were told 5:30 was the start.”
According to Baker, the logistics have always included personal involvement:“ I’ ve spent whole Saturdays helping Special Olympics with their float,” he
manchester manchester life magazine life holiday magazine / winter 2023 2025 15 15