By Marianne Austin
Fresno United Methodist Church celebrated rural life on Sept . 11 , beginning with an outdoor worship in Fresno Park at 10:30 a . m .
More than 100 people attended the celebration paying tribute to agriculture and country living now and in times past . The day-long event included drive your tractor to church , worship under the pavilion
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, a covered dish dinner provided by the ladies of the church , a kids tractor pull , a petting zoo , a cake walk , a watermelon-eating contest , a hayride , and more refreshments in the afternoon including ice cream , freezer pops and popcorn .
Marilyn Wyler said , “ We ’ ve been doing this for years ; it will be all afternoon . We have a tractor pull for the little kids , lots
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of baked goods for a cake walk , we go on a hayride , and we have ice cream in the afternoon , and there is plenty of food .”
In the past the hayride made a 5-mile loop around the town .
This Sunday is designed to recognize the agricultural community and the impact it has made .
“ We read the FFA creed and do a tribute to the farmer
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. Formerly , if they drove a tractor , they would stand and say the type of tractor they drove . We ’ ve been doing this a long time . It started with Pastor Mary Owens , and Pastor Dan took her place as minister ,” Dena Wuebker said . “ Each year we recognize a local farmer as Farmer of the Year . The church gives them a shirt with Farmer of the Year on it and a cross to |