The Coshocton County Beacon September 22, 2022 | Page 30

30 • The Beacon See You At The Coshocton County Fair September 22 , 2022

Fresno UMC celebrates rural life at outdoor service

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
, 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
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
. 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

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Marianne Austin
Ridgewood FFA provided pedal tractors for the kiddie pull . Each child had to weigh in , and local businesses provided the trophies .
hang in their home .
“ Brian Darr was selected as Farmer of the Year this year . Pastor Dan gives a really nice sermon focusing on agriculture , farming , and it ’ s a day to pay tribute to the agricultural industry .”
Darr drove his tractor , a 2003 case IHMX 210 .
“ That tractor is fourwheel drive , and I use it for everything on the farm ,” he said . “ It ’ s new enough that it has all automatic steering . We farm about 900 acres . We raise corn , soybeans , wheat and pumpkins . The pumpkins at the celebration came from our farm . We have about 15 acres of pumpkins this year . I was raised on the farm that my wife and I live on . My mom and dad lived there , and our family has been on this farm since 1973 .”
The kids tractor pull weight classes included 30-105 pounds , plus an old timers class . Kurt Wyler and Zach Brown were unloading the kids tractors from the FFA trailer for the pull .
“ Ridgewood FFA furnishes the pedal tractors every year ,” Wyler said . “ Each weight we add to the pull is 10 pounds . Each child has to weigh in , and local businesses provide the trophies . Mainly , it ’ s just for fun .”
Pastor Dan Eggan has been at the Fresno Church for about six years .
“ When we came here , they had the rural life celebration every September . I didn ’ t know a lot about it , but it had its own life because they have had it for several years ,” Eggan said . “ With Marilyn Wyler and her committee , I was certainly behind it . They arranged for the services and the food and the kids festivities , and it was just a wonderful celebration .
“ I was thinking with the rain it would diminish a little bit , but it certainly didn ’ t . We had a good wor-
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