The Last Farmall Promenade

By Loretta Sorensen
Published on January 27, 2009
1 / 3
Eight farmers from Nemaha, Iowa, developed dances using Farmall tractors for their community’s centennial celebration in 1999. The production developed into a 10-year stint of paid performances at events across the Midwest.
Eight farmers from Nemaha, Iowa, developed dances using Farmall tractors for their community’s centennial celebration in 1999. The production developed into a 10-year stint of paid performances at events across the Midwest.
2 / 3
Russ Davis (left) and Neil Wedeking made up one of the four Farmall Promenade “couples.” They portrayed Mr. and Mrs. DeKalb and “danced” as a couple in square dance numbers performed with Farmall tractors dating to the 1940s and ’50s.
Russ Davis (left) and Neil Wedeking made up one of the four Farmall Promenade “couples.” They portrayed Mr. and Mrs. DeKalb and “danced” as a couple in square dance numbers performed with Farmall tractors dating to the 1940s and ’50s.
3 / 3
The dance routines presented by the Farmall Promenade often brought tractor wheels within a hair’s breadth of one another, as Mr. and Mrs. Garst (played by Damon Mooney, left, and Jeff Smith) demonstrate here.
The dance routines presented by the Farmall Promenade often brought tractor wheels within a hair’s breadth of one another, as Mr. and Mrs. Garst (played by Damon Mooney, left, and Jeff Smith) demonstrate here.

Looking for a way to use your historic tractor other than in a parade or tractor ride?

You might consider square dancing: That’s what eight Nemaha, Iowa, farmers did when they put their vintage Farmalls to work with the Farmall Promenade. The group’s final performance last August closed a 10-year run.

“We always said we’d stop when it wasn’t fun anymore,” says Damon Mooney, who organized the group in 1998. “It’s still a lot of fun, but we’ve all decided it’s time to move on. A lot of people are saying they hope we change our mind, but 2008 was our last year.”

The promenade group made its debut in 1999 at the Nemaha centennial celebration. Since then, the group has traveled as far as St. Louis to perform. Members hauled their tractors on semi-trailers and chartered a bus so they could travel together to performances, including several at the Iowa State Fair. Their story has been featured on “The Today Show,” “Good Morning America” and “CBS Sunday Morning.”

Online Store Logo
Need Help? Call 1-866-624-9388