I was in Fort Fairfield, Maine, the weekend of July 15, to
attend the 59th Annual Potato Blossom Festival. Fort Fairfield is
about 20 miles east of Caribou, Maine, on the New Brunswick, Canada
line. The folks up there put on a really fine show with a one-hour
parade on Saturday that attracts people from all over the area.
They also have a static display of tractors and implements and
that is where I spotted this 1931 restored John Deere GPWT with
potato wheels. The owner, John Bouchard of Fort Kent Mills, Maine,
has a number of old John Deere tractors, but this one is his
favorite. The wheel width was set by the factory to fit down the
potato rows and this tractor probably pulled many a 2-row
digger.
potato wheels. The owner, John Bouchard of Fort Kent Mills, Maine,
has a number of old John Deere tractors, but this one is his
favorite. The wheel width was set by the factory to fit down the
potato rows and this tractor probably pulled many a 2-row
digger.
The Maine Antique Tractor Club puts on a tractor pull on
Saturday after the parade. This year they had more than 50
tractors, and each one was built in 1960 or before. I would
encourage anyone interested to attend this show in northern Maine
and see the vast fields of potato blossoms.
– Clarence J. Wisecup
president, Maine Antique Tractor Club
