Fort Recovery tractor pull this weekend

FORT RECOVERY - Tractor pulls are somewhat of a family tradition for Harrod resident Justin Slusser, so the National Tractor Pullers Association event this weekend in Fort Recovery is definitely in the plans.
"My dad took me (to a tractor pull) when I was 9 years old - at least that's the first time I remember - and I've been going ever since," he said.
The Fort Recovery event starts today at 7 p.m. and repeats Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Ambassador Park, 2205 state Route 49. Grandstand and lawn seating is available, and the park provides camping sites for fans who want to stay for both nights of tractor action.
Slusser is really into the tractors, he said, and goes especially to root for his favorite John Deere tractors and against the "red ones," which he says are the tractors built by Case International.
"I'm really into the tractors and I like rooting for the John Deere," he said. "It's unbelievable the horsepower they get out of them. You follow a tractor down the road and you know how slow they are."
Tractor pulls take modified tractors and have them compete to see which souped-up farm machine can pull weight the farthest. Slusser said tractors straight from the factory with 100 horsepower engines can be transformed into 2,000-horsepower beasts.
The Fort Recovery Tractor Pull has been going on for more than 30 years. The NTPA was established in 1969 by representatives from eight states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania. These representatives met to establish uniform rules and give the sport structure. The NTPA sets the standard in the pulling industry for safety and competition rules.

What: NTPA Tractor Pull
WHEN: 7 p.m. today and 6:30 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Ambassador Park, 2202 state Route 49, Fort Recovery
COST: $18 for ages 12 and up
FOR MORE INFO: Visit www.fortpull.com or call 419-375-4178.