Bringing back harvest memories
Visit from classic John Deere surprises Morningside resident
Photo by Deb Gau Troy Muhl surprised his father Darrel Muhl by driving a John Deere Model A tractor to Morningside Heights Care Center in Marshall on Wednesday morning. Darrel shared memories of working with the tractor on the family farm.
Photo by Deb Gau Troy Muhl drove the classic John Deere to show Morningside Heights residents on Wednesday. This is the second year that the care center has held Harvest Festival activities, including the tractor drive-by.
Photo courtesy of Avera Morningside Heights Bob VanLeeuwe and Mary Ellen Ochocki were crowned as Harvest Festival King and Queen this week at Avera Morningside Heights. Morningside Heights residents have been celebrating fall with harvest-themed events this week.
Photo by Deb Gau Troy Muhl surprised his father Darrel Muhl by driving a John Deere Model A tractor to Morningside Heights Care Center in Marshall on Wednesday morning. Darrel shared memories of working with the tractor on the family farm.
Photo by Deb Gau Troy Muhl drove the classic John Deere to show Morningside Heights residents on Wednesday. This is the second year that the care center has held Harvest Festival activities, including the tractor drive-by.
Photo courtesy of Avera Morningside Heights Bob VanLeeuwe and Mary Ellen Ochocki were crowned as Harvest Festival King and Queen this week at Avera Morningside Heights. Morningside Heights residents have been celebrating fall with harvest-themed events this week.
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MARSHALL -- There was a surprise in store for Darrel Muhl during a fall celebration at the Avera Morningside Heights Care Center on Wednesday morning.
Darrel's son, Troy Muhl, drove up to the center's entrance on a classic John Deere tractor that Darrel once used on the family farm.
"I didn't know I would see it run," Darrel Muhl said.
Morningside Heights residents have been taking part in a variety of fall-themed activities during the center's second annual Harvest Festival. This week, residents played games, did fall crafts and crowned festival royalty. Bob VanLeeuwe and Mary Ellen Ochocki were crowned Harvest King and Queen.
Wednesday’s tractor visit was part of the fun, too. Morningside Heights Activities Coordinator Jacki Cook said that for residents who were farmers, getting to see farm equipment drive by brings back a lot of memories.
Troy Muhl said the tractor he drove Wednesday was a 1935 John Deere Model A. The tractor has stayed with their family down through the years, but it took some work to get it running again.
"My uncle and aunt had done a bit of work on it, but it wasn't running when I got it," Troy said.
Troy told Darrel that it took him 22 minutes to get the tractor started on Wednesday morning.
"It's stubborn," Darrel Muhl said.
Darrel remembered that it wasn't easy for him to get the tractor started when he was young - at the time, he didn't have the strength to turn the flywheel that cranked the engine.
Darrel said he used to drive the tractor to do field work.
"I put a lot of hours in there," he said.