With an estimated crowd of 3,000 to 4,000 attending the ‘Pulling for Preston’ Memorial Truck and Tractor Pull last Saturday, organizers Guy and Tammy Nelson are quite pleased.

The event was held in honor of the couple’s son Preston, a North Crawford High School graduate and truck pulling enthusiast, who lost his life in a fatal traffic accident in April.

With nine teams in the barbeque cook-off and over 100 truck and tractor pullers registered, Guy said he was pleased with how well the event went. He was quick to attribute its success to the support of the community and the many folks who volunteered, both ahead of time and the day of the pull.

“I had a puller from Iowa send me a message to say how amazing it was to see the community around Soldiers Grove come together like this,” Guy said Monday.

The pull featured 12 straight hours of pulling and saw over 1,500 ears of sweet corn, 1,000 hamburgers, 1,000 hotdogs and brats, and 500 pounds each of ribs, chicken and pork shoulder served.

“We ran out of food by around 9 p.m., so we apologize to the folks who didn’t get to eat,” Guy said.

A great deal of appreciation is due to the sponsors, donors and many volunteers that it took to make the event a success, Guy noted.

“A lot of volunteers stepped forward the day of the pull and afterwards, helping to manage the event,” Guy said. “We are just really pleased with the turnout. And, I was really happy to see so many families, to see parents with strollers and young children. It was important to us that this be an event where everyone felt welcome.”

The Nelson family is already looking to the future of the event, which they hope will help fund a technical education scholarship in Preston’s memory, as well as provide some financial support to local rescue squads and fire departments.

“People have already been asking me if we are planning on doing this again,” Guy said. “The answer is yes, and I think it will just be bigger and better.”