The 69th Annual Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine Days Parade of Tractors kicked off the four-day festivities with over 200 tractors making their way from Hesper, IA, a hamlet of fewer than 100 people to Mabel, MN, a village of 823 residents.
The Parade is Starting
Mabel Grenadiers Band
Leading the way is the local Grenadiers from Mabel, MN, a staple in area parades.
The Blue Ford Tractor
Ford 3000
The only blue Ford tractor in this year’s parade stood out among the red, green, orange, and yellow tractors.
Red, White, and Blue
John Deere 2520
The red, white, and blue adorned many entries.
Multi-Generational Entry
Farmall 300
This entry tugs at my heart – a grandpa and his grandson.
Parade Characters
Quite the character.
Wagon Rides
A favorite fall activity among farmers in the driftless region is hayrides, so it is no surprise that locals take advantage of parades to enjoy wagon rides.
The Next Generation
What is your favorite color of tractor? Red, yellow, green, orange, or blue.
Cleans-Up Real Nice
A class act.
Women Drivers
Kandace Dahl, Hesper
Women have always driven tractors on the farm, now more and more of them are showing up in the Parade of Tractors.
Date Night
Date Night
A couple spending the evening on a John Deere tractor.
Tractor parades are a common occurrence in my neck of the woods, so make plans to attend one. If you are invited to take a wagon ride, make sure to say yes.
The Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine Days celebration is the first weekend after Labor Day each year; the Parade of Tractors kicks off the weekend festivities on Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m. in Hesper.
Community parades were effected by COVID-19, but are back and better than ever.
Following is a sampling of parades, I attend in NE Iowa and SE Minnesota every year. The Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine Days parade was the first parade I ever attended and will always remain on the top of my list of favorite parades. My memories attending the Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine Days is long and I will never forget them.
What makes an excellent parade? Royalty, floats, horses, dogs, antique cars, motorcycles, youth groups, politicians, color guards, marching bands, clowns, candy toss, and attendees of all ages, sizes, and colors.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Waukon, IA – March 17, 2024
Color Guard
The Waukon St. Patrick’s Day parade is the first St. Patrick’s Day parade I had ever attended. Since my birthday is March 17, you would think that I had been to many parades to celebrate my birthday. It was not till I came back for a visit and got reacquainted with Tony that I even thought about attending a St. Patrick’s Day parade in the driftless region. It was awesome to see so many people wearing green and shamrocks and floats decked out in green. Even the dogs and horses wore green.
Syttendi Mai, Spring Grove, MN – May 15-19, 2024
Antique Cars are all the Roar at the 2021 Syttendi Mai Celebration.
A fun parade in the neighboring town of Spring Grove, MN. Syttendi Mai celebrates Constitution Day, a national day in Norway, on May 17. It should be noted that Spring Grove is Minnesota’s first Norwegian settlement.
Trout Days, Preston, MN – May 17-19, 2024
That would make one heck of a fish story.
Preston, MN celebrates trout fishing in May each year. On a scale of 1-10, Preston’s parade is a 10. I highly recommend attending and while you are visiting Preston, try your luck at fishing the cold-water streams in the area.
Laura Days, Burr Oak, IA – June 21-23, 2024
Sisters, Sue Darling and Carol Maki enjoying the Laura Days parade
When in Burr Oak, IA for Laura Days parade make time to include a visit to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, and don’t forget to take in the other activities. Ladies, this is your opportunity to wear your bonnet, floral dress, and apron. Men, wear your britches and make sure your britches are tucked inside your boots.
Gammel Dag Fest, Peterson, MN – June 22, 2024
Kids and parades go hand in hand.
Norwegian festivities are a common occurrence in NE Iowa and SE Minnesota.
4th of July Celebration, Harmony, MN – July 4, 2024
Here comes the Fillmore Central Marching Band sounding off.
In my opinion, a parade is not a parade without a band. I love the sound of music filling the air while watching a parade, plus it is fun to watch the band members playing their instruments and the drill team, flag squad, and twirlers perform.
Fourth of July Celebration, Cherry Grove, MN – July 4, 2024
Cherry Grove, is a Midwestern town of less than 50 in southeast Minnesota. The parade draws over a thousand parade watchers to the town’s annual 4th of July parade. The 30-minute parade is followed by a tradition church luncheon at the local church.
Nordic Fest, Decorah, IA – July 25-27, 2024
Parade watchers
Nordic Fest is so popular that spectators stake out their favorite spot to watch the parade, days in advance.
Sweet Corn Days, Lime Springs, IA – August 9-11, 2024
All the free sweet corn you can eat!
Lime Spring’s parade is as good as the free delicious sweet Iowa corn served.
Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine Days, Mabel, MN – September 5-8, 2024
What beautiful music this steam powered Calliope makes!
I have so many happy memories from attending the Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine Days all these years. Unique to this parade is that the parade is held on both Saturday and Sunday. The Saturday parade is the largest of the two, but the Sunday parade is by no means small.
Santa’s Holiday Parade, Cresco, IA – November 29, 2024
Where is the snow!
Where is the snow! Even without snow, the holiday parade in Cresco is spectacular and should not be missed.
Lighted Holiday Parade, Decorah, IA – December 13, 2024
Christmas time in Decorah.
Santa Claus stops by and has his picture taken with all the good little girls and boys after the Light Parade in Decorah, IA.
Winter Wonderland Celebration, Caledonia, MN – December 6, 2024
Merry Christmas and to all a good night!
Unique to this nighttime parade is the hot-air balloon entry. The balloon is inflated, the burners are lit lighting up the black sky.
Attending parades is a favorite activity of mine. Thankfully for me, it seems as if every festival and event includes a parade. So, attending one every weekend is not a problem in the Driftless region. In fact, a Facebook event reminder popped up and reminded me that there is a parade to go to tonight in Waukon, Iowa, to celebrate dairy month.
Parades have taken on a different look over the past year thanks to COVID-19. Many of the changes were a welcoming change and will become the new norm.
So, before we begin to rate parades, let us look at Merriam-Webster’s definition of a parade. The online dictionary defines a parade as “a public celebration of a special day or event that usually includes many people and groups moving down a street by marching or riding in cars or on special vehicles (called floats).” So, pondering, why I enjoy watching parades mentally creating a checklist at the same time.
“A parade looks like a bunch of people are excited about being in traffic.” Demetri Martin
“A procession is a participants’ journey, while a parade is a performance with an audience.” Rebecca Solnit
Music Makes the Parade
Fillmore Central High School Marching Band, Preston, MN
Music is a must, whether the music is coming from a community band in the back of a truck or on a float, or a school marching band; I do not care; there just have to be entries with live music. School bands are my favorite, so double points if the parade has multiple school bands.
Sweet Tooth
2019 Fourth of July Celebration, Harmony, MN
What is a parade without a candy toss? Double points for tootsie rolls and triple points for fresh cheese sticks. The flower shop in Mabel, Minnesota, hands out fresh carnations during the Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine Days earning the parade bonus points.
“When I’ve ridden in parades, I always throw to the kids, the elderly, and anyone who is smiling and having a great time. I try to make eye contact with the person. If you catch a ton and a kid nearby hasn’t caught much, share.” Bryan Batt
Who is that Doggie in the Window
2021 Syttende Mai Parade, Spring Grove, MN
Parades must have entries with dogs. My heart melts when I see dogs walking or riding in a parade. If the dogs are dressed up they bring a smile to my face, and I immediately snap a picture.
On Stage
2019 Fourth of July Celebration, Harmony, MN
Clowns are a crowd favorite and parade organizers deserve a round of applause plus extra points for including multiple units of clowns in their town’s parade. I always look forward to watching the Shriner clowns in their one-of-a-kind costumes perform as they drive their motorized trikes down the parade route.
“He looked like something that had gotten loose from Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.” Harpo Marx
The Wave
2020 Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine, Mabel, MN
I would be remiss if I did not mention tractor parades and include a picture of a tractor. Tractor parades must be a Midwestern thing because I do not remember seeing tractors in parades in New Mexico. If there were any, there definitely were not close to as many as there are in the parades in this area. The parade during the Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine Days must feature over 100 tractors in the parade, red, yellow, green, blue, and pink tractors.
The End
2019 Fourth of July Celebration, Harmony, MN
I love seeing the horse entries, especially when they prance.
“Never let the guy with the broom decide how many elephants can be in the parade.” Merlin Mann
God Bless America
2019 Syttende Mai, Spring Grove, MN
“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.” Erma Bombeck
