Sugar Grove
By Paula Mitchell
This year’s Sugar Grove’s Tractor Parade queen earned that special title. She is Mary Puffenbarger.
Mary was the daughter of Garland and Kathryn Terry. She was a busy lady in the Stokesville community…serving as choir director, Sunday School teacher, substitute pianist, and anything else that immersed her life with the church.
She met Eldon “Butch” Puffenbarger at church where she was singing, marrying him Aug. 2, 1970. She moved in to help care for her in-laws, Roy (1985) and Barbara Puffenbarger (1996). For a while she helped with the local rescue squad. In time, they had Wesley and David to add to their family, and then, daughters-in-law, Becky and Tabitha, and grandchildren, Ben, Emma, Nathan, Cole and Leah with Aria arriving in October.
Mary stayed busy on the beef cattle farm. A garden required canning and freezing. She was known to make homemade butter, sour cream, and cottage cheese. She especially enjoyed babysitting, making quilts, reading the Bible, and working crossword puzzles.
Congratulations, Queen Mary!
A listing of the annual tractor parade dignitaries for the last 10 years are as follows: 1. Isaac Sponaugle (Grand Marshal), 2. Clinton Ann Bowers, 3. Evelyn Varner, 4. Ellen Mitchell, 5. Allen Moats (Grand Marshal) and Naomi Wilfong, 6. Erma Moats, 7. COVID, 8. Paula Mitchell, 9. Judy Rader and 10. Mary Puffenbarger.
Life’s little instructions include the following:
- Remember that ignorance is expensive.
- Don’t let weeds grow around one’s dreams.
- Don’t let anyone talk a person out of pursuing what one knows to be a great idea.
- To fight the blues, try exercising
- Remember that all success comes at a price.
There has been only one notable heavy fog in August, so far. What does that mean? Gardens have been slow in producing the vegetables, especially tomatoes. Perhaps the ground was still cold when the plants entered the ground?
The 10th Sugar Grove Tractor Parade has come and gone. Fifty-eight tractors of all sizes, colors and makes “putt putted” the stretch from Piggley Wiggley’s, through the sleepy Sugar Grove hamlet to the South Fork Rescue Squad building. The weather couldn’t have been ordered to be any better. Homeowners allowed the throngs of people to line the roadway to observe and enjoy this once a year tractor parade.
Judges from Virginia made the calls for the tractor trophies. They are as follows:
Most Farm and Field Ready — Gary Rexrode, first, Connor Armstrong, second, and Matt Pennybacker, third;
Best in Show, Gasoline — Doug Pitsenbarger (owner Tyler Arbaugh), first, and Braiden Lantz, second;
Best in Show, Diesel — Wilmer Shank, first, and Dave Rexrode (owner Danny Crider), second;
Best Showmanship — Matt Kontyko (owner Tom Mitchell, first, and Aaron Eye (owner George Rexrode) and Eugene Varner, tied for second;
Most Unique Tractor — Charlie George (owner Shaun Bowers);
She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy — Lee Smith;
Best Appearing Co-Pilot — Andrew Kiser (owner Roger Kiser), first, Jeff McCray (owner Jake McCray), second, and David Patterson, third;
Best Appearing Implement — Sandy O’Gorek (owner Eugene Varner), first, Will Johnson (owner Eugene Varner), second, and Bobby Bodkin, third;
Ol’ Greasy — Jeremy Wiseman;
Most Tractors Entered — Eugene Varner (12);
People’s Choice Award — Rich Ziehl and Carson Mitchell;
This week’s clickety-clacks for the chin waggers are as follows:
- Liberal, Kansas, has an exact replica of the house in The Wizard of Oz.
- The ice cream sundae was invented in Wisconsin in 1881 to get around the Blue Laws prohibiting ice cream being sold on Sundays.
- Some birds use stars for navigation during migration.
- August was originally named Sextillis.
- There are 360 dog breeds in the world.
Sitting on the porch swing is the best place to hear the “Talk of the Grove.”
Connor Armstrong, son of Bobbie and Tracy Armstrong, enjoyed driving a tractor through the parade Saturday, and getting a trophy
Justin, April, Colby, and Chloe Simmons, along with Doug and Vicky Simmons, enjoyed a week at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Evelyn Varner and Wanda Pitsenbarger really enjoyed the gospel music Sunday at the Rockingham County Fair Grounds in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Visitors of Rosalee Grogg were Terri Grogg, Claude Castleberry, Madison Grogg and Asher and Anthony Mauzy.
The Tom/Brandon Mitchell family hosted the Ziehl and Weedon families, who came from Maryland over the weekend, to enjoy the tractor parade and lawn party.
Quotes for the week are as follows:
“A man’s true wealth is the good he does in this world.” — Bendixline
“Worship renews the spirit as sleep renews the body.” — Richard Clarke Cabot
“There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it hardly becomes any of us to talk about the rest of us.” — Edward Wallis Hoch
“Service is the rent we pay for our room on earth.” — Unknown
“I believe the first test of a truly great man is his humility.” — John Ruskin
Concerns for this week are many. They are as follows: the Teresa Adamson family, Charles Anderson, Roger and Joan Ashley, Mercedes Aumann, Vernon “Fuzzy” Baldwin, Lynn Beatty, “Bo” Boggs, Marie Cole, Jed Conrad, Jeff Craig, Maurice Davenport, Mary Eye, Donna Fleisher, Lola Graham, Jordan Greathouse, Marvin Hartman, Steve and Armanda Heavner, Jackie Hill, Virgil Homan, Jr., Adelbert Hoover, the Mary Hedrick Howdyshell family, Myrtle Hoover, Debbie Horst, Mike Jamison, Alice Johnson, Richard Judy, Marsha Keller, Danny Kimble, Dennis Kincaid, Kim Kline, Melissa Lambert, Robert Lambert, Rex Landis, Angela Lung, Linda Malcolm, Betty Mallow, Roger and Skip Mallow, Neil McLaughlin, the Sheldon Miller family, Barbara Moats, Melvin Moats, Aaron Nelson, Ruth Nelson, Don Nilsen, Cheryl Paine, Barbara Parker, Sutton Parrack, Shirley Pratt, Alda Propst, Kathy Propst, Linda Propst, Harley Propst, Mary Puffenbarger, Jason Rexrode, Jimmy Rexrode, Pam Rexrode, Donna Ruddle, John Ruddle, Annie Simmons, Barry and Phyllis Simmons, Davey Simmons, Erin Simmons, Robbie Sites, Rosa Tichenor, Sandra Vandevander, Amy Vaus, Judy Williams, Junior Wimer and Margaret Wimer.
