Knights ride heavy metal machines into town
Five-council Journey for Charity brings in food, money for local pantries
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CLICK HERE to see a gallery of photos from this event.
Jadon Moss climbed up into the seat of his grandfather’s seasoned Ford Powermaster tractor.
Every fiber in the child’s being radiated joy and a certain reverence.
“Your Dad used to rake hay with this tractor,” his Mom told him.
The Mosses were among the lingering masses outside the Monroe City Knights Hall for the Tractor Show at the end of the Northeast Missouri (NEMO) Knights of Columbus’s inaugural Journey for Charity Tractor Cruise.
“I like them because they do a lot of work and stuff that they need to do,” said Jadon, age 7, son of Jeremy and Megan Moss of Monroe City.
The tractor cruise — co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus Council 907 in Hannibal, 1165 in Monroe City, 1937 in Palmyra, 1971 in Indian Creek and 2241 in Shelbina — brought in over a ton of nonperishable food as well as money for the food pantries of Marion, Shelby and Monroe counties.
Participants started out on the Hannibal High School parking lot, where Father Michael Quinn blessed the fleet of vintage farm equipment.
“Lord, you call us to feed the poor and take care of those who are disadvantaged,” the priest prayed before blessing each vehicle with holy water. “We remember Jesus’s words, ‘Whatsoever you do for the least of these, you do for me.’ May all who take part in this Journey of Charity stay safe and be united with Christ, and may the good that they do bring you glory.”
Men operating 15 tractors then set out on a 35-mile cruise along the backroads of Marion County, accompanied by support vehicles and local law-enforcement and ambulance equipment.
The emergency vehicles, lights flashing, and a flag-festooned side-by-side led the entourage.
The tractors represented various decades and models, including John Deere, Oliver, New Holland and McCormick Farmall.
They rumbled onto the Marion County Fairgrounds in Palmyra in time for a break and a quick lunch.
A member of the Hannibal Knights drove his ’57 Chevy Bel-Air to each stop along the way.
“I don’t have a tractor, so I thought I’d bring that up instead,” he said.
Riding in one of the support vehicles was Knights of Columbus Missouri State Deputy Michael Auchley.
“This is phenomenal!” said Mr. Auchley, a member of Immaculate Conception Parish in Montgomery City. “Journey for Charity! What a neat event! It’s for a great cause, and it’s an absolutely awesome opportunity for Knights to get out and showcase their rolling stock. Everybody’s in brush-hogging season right now. So you get a chance to take a break and come out and do something for the community.”
He talked about the good-natured ribbing some of the Knights give each other about their tractors and their favorite brands.
“You’ve got to razz a little bit and have some fun with it,” he said. “It’s all in good fun.”
He pointed to the four core principles of the Knights of Columbus: charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism.
“You’ve got five councils doing this function together, so there’s fraternity,” he said. “And it’s for a charitable cause, and they’re all united. And look at all those flags. What more could you ask for?”
The air was clear and unseasonably mild, with waves of grain that had yet to turn amber.
“The Good Lord blessed us with a beautiful day!” said Mr. Auchley. “You can’t ask for anything better.”
Rolling thunder
The monsters arrived on Main Street a little ahead of schedule.
The cavalcade of vintage tractors processed past Holy Rosary Church in Monroe City and into victory-lap formation around the Knights of Columbus parking lot.
Engines rumbled, flywheels flew, gears ground, smoke billowed, flags fluttered and children cheered.
A late-season brood of cicadas vied with the motors and sirens for attention.
Inside the hall, organizers prepared enough food for 500 people.
Seven-year-old Jaden kept his eye on the workhorses, especially the red ones.
“We’re looking at tractors like the Farmall 400,” he stated with clinical precision.
An avid tractor enthusiast, he hopes to follow his grandfather and uncle into a farming career.
“There are lots of good years and good tractors,” he said. “So, they can use different farm equipment from different years and different old stuff.”
What will he remember most about the Knights’ event?
“I’m gonna still remember about the Farmall 400!” he said!
Summer Knights
All the tractors sported decorative magnets designating their drivers as participants.
Mark Dowil led the group from aboard a green tractor displaying the official sign for the event.
He was who brought the idea to northeast Missouri after attending last year’s Journey for Charity in Franklin County, sponsored by seven Knights councils in the St. Louis archdiocese.
Now in its 17th year, that petroleum-powered procession from Union to Washington included 160 tractors in 2024.
“I had so much fun, I decided to try to do one here in northeast Missouri,” said Mr. Dowil, who’s currently a member of St. Joseph Parish in Palmyra and the Hannibal Knights council.
John Jasper, who started the Franklin County event, helped get the Marion County event organized and then came along for the ride.
Representatives from each council gathered about a half-dozen times to organize and prepare for the event.
“It was nice to meet Knights from other councils, and we all worked together and it came together successfully,” said Mr. Dowil.
Each council took up a role in planning and executing the event.
Hannibal Knights prepared the food, Palmyra Knights took charge of the route and worked with law-enforcement personnel to secure intersections, Indian Creek Knights gathered the food donations along the way, Shelbina Knights helped promote the event, and Monroe City Knights hosted the barbecue and tractor show and kept track of the money.
“It’s a good deal,” said Pat Greenwell, a member of the Shelbina Knights council and district deputy for his and several surrounding councils. “It’s brought the councils together. And count on it being bigger next year.”
Members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol helped determine the best route for the tractors, and personnel from the Marion County Sheriff’s Department, the local ambulance district and a nearby volunteer fire department agreed to serve as escorts.
“There was a lot of collaboration,” Mr. Dowil noted.
Each participant’s entry fee helped cover costs, with the remainder slated for the local food pantries.
Organizers also picked up nonperishable food donations at their churches and along the tractors’ route.
“It’s for a good cause,” said Mr. Greenwell. “And the five councils going together: that’s what makes it really special.”
“Next year, we’re hoping to get the word out and see if we can get more tractors here,” said Mr. Dowil. “There’s always room for a few more.”
Field work
“It was a day of fellowship and a whole lot of fun,” said Mr. Auchley. “And over the years, in the community, you keep building it up and making a nice outcome.”
He believes neighboring councils all over the state could work together to organize events such as these.
“Even having tournaments of any sorts, like a cornhole tournament, something simple,” he said. “The main thing is, do something, and reach out to each other.”
“We’re a family, and we’re all in this together,” he stated.
Allen Pruett, a member of St. Joseph Parish in Palmyra and the Knights’ Palmyra council, said it was great to see so many Knights from neighboring councils serving and having a good time in the public eye.
“One of the things about the Knights of Columbus, people don’t really understand is that all we do is for the community,” he said. “Being able to get some interaction with the general public really puts that out to say who we are and why we exist.”
Namely, to build up Catholic family life and fellowship among men in the Church, give them opportunities to put their faith into practice, help people, their parishes and the Church at large, and provide for each other in the event of an emergency.
Next year’s Journey for Charity is slated for Aug. 29, the Saturday prior to Labor Day weekend.
“It’s a good day to do it, I think,” said Mr. Dowil. “Farmers are not in the field harvesting yet, so they have some time. If you go too much later, they’ll be in harvest season.”
As the participants headed home in anticipation of a bountiful harvest, Mr. Auchley requested prayers for the safety of everyone involved in farming.
“And for good crops, high yields and prices to sell those crops,” he said.
Mr. Dowil was quick to thank Mr. Jasper and Mark Danner for helping to organize the event, Eddie Lennox for putting up a tent for the start of it, for Fr. Quinn for blessing the fleet, “and all the Knights of Columbus who were involved.”
“This thing is gonna grow,” he said. “It’s only gonna get bigger.”
