It was an absolutely beautiful day. The track had been graded and compacted the day before the pull and, except for one wet spot which we avoided by moving the pulling area a little, it appeared to be as durable as tar. In fact, it held up very well until late in the day. Whenever the pulling surface is modified the drivers are back to square one figuring out what gears and tires will work best. Does slow and easy wins the race? Or will a fast sprint do the trick? Will soft tires work better than hard ones?

Twenty tractors and 23 drivers were signed up. We started out with 2,400 pounds on the stone boat and added 800 pounds each round. The first two rounds (2,400 and 3,200 pounds) went off perfectly with each driver making a full pull. Then 5 drivers were eliminated at 4,000 pounds, 7 at 4,800 and 6 at 5,600 pounds. That left 4 drivers (3 tractors) in the final 6,400 pound class.

The final pullers in the 6,400 pound class were Dick and Linda Spofford in the #4 Tinker Toy tractor; Dick Vigneault in #22 Double Trouble, Rick Spofford in the #1 Old Glory and Roy Wyatt in #15 Little Red Wagon. The two Dicks tied and both were in the process of loading their tractors so third place was decided by a coin toss and awarded to Dick Vigneault. Rick took second place with 42½ inches and Roy took first with 66 inches. Wayne Comgdon drove the #24 ‘Giiddy Up Go’ tractor along with Holly Sinclair. Larry Sinclair was a great coach to both drivers and Wayne won the 9th place ‘mystery’ trophy. Pretty good for a first timer.

Trophies were awarded and the raffle was drawn. Donald Roach won $33 in the 50/50 raffle. He bought 3 tickets so he kept his original $3.00 investment and donated the remaining $30 back to the club.

Special thanks to all who worked in the pits including but not limited to John Murray, Bruce Dubey Jr, Dick Spofford, Roy Wyatt, Ralph Strong, Bruce Dubey Sr, Chris Skirkey, Larry and Holly Sinclair and Don Roach. Thanks also to Ray Goudreault and Rick Spofford for running the Hubey. Diane Par? did another great job announcing and Penny Clough, assisted by Joan Lambert and Pam Murray, did a great job with the food tent. Big thanks also to Dick Spofford for mowing the field and Rick Spofford for working on the track.

* Third place tie between Dick Vigneault and Dick Spofford was decided by a coin toss** This week our ‘mystery’ trophy went to 9th place winner Wayne Comgdon.

We had an absolutely stupendous turnout for the fair with 21 tractors and 25 drivers! The fair furnished the stone boat, blocks, loader, 5 gorgeous trophies and PA system.

We started out with 2100 pounds on the boat and added approximately 600 pounds each round. Ralph Strong’s tractor broke during his very first pull. The boat was narrow and became less stable as blocks were added. Holly Sinclair went so fast she lost a block off the back of the boat. After that the blocks were tied on. The pulling area was a dirt roadway and it wasn’t long before there was a noticeable sag in front of the drag. This sag became more and more pronounced as time went along until it looked pretty much like a miniature of the Mount Washington Valley. It really looked formidable.

Once again our members all worked together to make it a great day. Thanks to all who worked in the pit area including but not limited to Bruce Dubey Sr; Dick Spofford; Bruce Dubey Jr; Rick Spofford; Dick Vigneault; Joe Gorman; Lee Clough; Jason, James and Mr. Williamson from the Aggie School and Shawn Suzor. Also Thanks to Dick Spofford, Rick Spofford, Mike Gorman, Joe Gorman and Ralph Strong for operating the loader in such a professional manner.

Chris Skirkey’s dedication to the Doodlebugs is impressive. He does not own a tractor but comes every month and works his tail off helping out wherever he can. He has worked the pit all day in the rain when even some of the tractor drivers quit. This club is like a cooperative where the members all own the organization and must all work together to make it succeed. Chris is a great example of that principle. We’re lucky to have him as a member.

Chris is a retired Drag racer who ran Top Fuel Harley Davidson’s and occasionally drives drag cars for other people. He says if it can turn a corner it ain’t going fast enough. He is currently involved in NTPA Pro Tractor pulling as a crew member and helper and is currently employed as a ‘Systems Engineer’ with Verizon. He and his wife, Cathy, have 2 grandchildren and another on the way. He likes restoring flathead Harleys, working on his farm, playing with the grandkids, and helping the Doodlebugs Club. People keep asking Chris when he’s going to build a doodlebug and. he tells them he’s working on it.

Ray Goudreault, Lee Clough and Ralph Strong entered their tractors and Penny Clough entered her 1964 Corvair sedan in the parade. Diane Pare rode with Penny in the Corvair and Fred Pare drove his 3-wheeler along the parade route. The brakes on the Corvair failed and Penny drove most of the parade with only a hand brake. Penny got a first place trophy for her efforts, Lee got second and Ralph got third. It was a beautiful day and 6 fire departments participated in the muster. There were lots of activities and everyone had a good time.

I am proud and pleased to be associated with the Doodlebuggers. I am impressed with how the members work together. Everyone is willing to help out when a tractor becomes disabled and there is seldom a shortage of track workers or loader / Hubey operators. We ARE the Doodlebugs Club – every one of us – and we should all give ourselves a big pat on the back because we’re a great group of people.

It was good to see the Gormans again. Their family has been busy enjoying the diversity of interests and priorities that have developed as the boys got older and more independent. Hope they’ll find time to come see us again soon.

I have to tell you about my big win at Stratham Fair. I looked at that track, at the big hole and the mound of dirt at the end of it, and thought “NO WAY”. After careful consideration I decided the best possible pull would be straight down the middle and just drove the dickens out of the darned thing. No one was more surprised that I was when the tractor began picking up momentum instead of loosing it. I was so intent on keeping it moving I nearly drove it off the fair grounds. I don’t know if the tires got better traction or the boat broke free. I think it felt like the latter, but what do I know? I’m just glad it did.

The Aggie Club is going to build a new (third) tractor. They have two 1938 Fords coming from Vermont and James, one of the student builder/drivers, has big plans to make a fancy street rod type doodlebug from them.

We had a good day for our July pull. Business was steady at the food tent. I want to thank Joan Lambert and Pam Murray for their help at that end.

We had a great day at the Stratham Fair. My table was slow but we did have some sales. I wasn't set up in the best area. Next year will make sure to have a better location

We had a good turn out this month at Canterbury. We got to see some of the old faces and some new faces. I'm glad you all came. The pit area held up well. The weather was great. All in all it was a great day for the doodlebugs and their drivers.

I want to thank Rick Spofford for getting the new calendar together. GREAT JOB -THANK YOU!! What a great job he did with them. The calendars are available to buy @ $7.50 each. See Penny Clough for them or call in you order.

I want to thank everyone who helped in the pit area and with all the other little things that makes our Club run. Thank You All !!

This was our first time at Stratham Fair so Penny and I went Saturday to check things out. We brought our doodlebug and put it on

display. I had no idea how many were coming but to my surprise that were 21 tractors there. For being the Club’s first year going to this fair we had a GREAT turn out.

compacted clay and sand mix. As I stood back to watch the crowd I noticed that with the other events going on they were watching us on most part.

I want to thank Stan Walker for inviting us to the fair. He came up to us at the Rochester Fair last year. He took a picture of his dad's Doodlebug and put it on a medallion on top of the Fair trophies.

Our next event is the Loudon Old Home Day Parade and pull August 13. Hope to see you all there. The Parade is at 10:00 and line up it at 9:30 AM.