SUTTER, CA (MPG) - Antique engines rumbled to life beneath spring skies Feb. 21 as the Sutter Lions Club hosted its fifth annual Almond Blossom Antique Tractor Drive, drawing families, history buffs and tractor enthusiasts for a scenic tour through the Sutter Buttes region.

For $5 per person or $20 per family, guests climbed aboard hay wagons towed by vintage tractors for a roughly three-hour excursion through blooming orchards, mustard fields and the Sutter Buttes. The tour departed from and returned to Sutter Union High School, where a family festival awaited participants at the finish. Stops along the route included the historic Stohlman Cemetery and the West Butte Schoolhouse, offering riders a glimpse into the area’s agricultural and rural heritage.

“The day is pretty special, bringing a lot of people out for some good old small hometown get-together fun,” said Doug Ahlers, event chair for the Sutter Lions Club. “Who wouldn't want to admire tractors from the 1930s to 1970s? Some of the tractors still do a little farm work. My 1948 John Deere A, which has a family story in itself, was raking baby lima beans last October.”

A line of antique tractors travels through the Sutter Buttes during the Sutter Lions Club’s fifth annual Almond Blossom Antique Tractor Drive on Feb. 21. The popular fundraiser brings visitors up close to the region’s agricultural heritage.

According to Ahlers, the idea was sparked more than six years ago when Rod Hisken of Oregon House, originator of Tractor Days, encouraged local organizers to create a similar event around the Sutter Buttes during blossom season.

“With his help we invited 10 tractors to make a trial run before planning a complete event for the next year,” Ahlers said. “Well, 28 tractors showed up for the trial run. The residents around Sutter wanted to know what was going on with the tractors and why they weren't invited.”

That early enthusiasm pushed organizers to expand the drive into a full community event. This year, just over 60 tractors registered, with 53 ultimately making the trip despite weather concerns. Drivers traveled from across Northern California and beyond, including one participant from Klamath Falls, Oregon.

While slightly down from last year due to weather, organizers estimated just over 70 people rode the full hay wagon route through the Buttes. The shorter children’s hayrides held at the high school orchard carried a couple hundred children throughout the day.

Multiple antique tractors gather along a rural roadway beneath the Sutter Buttes during the Feb. 21 Almond Blossom Antique Tractor Drive.

Beyond the scenic ride, the event serves as a key fundraiser for the Sutter Lions Club, typically generating about $8,000 annually to support local community projects. During the ride, Lions member James Steele described the organization’s broader mission.

“The whole purpose of the Lions is to identify the needs in a community and try and find a way to meet them,” Steele said.

Funds raised support a range of humanitarian efforts, including youth programs and medical-related causes. Steele noted the club recently sponsored children, including his own son, to attend Camp McCumber for youth with diabetes.

Visitors ride through rows of blooming almond trees with the Sutter Buttes rising in the background during the Feb. 21 Almond Blossom Antique Tractor Drive.

“They educate them the whole time they’re there in a really fun, nonstructured way,” Steele said. “They let them be kids and have camp time, but they’re also teaching them how to calculate carbs, what the best practices are for their medicine, procedures and their overall health and diet.”

Upon returning to Sutter Union High School, families were treated to a festival atmosphere featuring games, barbecue, youth tractor driving opportunities and smaller hayrides designed for younger children.

Local officials also took part in the festivities, including Acting County Administrative Officer Todd Retzloff and Board of Supervisors Chairman Mike Ziegenmeyer, who donated a pedal tractor later won by a young attendee.

“These are the salt-of-the-earth people in the community,” Steele said. “Most of them are old-timers who are just in the background doing the things that make everything work.”