Keeping Tradition Alive Once Again at the Eddy County Fair

By Misty Cryer

For generations, the Eddy County Fair has been more than a week of entertainment and awards; it has been a place where traditions are passed from one generation to the next.

The rumble of an old tractor engine has a way of carrying people back in time. The sight and sound of restored machines lined up in the parade and at the fairgrounds is more than a display of polished steel and faded paint for many; it is a reminder of family farms, hard work, and time spent in the fields.

As the fair continues to evolve, this tradition remains thanks to the members of the Pecos Valley Classic Ag Tractor Club. Their passion for preserving these treasures and sharing the stories behind them helps ensure that the agricultural heritage of the county’s communities continues to inspire future generations.

Pecos Valley Classic Ag Tractor Club is a branch of the nationwide club, Early Day Gas Engine and Tractor Association (EDGE&TA), said Terry Reed. The branch is made up of antique tractor collectors from different towns around the state and surrounding states. Some members are farmers who grew up with the tractors, while others took it up as a hobby to try to maintain some old equipment.

“When we say antique tractor, we mean tractors that were built before 1960; that’s kind of the general rule.”

The club has been around for a long time. “I think I got involved in the club around 2009 with my first tractor,” said Reed.

Over the years, the club has been known to do tractor games, pedal tractor pulls for the kids, make ice cream with a tractor-powered ice cream churner, and do hay baling demonstrations with a stationary hay baler.

“We have always tried to do something with the fair. We’ve just done different things over the years, just depending on what we were able to support,” said Reed.

“We used to be probably at least twice as big,” said Reed. “Right now, we probably have about 15 members; we are relatively small,” he said, adding that they are mainly focused on parades and things like that. “We don’t have the membership to support other activities that we used to do,” he said.

This year, the club had five tractors at the fair and participated in the opening parade. “The fair has been kind enough to provide that tent for us for several years now that we can park our tractors under to display,” said Reed.

“Something that has affected us in a big way, we lost a couple of outstanding members,” said Reed, referring to Jerry Frazier from Artesia, who passed away in January of 2025, and David McDonald from Loving, who passed in December of 2024.

“These guys knew everything about tractors, like how to fix them, what made them tick, and the history behind them, and all the companies that came and went over the years,” he said.

Previously, Reed said, fairgoers may have seen brands of tractors that are not normally seen around these parts, crediting them to Frazier, who had a huge collection of unique tractors.

“He spent a lot of time and effort to restore them, paint them, and just make them beautiful,” he said, adding that Frazier was famous for displaying them all over the place and participating in car shows.

About McDonald, Reed said, “He had a huge collection of just about every model of John Deere tractor and every model of Farmall tractor, and a few others. He had an enormous collection and was a long-term member.”

Acknowledging that there are not too many young people joining the hobby, Reed said, “I hope it’s not totally going to die out one of these days.”

From his experience, Reed said that people’s faces light up when they see the tractors, especially children. “It’s just something they don’t see every day.” He said it is fun to put old tractors in a parade and throw flags or lights on them to keep that old tradition while keeping history alive for people to enjoy.

The club is always open to new members. “If people want to come and just talk about old tractors, we meet the first Tuesday of each month at LaFonda Restaurant in Artesia,” said Reed. The meeting starts at 7 p.m., with people usually showing up around 6 p.m. to order some food and visit. Anyone interested can visit the club’s Facebook page to learn more and see some cool tractors, he said.