Looking forward to the Christmas Tractors of Nenagh
A festive fundraising event that has brought national attention to Nenagh, the Christmas tractor parade is all set for its fourth outing this Saturday.
Growing in popularity since its inception in 2018, this year's parade of illuminated agricultural machinery will be bigger than before and will include a raft activities taking place over several hours on what has become one of the busiest fixtures on the local events calendar.
A great day out has been organised, with Christmas music on the streets from 2pm. Disney characters will also be out and about, among them Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Olaf, the LOL Doll and Minnions.
There's further excitment to look forward to in the Kenyon St Car Park with amusements for children and stalls selling all manner of festive fare, including hand-held Christmas lights. And the organisers are running a raffle on the day with some great prizes up for grabs, including three loads of timber and a battery-operated jeep worth €400.
ALL ABOARD!
Among the new additions this year is the Polar Express, a specially-built train modelled in the likeness of the hit Christmas movie. The train will feature in the evening parade, but it will also be doing rounds of the town from 2pm. A competition has been organised where children can win a golden ticket to get aboard and join in the adventure as the Polar Express goes on tour of Nenagh. Visit the Christmas Tractors of Nenagh Facebook page for details.
The main event gets underway at 6pm. It will feature a parade of around 30 entries including tractors, a zero grazer, plough, bailer, silage trailer, silage harvester, and more - all decked out in festive lights in a fashion that has captivated the nation's imagination.
Organised by the Agricultural Contractors of North Tipperary, the procession will set out from Lidl supermarket and head up Martyr's Road and around by the train station, continuing along Kenyon St, Pearse St, Kickham St, Emmet Place and Mitchel St before going back down Kenyon St and finishing at the mart. Note that the streets on the route will be closed to traffic for the evening.
This year's Christmas Tractors of Nenagh event is again being held in aid of farm accident support network Embrace Farm, and also for ‘Billy’s Recovery’, a fundraiser for a young boy from a farming family, Billy Goulding, who at the age of 2 contracted a virus that left him paralysed.
There will be a collection on the day for the two charities; people can also text FARM to 50300 to donate €4, or visit the iDonate page - Christmas Tractors of Nenagh - to leave a larger donation.