American Mosaic: Some tractors; some comments; some singles_美文

American Mosaic: Some tractors; some comments; some singles

I'm Pat Bodner. This week, we explore music from a band that's been gone a while, a band that's been popular for a long while and a musician who has recently changed his style and his name.

We also read some of your recent comments.

But first, we head south to a very loud competition you may be hearing about for the first time.

American Mosaic: Some tractors; some comments; some singles1

Tractor pulling is an increasingly popular sport in America

Tractor Pulling

PAT BODNER: Tractor pulling began as a simple competition in rural areas. Farmers would compete to see whose horses or tractors were the most powerful and could pull the heaviest load.

The popularity of tractor pulling competition grew and so did events that featured it. Now, the sport can be found around much of the country. Christopher Cruise tells us about the yearly tractor pull in Chapel Hill, Tennessee.

(SOUND)

CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Chapel Hill held its first tractor pull in nineteen seventy-six. Now the national competition called "Pull of the South," takes place every July.

Here's how it works. People transport their tractors and other pullers to Chapel Hill in large trucks. The competition vehicles do not look like tractors you might find plowing farm fields across America. These vehicles are marked with colorful designs and often the name of the owner or company sponsor. Thousands of people come from across the United States to attend the competition.