*This summary is about what happened at Jonesfest that involved the tractor and does not include campfire activities.
*Andy Jones and Jeff Budzinski attended Jonesfest but did not go tractoring.
*Summaries from 12/31/96 (Tractorfest '96 on Tour) and 7/10/97 (Summerfest '97) give descriptions of the Jones' yard that are assumed in this summary.
*This is the 50th Tractorfest since it's documentation began on 12/12/94.
Chris and Brian obtained fire wood with the tractor during the afternoon to fuel the campfire during Jonesfest. The fest began at about 7:30 pm when we transported Brian's big tent (Hotel Jones) to the campsite. We set up the tent and went baja. We took the main trail to the tall ferns where Vitale drove for a while. Graeme took a turn at the wheel and did an impressive wheelie while driving on a dead tree. Then Chump drove and his need for speed resulted in some exciting baja. His turns around trees became wider as we continued forward motion at high speed, until tree dodging became overwhelming. Such obstacles often slowed him down. We returned to the campsite and John arrived with the SS Taco Bell that he had repaired. We hooked up the canoe trailer and Mr. Jones (first fest) tested the SS Bell during a yard lap. John's extensive work proved to be more than adequate, making the canoe sturdy once again. Upon returning to the house, Chris pointed out that the left front axle guide was falling off. A bolt had broken and could not be replaced on the spot, so I removed the dangling metal so that it wouldn't interfere with stuff on the ground. By this time it was dark and we journeyed into the woods with Brian shotgun, Rebecca (first fest) and Vanessa in the dump body, and John and Chong in the SS Bell. John's head lamp, which is worn like a miner's lamp, proved to be very effective and made driving in the dark an easier task. We started off with a bit of brush removal and then did a neutral drop into a corner. We went around the corner at about 12 mph where the SS Bell rolled off of the trailer from the centrifugal force. Those of us on the tractor were quite amused as we watched John and Chong recover from their mishap. We continued to the edge of the Assabet river and backed the SS Bell into the water. John and Brian tested the repaired boat and found that it wasn't water worthy yet. Brian estimated that they would capsize in about three minutes due to a leak at the stern, so they returned to shore paddling with a stick. Then we set off for some baja tractor canoeing in the tall ferns. We entered the area with an unexpected two foot drop. Eventually we came to the bank that is next to the main trail. A few attempts were necessary to get over the bank because some trees and the canoe in tow complicated the maneuver. Once on the trail, we went to the area of ten foot high brush behind the field. Trail blazing in this location provided us with exceptional brush removal and tree destruction. Eventually we found ourselves progressing slowly through very thick brush and trees. Navigation was tough as we penetrated through the thick growth which included dead branches on the bottom of some pine trees and larger live branches that cleared the steering wheel by only a few inches. We slowly inched our way through the trees to the field and returned to the campsite. Someone noticed that the scooter, which functions as the canoe trailer hinge, had broken in half, so we unhooked the trailer and tossed the scooter into the campfire. After a short break, we went for a spin with Josh shotgun and John in the dump body. We journeyed to the cliff next to the river and tractored along it's edge. Then we bajaed back to the trail and went to the tall ferns. Some more baja brought us to the bank next to the trail. After crossing the bank, Josh was tossed from shotgun at the same location where the tractor balanced on it's right side two days ago. Then we bajaed through some grape vines to return to the campsite. A return trip to the cliff and the ferns was made with Chris, Joe, Jeff, and John. We stopped mid-baja at the river's edge to enjoy the view. Then we returned to the trail and bajaed to the stream bed where we encountered a superabundance of bugs. The situation was quite unpleasant, so we jetted back to the campsite and hooked up a sledding rope. Brian and John rotated between shotgun and the sled while George watched from the dump body. Grass had become wet with dew during the night and provided a good surface for the sled to slide on. The tall weeds and grass allowed us to have an enjoyable mid summer tractor sledding experience. After several laps through the field we stopped tractoring for the night at 3 am. Chump put out the camp fire as Chris repeatedly struck the red hot scooter with the flat side of his maul to manipulate it's shape. Then those who remained at Jonesfest; Brian, Chris, Chump, George, and I, went to sleep. In the morning we carried out the Jonesfest tradition of making breakfast. Chris was the last to journey from the campsite up to the house and he opted to use the tractor. At 9 am we cleaned up the campsite and returned the camping gear to Brian's house with the tractor to conclude Jonesfest '97.