A sunny sky, two inches of snow, and about thirty degrees resulted in optimal festing conditions for an epic Kwanzaafest '98. Christmas lights were removed as the motor was started with the aid of some starting fluid that was sprayed directly into the head. The motor ran poorly as we ventured into the woods and loose belts prevented us from getting far. Therefore the transmission was lowered and the accurate adjustment allowed us to ascend the slopes of Mount Tractor in usual fashion. The motor was still sputtering a bit as we went baja through some small pine trees that were covered in snow. As each tree was struck a cloud of snow formed and sparkled in the bright sunshine. Trail formation was exhilarating on this fine day. The joyous mood magnified as many people got ejected from both the dump body and the front seat. The motor stalled and we got stuck a few times during the excitement. Eventually we crossed the stonewall with a full load of passengers and Iwak rode the bull. A neutral drop was followed by a search for John's toilet which ended abruptly when the tractor encountered an oak tree. Failure to shift out of first gear resulted in a vertical tractor, a pile of passengers on the ground, and ultimately a group picture. As I backed the tractor out of the mess an off camber situation caused the (broken) seat lid to slide off the icy seat sending me to the ground. Everyone was amused, especially Brian. Iwak assisted me by operating the gearshift for a moment so that I could drive without falling off. The toilet was located and we bajaed to the trail. Progress was delayed briefly by a boulder that caught the right rear wheel when we turned onto the trail. As we ascended to the turnaround the tractor ran out of gas. The spare tank in the seat was low so we put that in the tractor and jetted to the barn. After refueling we ascended back to the toilet and went straight to TV cliff. On the way the tractor rolled onto its side just after the stonewall crossing. Brett and I were ejected from the front seat while Brian, John, and the toilet were sent airborne from the dump body. After a successful recovery John tossed his toilet off the cliff to join the TVs below. By this point we were getting cold so we decided to jet for the yard to conclude the fest. At the top of the main trail we encountered a jeep containing Chris and Vin who were almost two and a half hours late. Of course the tractor left the jeep in the dust during a thrilling high speed bone jarring descent of the main trail with seven passengers packed into the dump body. The tractor was parked and Tractorfest '98 was concluded with the distribution of Tractorfest posters and stickers.