HAMILTON, Ohio – Rain or shine, the community backing was there for the Ross FFA Alumni and Supporters Truck and Tractor Show held at the high school. It was pouring rain at the 11 a.m. start time, but there were brief bursts of sunshine later.

Dean Morrissey hauled him and his brother’s lawn tractors there in the rain. Likewise, Paul Vance pulled in with his turquoise Peterbilt with 400 lights. “People love it,” he said. Jarrett Boyd drove his 1953 Farmall Super M there. He got soaked.

“It is a great community event,” said FFA member and treasurer Dean Morrissey. “We have all kinds of sponsors from different businesses around the community, and our FFA alumni helps run it. We put this event on to help support our program here at the high school. It helps us go on field trips through the FFA.”

Added Caleb Tabler, FFA member and sentinel, “We have games, we have a pedal-pull going on. All the locals come and bring their show trucks, show tractors; it is a great way to bring the community together to socialize and show off their trucks and tractors.”

A few years back, the FFA alumni had been looking for a fundraiser to help support the students, said Daniel Morrissey, president of the Ross FFA Alumni Association and Dean’s father. Since no one has a lot of spare time, they were looking for a way to get the “most bang for the buck.”

“We’ve tried a couple of different things, “ Daniel Morrissey said. “We originally tried a truck and tractor show but had trouble making enough money to make it worthwhile. We abandoned that idea and went to an auction. We did that for a couple of years, but that was way more work.”

So, the group decided to try the truck and tractor show again, but with a different approach, Morrissey said. They got sponsors. That clicked and has been successful for a couple of years.

“This year we have five title sponsors, which is amazing,” Morrissey said. “It means that they’ve donated $1,000 or more. Then we’ve got another 20 or 30 sponsors which gave varying amounts.”

Morrissey and his wife, Diane, with help from then-adviser Jeff Korb, 

started the Ross FFA alumni about 2002.

Todd Crowley, with Bud Herbert Motors, was there with Herbert’s 1929 hit-and-miss ice cream maker. They were making chocolate and vanilla ice cream, and all proceeds went back to the FFA. The event also offered concessions, a split-the-pot, and other activities.

Despite a dreary start, the day was a success, said Jeremy Falk, Ross FFA adviser. About 66 trucks and tractors showed up.

“The good people showed up,” Falk said. “The people were wonderful; the turnout was impressive. We raised some dollars, and that was mostly due to sponsorships. It’s the big things people do, rain or shine, that provide a lot of support for the chapter.”