Dancing in the Streets

As Laurie Mason Schmidt calls out square-dance moves, performers rev up and roll out. Steering eight Farmall tractors, the men twirl wheel-to-wheel with their partners and maneuver in and out of square-dance routines so fast they send dirt clods flying around Main Street in Nemaha, Iowa (pop. 102). The rehearsal, which includes dances such as the Virginia Reel, attracts everyone within earshot.

This unique display originated in January 1998, when a group of Nemaha farmers formed a square-dancing tractor act to celebrate their town’s centennial. What began as a one-night stand has sashayed into a much-in-demand attraction with thousands of fans. Six years and 80 festivals and fairs later, the Farmall Promenade is still promenading.

“I holler, they foller,” Schmidt says.

They follow on eight restored 1950s Farmall tractors—four men driving H models and four men gussied up as women driving smaller C models. The couples are named for seed corn companies: Mr. and Mrs. Pioneer, and the Dekalbs, the Wilsons and the Garsts.

“Wheel meets wheel, hood meets hood, move those tractors, lookin’ good!” Schmidt continues her patter. Russ Davis, also known as Mrs. Dekalb, swings that tractor ’round, wearing a yellow gingham skirt that billows and exposes a pair of bloomers. Davis is quite a looker with cat-eye sunglasses, a red curly wig and thick mustache.

They’re as corny as their crops, but also quite skilled at perfectly paced allemandes, reverses, grand lefts and rights, and teacup chain formations. “This is farm country and people understand how difficult this is,” onlooker Don Cook of Nemaha says. “There’s no power steering and everything is original. They just miss each other by inches.”

Damon Mooney, president of the Farmall Promenade, formed the square-dancing act based on his memories of Nemaha’s livelier days in the 1950s. As a kid, he watched with fascination as a troupe of farmers square-danced on tractors for fairs there and in nearby Early (pop. 605).

One of those originals was Bill Smith, 81, the father of current performer Lynn Smith. “Oh, we’re much better than they were,” says Lynn Smith, appearing in costume as Mrs. Pioneer. “I’ve seen their Super 8 movies.”

Hundreds of hours of street practice—along with a lifetime of practice in the field mowing around trees—preceded the debut of the Farmall Promenade in July 1999 at the Nemaha Centennial. Nine of the 10—all except cabinetmaker Dave Cook—are farmers. They range in age from 44 to 62 and all live within three miles of Nemaha. Two serve as alternates.

Schmidt, a physical-education teacher at Schaller-Crestland School in nearby Schaller (pop. 779), created the tractor-related calls and taught the men their moves because none had any square-dancing experience. The group choreographed their moves first with toy tractors, then plowed into the real deal.

“I’ve driven tractors since I was a little girl and I tried it at first,” Schmidt says about the whirling in sync. “I was so scared—all that movement.”

No one is more amazed by their fame than the promenaders themselves. “We have people who plan their summer vacations around our shows,” Mooney says. “It just puts a smile on their faces.”

The group has performed around the Midwest at town festivals, county fairs, and at the Iowa State Fair. To get around easier, they bought two semis to haul their show tractors, which have been retired from their duties on the farm. They even charter a bus and take half the town wherever they go.

“What’s neat is that we’ve all grown up together and known each other our whole lives,” says Neil Wedeking, also known as Mr. Dekalb. “It’s good to get together with your neighbors like folks used to do.”

Roland Schmidt, one of the substitute dancing drivers, agrees. “We like the camaraderie, working as a family and promoting our town,” he says.

Nemaha is likewise promoting its local celebrities. On the road entering town, a sign proundly announces, “Nemaha—Home of the Farmall Promenade.”

Marti Attoun is a frequent contributor to American Profile.

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