Pulling is a grandstand contest in which a team of oxen, a tractor or a modified truck drags a progressively heavier sled down a track. The winner is the entry that pulls it the farthest. Oxen pulling is the older Massachusetts tradition, tied to the working-farm history behind the state's agricultural societies. Truck and tractor pulling are motorized additions built for grandstand crowds. Programs often call it an ox draw: Hardwick (unverified), Blandford and Spencer had draws, and Cummington had horse and ox pulls.
Pulling (truck, tractor, or oxen)
A grandstand contest where oxen, tractors or trucks drag a weighted sled for distance.
See it at these Massachusetts fairs
EndedFreeAgriculturalCulturalFamily
Hardwick Fair
A Hardwick Common fair with roots to 1762. Ox draws, a baby show, and a chicken barbecue.
Fri–Sat, Aug 14–15Hardwick
EndedAgriculturalSeasonalFamily
Blandford Fair
A Hilltown Labor Day fair with ox draws and a woodsmen’s field day.
Sep 4–7Blandford
EndedAgriculturalFamilySeasonal
Spencer Fair
A Labor Day country fair with ox draws, demo derby, and a full midway.
Sep 4–7Spencer
EndedAgriculturalFamilySeasonal
Cummington Fair
An old-fashioned Hilltown ag fair with horse pulls and a skillet toss.
Aug 27–30Cummington