Tractor Club Donates over $6,000 to Community
Published: Friday, April 24, 2026
The Tip-Wa Antique Tractor Club gathered at the library in Walton last Tuesday to award 14 different community groups a total of $6,250.
Since the group began about 30 years ago with roughly a half dozen members, the Tip-Wa Antique Tractor Club has grown to include over three dozen antique tractor enthusiasts and has raised the club's annual income considerably.
"We as a group decided to not allow that to get sky high but put it in the hands of people and groups who can use it and get more benefit out of it," said club President Dean McCloskey.
Last year, the group organized their donations into the "Tip-Wa Kids and Community Campaign" to put more of an emphasis on giving back to the community.
"We started looking at some of the groups that are near and dear to our hearts that we can hand some of this money off to and make lives better for kids, make lives better for adults and make it safer around community," McCloskey said.
The 14 recipients include: Lewis Cass FFA, Lewis Cass Band, Cass County 4-H, Walton Fire Department, Walton Police Department, New Waverly Fire Department, Galveston Fire Department, Lucerne Fire Department, Royal Center Fire Department, Young America Fire Department, Walton Tipton Twp. Library, Miss Cass County Pageant, Emmaus Mission Center and Walton Main Street Assn. Fireworks.
Funding will go toward equipment, training programs, safety updates, public programming, family milk provisions, and the local 250th celebration.
Steve Troxell of New Waverly Fire Department noted that the funding would boost their junior fire department program, aiding in the recruitment and training of young firefighters.
The Galveston Fire Department will use the funds to replace batteries in their equipment. In particular, the firemen will put it toward maintaining their CPR machine, a battery-operated device that provides automated chest compressions.
Cass County 4-H plans to replace lighting on the fairgrounds and erect updated banners across the grounds in time for fair week this summer.
"If anybody's kept up with the news, you've realized that public library funding is something that's going downhill," said Kristi Hileman, director of Walton Tipton Twp. Library. "We're dependent on property taxes, so if they take that away, we lose our income we depend on most."
She added that private community partnerships such as this one help to keep library programs available.
Following the awards program, the tractor club invited everyone to enjoy cake and ice cream in celebration of the community organizations. Martin's Supermarket of Logansport donated the cake and ice cream.
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