Lind hosts 35th annual combine derby

LIND - People gathered from miles around to witness the destruction of farm equipment at the 35th annual Lind Lions Club combine derby on Saturday, June 8.

The event also featured a parade, barbecue in the park, and pickup and grain truck races, including an Australian Pursuit and powder puff races. The day was capped off with a live music show from the Fred Bauer band.

The combine derby featured drivers from Lind, Othello, Chewelah, Rosalia, Pullman, Cheney and even Urbandale, Iowa. It was a fight to the finish, which culminated in a three-way tie for first place in the derby.

Grady Gfeller, of Pullman, riding "Search & Destroy" tied for first with Tyran Doyle, of Lind, driving "The Extinguisher" and Kyhle Young, from Dusty, Wash., on "Cornfed Cadillac."

"There's a strategy with some top-secret tricks we've seen over the years that mitigates some problems," Gfeller said. "But in reality, we just go out and have a good time and want to put on a good show for the crowd."

Gfeller, who grew up in Lind, has been around the derby since he was a kid. His parents met at the derby and his father competed in the very first one in 1988.

"My buddy's dad gave us a combine in 2009 and we fixed it up for my high school graduation and I drove it in 2010, then he drove it the next year in 2011 when he graduated," Gfeller said. "Then life got in the way and we got busy with college and our careers, but I've been on a couple of buddies' pit crews.

"Last year I got a combine from an old farmer out in Palouse - he gave it to me for a case of beer - and we drove it from there to Lind on the back roads. We threw it together and I ran it last year and got second, and this year I ended up getting first."

There are several rules combine drivers must adhere to for the demolition derby. One of the rules is "a driver must be aggressive" as there is a three-minute time limit on when a combine must make contact with another.

Other rules include axle location, fuel tank size and securing, and how much a combine can be reinforced. There is also an "age limit" to the combine.

"The rule is. They have to be at least 25 years old," Gfeller said. "There's a lot of old combiners in the field, and they get outdated as technology advances, so they're not worth much more than scrap. Rather than see them go to scrap, we give them a cool name and a paint job and go for it."

Fun was had by all, even through the hot and windless temperature. The heat was felled a bit when the "Action" water truck blasted the crowd with welcoming water.

A lucky raffle winner had the option of taking $500, or driving the Lind Lions Club combine in the main event - an opportunity he could not pass up and he got to be part of the action.

Another driver, Burden Laird originally from Lind, drove "Pour Life Choices." This is his third year running a combine and he originally competed in the races on Friday night before clashing in a combine.

"I've been around the derby since I was two months old," Laird said. "My cousin started running a combine, so I was down there helping him and ending up running cars. In 2018, I decided to hang up the keys to the car and buy some dirty combines."

While there are prizes for the winners, and everyone is competitive with each other, the event is still very much community oriented. The drivers have a lot of respect for one another.

"I enjoy everyone coming together and you don't have to worry about anyone being disrespectful," Laird said. "We all come to have a good time and it's cool to see what people can do with something that was once out in the field and now has all the bells and whistles and a cool paint scheme. I appreciate how it helps the town and it's keeping the town alive."

Gfeller also spoke on the good spirit of the drivers in the combine derby.

"The comradery is the best part," Gfeller said. "We're all competing, but we're sharing tools and equipment in the pit area. We're all helping each other and just trying to put on a good show."

The combine derby is set to be back in action next year on June 13-14, 2025.

"The fact that they've been able to keep it going for 35 years says something about the Lions Club," Gfeller said. "I can't say enough good things about them. They put in the hours, and they're a bunch of good, solid people in the community of Lind."