Rural Charm in Tiny Turin

Turin gears up for return of
its annual tractor pull

Written by ROBIN STEWART

Tractors gear up, preparing for the annual Turin Tractor Pull, set to return in September after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Photo by Allen Nolan.

The east Coweta town of Turin is found off Highway 16, between Sharpsburg and Senoia. Incorporated in 1890, agriculture was once a way of life. The tough little town survived the Great Depression and cotton crops being ravaged by the boll weevil, among other challenges.

The town’s namesake Italian city is famous for the Shroud of Turin, a piece of fabric that’s said to have been Christ’s burial cloth, one that supposedly bears his likeness. However, the only connection to Coweta County’s Turin is the shared name.

Turin is also home to a rather unique roadside attraction. High on kitsch, Barbie Beach is a destination that enjoys stardom and fandom, with nearly 5,000 people following its Facebook page. Blink, and you’ll miss it, but enroute to Turin, there’s a patch of sand with numerous, often nude, Barbie dolls posed in a themed scene. The display changes frequently and is often tuned into current events. It could be a day at the beach in summer, celebrating a sporting event, or even a zombie scene, a la The Walking Dead.

ABOVE: The dolls at Barbie Beach are one of Turin’s major attractions. TOP: With scenes that reflect the season or special holiday, Barbie Beach at the end of May was dedicated to Memorial Day. Photos by Jackie Kennedy.

Some folks dismiss it as tacky. Others enjoy the whimsy and novelty of Barbie Beach. Either way, the offbeat attraction has earned a citation in the Atlas Obscura. Not bad for tiny Turin.

According to the 2020 U.S. Census, 347 folks populate Turin. While farming may no longer be the primary vocation, residents pay homage to their rural and agricultural roots with an annual event that may be the town’s biggest claim to fame: the Turin Antique Farm Power Show and Tractor Pull.

Crowds come from near and far for the big show, which features fun competition. It’s easy to feel the vibe of a bygone era while in the presence of machinery that sometimes predates automobiles. These antique machines were synonymous not just with work but with survival – growing food to sell and to feed families.

Fast-forward to about 25 years ago when the Turin Antique Tractor Association hosted their first event. After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Turin Antique Farm Power Show and Tractor Pull returns in 2022 on September 24.

In years past the event was on the third Saturday in August, “the hottest day of the year,” jokes Bill Banks, a Turin native and president of the tractor association.

“I grew up here,” says Banks. “And the event is held on part of the land my Dad farmed.”

Rain or shine, the event kicks off around 9 a.m. in the staging area for the parade that rolls at 10 a.m. A leisurely, one-mile route includes a pass through downtown Turin en route to the site of the main event, the tractor pull. The full day wraps up by 5 or 6 p.m. or “however long it takes to complete the pull,” says Banks.

City slickers unfamiliar with exactly what a tractor pull is will appreciate this simple explanation, per Banks: A sled is pulled by a tractor. The tricky part is that the sled contains a weight box that has a minimum of six solid, rectangle concrete blocks, weighing an impressive 2,000 pounds each. Blocks are added to the sled, including a few on the top and sides. Things get crazy-heavy in a hurry.

As the tractor progresses down the 250-foot red clay track, the weight moves toward the front of the sled, making it increasingly difficult to pull as the tonnage shifts. Banks says it can cause tractors to spin out or even kill an engine.

More than entertainment, it’s a competition governed by rules. A pull is when the tractor hauls four times its weight. Unless modified, the maximum speed of most tractors is around 25 miles per hour, making the pull slow motion entertainment.

Thousands make the trek to Turin to watch the fun as farm vehicles show off their pulling prowess. Distances are measured and recorded, each driver hoping for a full pull, or, one that runs the length of the track.

Competing tractors are divided into weight classes and types: factory standard, modified, and modern farm tractors. Top pullers win bragging rights and trophies with prizes for first, second and third place awarded in each class. Also, tractors not competing are parked for visitors to view.

“People bring tractors to show,” says Banks. “Some of the antique tractors look like new.”

Turin Mayor Alan Starr calls the event “a boatload of fun.” Previously, Starr participated in the parade by pulling a buggy with his tractor. In recent years, he’s overseen the event.

A corporate pilot, Starr says he enjoyed watching the tractor pull even though at first he didn’t fully understand it. He recalls feeling like his casual attire stuck out like a sore thumb in a sea of Carhartt pants and work boots.

The full-day Turin tradition is an alcohol-free, family-friendly event, free to attend with concessions available for purchase. Refreshments are plentiful with hamburgers, hot dogs and barbecue on the menu. Kids’ activities include sand art and balloons. Plus, children can get in on the tractor action via pedal races in toy tractors.

It’s not just spectators who turn out in droves. The community pulls together to host the event. Ladies from the Turin United Methodist Church contribute baked goods while the tractor association has volunteers who work the pull.

Local businessman and real estate agent John Payton has been involved for more than a decade. A behind-the-scenes guy, Payton stocks concessions, helps keep visitors fed, and makes sure volunteers have what they need. When his now-high school age kids were younger, they participated in the toy tractor pedal races.

“I also let them drive my antique tractor in the parade,” recalls Payton, admitting, “I won the Ugliest Tractor Award more than once.”

Mayor Starr calls the event a Turin mainstay.

“It’s a unique thing we offer,” he says. “You don’t see it everywhere.”

He likens it to an annual reunion where visitors see people and friends not seen since the last pull. He also notes the importance of getting the next generation involved as volunteers to keep the event alive.

With all due respect to late country singer Joe Diffie and his early ’90s hit song, “John Deere Green,” tractors do come in a variety of colors: Ford blue, Allis-Chalmers orange and International red.

Make plans to attend the Turin Tractor Pull, and see for yourself. NCM