Combines face off in Lind Saturday

LIND - Crashing combines and racing wheat trucks (not at the same time) will fill Lind rodeo arena Saturday during the Lind Combine Demolition Derby.

"If you've never been it's worth coming at least once," said Eric Lund, in charge of the pickup and car races. "It's crazy."

This will be the 26th annual derby and accompanying wheat truck, pickup and car races, parades and a barbecue. It's sponsored by the Lind Lions Club.

The derby draws 4,000 to 5,000 people per year, Lund said. Proceeds benefit the charitable projects supported by the Lions Club. "It supports the club very well for the year," said Mike Doyle, who's in charge of the combines.

Admission to the combine derby, and the pickup truck races that precede it, is $15.

Cars and pickups will be racing Friday. Time trials are at 6 p.m. with the flag dropping for the first race at 6:30 p.m. It's old-fashioned oval racing - car bodies reinforced, front grills removed, flat out, tight in the corners, around the track. The cars and trucks actually are demolition derby cars, Lund said.

Admission for Friday's races are $10.

Saturday's events begin with the children's parade at 10:45 a.m. in downtown Lind, with the grand parade at 11 a.m. Traditionally the tricked-out combines are among the parade's stars.

The community barbecue follows the parade, in the city park.

Pickup truck races start at 2 p.m., with the combines taking to the arena at 3 p.m.

It's a regular demolition derby, Doyle said, bang-crash between combines that used to be cutting wheat out in the fields.

Of course they're old combines, mainly dating from the 1970s, Doyle said. Drivers and combines from Seattle, Spokane, Tri-Cities, Ritzville, Davenport, Spangle and as well as Lind.

The teams modify the combines to take the collisions and have at it. Doyle was a driver for a decade. It's a bunch of big combines in a little rodeo arena, but the drivers figure it out, he said. "We've had 12 (combines) in the final heat," he said.

The grain trucks will race during the intermission between combine demolition heats, Lund said. The grain trucks too have been modified, both body and engines, Lund said.