2 days before - Tractor Pull

From outside, I can hear the sounds of the Tractor Pull, even though it's clear across town.

For those who aren't aware of what a tractor pull is, I wish I could be so innocent again. But basically, Tractor Pull is what the hicks look forward to all year. The Annual National Tractor Pull is one of the things Bowling Green is know for . . . I'm sorry to say. Basically, you hook your tractor up to a bunch of weights and then push your engine to the limit (and beyond) to try and pull said weights, to see who has the strongest tractor. So the noises I'm hearing are the sounds of those engines revving to the point of exploding. This takes "hick" to a whole new level, this does . . . and this coming from a guy who lived in an area where tractor shows and drive-your-tractor-to-school-day were common occurrences.

This also happened to be move-in day for the incoming freshmen . . . which essentially means that campus was a zoo with the traffic from the highways, the cars parked all over, many roads being made one-way and many others being closed altogether . . . it was not a good day to be driving on campus.

In addition, these incoming freshmen have been visiting the various grocery stores to get supplies. And guess who else has been getting supplies at the grocery stores . . . the Tractor Pull people! (In their case, we're talking beer.) And I have to wonder about these kids who have never been to Bowling Green, who have never heard of Bowling Green, who know nothing about Bowling Green . . . coming here and seeing all these people in camo hats and talking about their tractors and then hearing the noise across town (which is loud no matter WHERE in BG you are) and thinking to themselves "Dear God, what have I gotten myself into?"

Hopefully, they won't leave.

-Matt