MONROE — The 15th Green County Fall Nationals Tractor and Truck pull promises to be the biggest yet with over 120 tractors already registered for the Saturday, Sept. 25 event. After the pandemic hiatus and the rain-out two years ago, assistant organizer Jo Hawthorn, hopes to continue the high attendance from the previous years with 5,000-plus visitors. 

Added to this year’s repertoire, two sky divers will present the flag in a ceremony before the pull begins at 11:45 a.m. Jumping out a plane at 4,000 feet and falling at 120 miles per hour, the pair will free-fall before opening their parachutes and landing on the ground. Diver Jeff Dawson has made 4,444 jumps surmounting to 27 hours in total free fall time during his 24 years and 8 months of consecutive jumps.

The ceremonial flag was displayed on the side of a building facing a major runway at Mitchell Field in Milwaukee in direct response to the 9/11 attacks 20 years ago. It was later hand-carried to Iraq and flown over Forward Operating Base “Gabe” by US Army Specialist Joshua Dawson, who received the Purple Heart for wounds inflicted by a suicide car bomber. Since then, the flag has starred in numerous jump demonstrations and has appeared in magazines and newspapers. It is proudly flown in honor of those who have served and those who are still serving their country.

Continuing this year, Fall Nationals will serve as the Badger State Championship pull again. The competition will last until approximately 7 p.m. Each year the pull organization donates $60,000 to UW Hospital. A performance by Oshkosh band Road Trip will follow shortly after at 8 p.m. Throughout the day, concessions will be offered by the Monroe Kiwanis, the Monroe Lions, the Monticello Lions and the Sugar River Kettle Corn. Through the 150 sponsors for the event, prizes will be given out during a drawing with big opportunities to win. The Monroe Dance Team will also be holding a 50-50 raffle. 

Later in the day, another ceremony of winners will take place. Cancer survivor Kaelie Wunschel, 8 of Monroe, is to present trophies during the program. Wunschel is one of the many to be assisted through the events proceeds.

“Every year it seems to get bigger and we are able to give more back to the community,” Jo Hawthorn said. 

Creator Mark Hawthorn originally intended it to be a small local pull, inspired by the Farm Progress Days in Albany. Between Mark, his father and his grandfather, the Hawthorns have 85 years of tractor pulling experience and passion that pushed for event to take place.

After the event’s first year of overwhelming success with 2,000 in attendance, Mark formed a 501(c)(3) non-profit run by a board of thirty volunteers and the Hawthorn family. Mark organizes the logistics, Mark’s mother Jo manages the financials, and Mark’s sister, Heidi Krumenauer manages the publicity, with other Hawthorn family members and volunteers helping out where needed. 

As a non-profit donates 100% of its proceeds to local organizations and individuals in need. 

“We try not to take away from existing programs and lend a helping hand where needed,” Jo Hawthorn said.

The Fall Nationals has supplied gas cards to families with medical struggles for traveling to hospitals, homed a puppy to someone who just lost one, gifted glasses to youths, paved a driveway for a paralyzed firefighter to freely move about his home, repaired a vehicle for a family in need, assisted in mortgages, purchase tombstones and memorials for children, partnered to provide meals on holidays, refurnished a family’s home after a fire donated money to food pantries, provided blankets to children with autism, created start-up funds for Family Promise and sponsored automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) to help monitor individuals with medical needs. The organization also provides a $500 scholarship to every school within Green County, amounting to nine. 

“We pull for one day and give for 364 days,” Jo Hawthorn said. 

In their existence, Fall Nationals has surpassed donating $500,000 into the local community in financial assistance, good and services. The non-profit encourages shopping locally as each good or service is purchased from neighboring area businesses. 

“All of our vendors are other organizations in the community, all of our sponsors are businesses within the area, and all our beneficiaries are homegrown,” Jo Hawthorn said. “We like to keep it all local.”