Tradition: Howard Nunnikhoven gives back to community

Continued from C3

“Of all the local people, ‘Why would you elect me? Well, we need somebody that’s got a good, basic, common-sense head.’ They say I have that, and I don’t know, I guess I do,” he said with a chuckle. “And, I also have quite a bit of experience in leadership in different roles and places. When you serve in a leadership capacity, one of the gifts you need is the ability to bring different factions together and compromise. … I take pride in the fact that I can keep my cool in most situations. But I can stand up when it needs to draw the line.”

Nunnikhoven played a role in starting an endowment foundation for the association in January 2022, which helps keep the tractor club going. He said the club has an aging population, and even though they are bringing in new people, they are losing more than they are gaining.

Nunnikhoven said he is uncertain of the association’s future in the next 10-15 years. But he and the group of people he’s working with are going to do what they can to preserve it.

The association’s mission is to give locals an opportunity each year to share an interest in antique farm machines while also making sure the history of agriculture is preserved until the end of time.

“The people who I serve with in the tractor association, it’s a great group of people, and I’m trying to give back to the community what those forefathers and founders set so that it was in place when I got here,” Nunnikhoven said. “For me, it’s natural to give back so that when I leave, there will be a show and a tradition and opportunities for young people to learn.”

-- Contact Taras McCurdie at taras@lyndentribune.com.