Local farmers showed their tractor-pulling skills in the arena at the Butler Farm Show on Saturday. Some tractors rear up on their back wheels when pulling a heavy weight.

CONNOQUENESSING TWP — The rumbling sound of decades-old tractor engines marked the end of the 70th annual Butler Farm Show.

Earlier in the week, professional-level tractor pullers filled the arena for a crowd-drawing competition. Tractor pulling returned to the arena for most of Saturday, but this time the competitors were local farmers looking to show off their vintage equipment and carry on family traditions.

The amateur round drew a larger crowd Saturday morning compared to years past, according to Randi Foertsch of Jefferson Township. Foertsch helped put on the tractor pull and the evening’s semi-truck pull as a member of the Western Pennsylvania Truck and Tractor Pullers.

“My dad’s been doing this since before I was born,” Foertsch said. “So I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember.”

Saturday’s event had 121 entries. One tractor could be used for multiple entries in different weight categories. There were 15 weight classes to pick from. A 300-foot pull was considered the goal length for each round.

Working the pull is a tradition for Foertsch, but participating is traditional for families such as the Filges. Brothers Cody and Colt Filges pulled this year in honor of their grandfather, Glenn. Glenn, Cody said, “has been doing it for 47 years.”

“And we’re still pulling (with) the same tractors today,” Cody said.

The family had four John Deere G tractors at the show, all dating back between 1938 and 1947. They participated in weight categories between 8,500 and 5,500 pounds.

“It’s a family tradition, and it’s something we all enjoy,” Colt said. “Farming is what we do, and this is just a fun part of it.”

The family has two farms in Oakland Township totaling about 160 acres, the men said.

Those long-running traditions are why the farm show keeps happening year after year, according to its General Manager Jim Lokhaiser. Seeing families together motivates him and the show’s many volunteers, he said.

“You see a family come in, stay a few hours and see all the animals,” Lokhaiser said. “Then when they’re walking out you ask if they had a good time. They say ‘Oh yeah, absolutely.’ That’s what it’s all about.”

The Saturday tractor pull gets to the heart of the event’s soul, he said, with its emphasis on local farming.

The farm show is inspected by state personnel every year, Lokhaiser said.

“The inspector told me he works 15 to 20 fairs a year,” Lokhaiser said. “He told me this is the only show that offers so many displays of farm equipment.”

Attendance this year was comparable to recent years, he estimated. The show usually draws a crowd of about 45,000 in total for the week. Friday suffered lower attendance this year, due to rain, but other days brought higher than usual numbers. Thursday attracted about 9,000, he said, and Tuesday brought 7,000 to 8,000 visitors.