Event pulls in the fans

The excitement starts the Friday before the Fourth of July as crowds swarm to Rankin's Centennial Park.

The Rankin Tractor Pull has become an annual event that draws about 1,500 residents from all over the region and kicks off Rankin's two-day July 4 celebration.

Shane Diskin, who co-chairs the event with Brent Sinn, said the atmosphere at the pulls is electric.

"It's a big party," Diskin said. "It's sort of like a tailgating deal at a football game. People pull their trucks up to the track, watch the pulls and have a good time."

The Fourth of July celebration also boasts children's games, food, fireworks, local entertainment and softball tournaments, said Lion's Club Secretary Carla Samet. It's the club's biggest fundraiser.

The money raised allows the club to make donations to the Rankin Library, maintain its own building and sponsor an annual turkey dinner for Rankin senior citizens.

The Lion's Club is important because it's filling a gap left by other local organizations that've folded.

"It's the only organization we have left in town that is community-oriented," Samet said.

She said the club has about 30 active members with others on reserve. It also owns a building downtown, which is used as a community meeting place.

The club serves its annual turkey dinner there every November. It's also used for senior citizens to play bingo and enjoy live music with their free meals.

And while the Lion's Club benefits the community, Maggie Diskin said it's just another example of how Rankin's residents support each other.

"Everybody chips in, the old and young," she said. "They all seem to pull together in a pinch."