Saturday is the biggest day of the year in the town of Turin -- the 16th annual Turin Antique Farm Power Show and Tractor Pull.

The parade of antique tractors starts at 10 a.m. in downtown Turin, off Highway 16 East.

The parade will end at the pulling grounds for a day-long competition.

This year, the East Coweta Marching Indians band will be performing for the first time ever, said Bill Banks of the Turin Antique Tractor Association, which hosts the annual event.

In addition to the pulling competition, there will also be displays of show tractors. Banks said there are usually about 50 show tractors on display, from ones in original condition to fully restored models to showroom quality antiques. There will be the ever-popular "pedal tractor race" for the children.

There will even be awards for the ugliest tractor.

"We've had as many as 125 children that have participated in the pedal race, so that is always a big thing," Banks said.

Another change this year is that there is now a permanent pavilion instead of the tent of earlier years.

There will also be more room in the pulling field, because the business next door has allowed the use of some of its property, Banks said. And "we have made some improvements to the pulling sled to keep things moving better than they did last year," he said. "We're emphasizing keeping it moving along at a good pace," Banks said.

For safety's sake, Banks is asking that all spectators stay on the same side of the pulling field as the pavilion.

There will also be plenty of food for purchase, including hotdogs, hamburgers, and barbecue. Members of the local Order of the Eastern Star will be selling sweets, and Boy Scouts will have popcorn, Banks said. And there will be T-shirts, as usual. This year, the shirts feature three boys trying to pull a sled with a pedal tractor. "We saw them on the track last year and took their picture," said Banks. Everyone agreed it was a great scene for this year's T-shirts.

The town of Turin starts things out Friday night with its annual street dance. The street dance runs from 8 to 10:30 p.m. in downtown Turin, with music by DJ Jim McKnight.

Though the emphasis is definitely on antique tractors, all tractors are welcome to participate in the Saturday morning parade. Anyone interested in participating in the parade should arrive no later than 9:30 a.m. The staging area is on the south side of Will Banks Road, approximately a quarter-mile from the pull site, Banks said.

Stock, modified, and modern tractors can participate in the pull, and there are several weight classes.

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