HOWARD LAKE, MN – What do you get when you have two or more combines
dueling it out in a dirt-filled pen? The third annual Wright County Fair Combine Derby, set for Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 7 p.m. with a first place prize of $1,000.
Event chair Stan Vanderkooi saw his first combine demolition derby at the Minnesota State Fair in the 1980s.

Vanderkooi thought it would be fun to do a local event. “It’s an enjoyable thing to watch,” Vanderkooi said. “It’s somewhat fast-paced, but not so much that you can’t follow what’s going on,” he added.

Since the arrival of the combine derby in 2007, the event has been drawing quite a crowd, with the stands being packed the first year.  Though it’s still too early to determine how many combines will participate this year, Vanderkooi expects there to be similar numbers as in the past. Typically, there have been between 12 to 15 combines in the derby.

Alisha Painschab of Howard Lake, is the only girl to have competed in the combine derby. She is hoping more choose to participate.
Last year, Painschab’s combine was titled “Red High Wheels” after the Kellie Pickler song.

Her combine was complete with pink, glittery lips on the bean head and large, gold, hoop earrings, reported the Herald Journal in July 2008.  At age 29, this is her second combine derby, but she has competed in car derbies in the past.
She can’t say whether one is better than the other because each is exciting in its own way, Painschab said.

The combine derby though, “is a different kind of fun,” she said. “Just the thought of smashing a combine is funny,” she said. Painschab just had her combine delivered for this year’s derby and she is still unsure what her theme will be.
She is fairly certain that she will stick with a girly theme, but her combine is much bigger this year and will require more paint, Painschab said.
Her dad, Ted Painschab, also competes in the combine derby as Mad Goose. Those who attend may recall the combine with the large goose decoy on the top.
During last year’s derby, Mad Goose lost its rear end, which Ted is determined to fix so he can compete again this year, his daughter said.
Also part of this year’s combine demo derby is the second annual swather soccer event, where teams of four drive old swathers to try and get a 55-gallon drum through a goal.

First place team receives $1,000, and second place team receives $500.
Pat Bakeberg of Waverly is planning to participate again this year, along with Jim Weninger, the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted FFA advisor; Eric Sawatzke, and Matt Lindberg.

The game is played during an intermission before the final heat of the combine derby. Last year, the game ended in a tie, Bakeberg recalled. Bakeberg planned to begin working on his combine last week, adding various safety features that are part of the rules and regulations.

The hardest part for Bakeberg isn’t getting the swather ready for the game, it’s finding a swather that runs, he said. There is no entry fee for swather soccer, but the cost of entry for the combine derby is $50 for those who register before Tuesday, Aug. 4; after that date, the fee is $75.  Entry forms can be found, along with rules and regulations, at www.wrightcountyfair.com.
This year’s Wright County Fair is Wednesday, Aug. 12 through Sunday, Aug. 16.

Demolition derby set for Friday, Sunday
The Wright County Fair’s demolition derby, featuring full-size, mid-size, and compact cars, is set for 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14. The derby featuring full-size cars, mini-vans, full-size and compact pickups is set for 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16.
Reserved seating tickets are $8.

Written by Staff Writer Kristen Miller

Check out this video, posted by a fan on YouTube, of the first heat from last year’s second annual combine derby.