The heart behind the Fourth pedal pull

If you were anywhere near Blooming Prairie City Park on July 3 around 5 p.m., chances are you heard crowds cheering on kids, age 3-12, as they pedaled tractors with weighted skids. You may have noticed the announcer of the event, a tall man in a green muscle shirt (with a pedal pulling logo) and bright orange shoes. 
That man is Rick Scholbrock of Kid Power Pedal Tractor Pull, and wow, he is enthusiastic about pedal pulling and what he calls each kids’ “15 seconds of fame.” 
As owner of Kid Power Pedal Tractor Pull, Scholbrock is on the road a lot, but his stop in Blooming Prairie for the Fourth of July celebration is one of his favorite stops. This year was his second year in Blooming Prairie.
More than 160 kids signed up for the pedal pull. While the energy was high among the crowd and children competing, Sholbrock brought the heart of the competition as he cheered on the kids and warmly invited them and thanked them for participating. 
“The kids have a blast, but to be honest, I am having more fun than they are,” said Scholbrock. “All the adrenaline. I feed off of it. I get so excited! It makes me feel like a big kid.” 
Each child that signed up prior to the competition was able to try their hand (or feet) at pedaling the tractor with the weighted skid. “No matter how far they go, every kid gets a Dr. Pepper at the end of their turn,” said Scholbrock. 
Scholbrock and his company are based out of Hanlontown, Iowa, though they travel all over Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin for special festivals and county fairs. Lucky for him, his wife and two daughters are a part of the operation, and they often get to travel together. They own four trucks, and they usually have three on the road at a time. 
The event is free for participators, thanks to local sponsors. All kids under the age of 13 are welcome to participate. Each age group has a different make or manufacturer. The little pedal tractors are painted to look like John Deere, Caterpillar, Allis-Chalmer, Ford or McCormick tractors. Each age class has a different tractor.
The pedal pull works almost exactly like a tractor pull only the tractors are pedal driven and scaled down to be small enough for a 3-year-old.  
Scholbrock aligns the pedal tractors, weight skids and weights for each age group. Trophies for the top three in all age groups. There are 24 trophies total. There is also opportunity for those that place to take their pedal-tractor-pulling skills a little further by National Pedal Tractor Pull head in Mitchell, South Dakota, at the end of September. For those that did not pedal as far, the event is sponsored by Dr. Pepper, so each competitor received a free can of soda. 
Although putting on pedal tractor pull competitions is not Scholbrock’s full time job, it is his passion. To learn more about Kid Power Pedal Tractor Pull, visit http://kidpowerpedalpulls.com/.
Scholbrock will be back in Steele County for the Steele County Free Fair, so kids, put on your game faces!