Mackinac Bridge antique tractor crossing names Schiel as Grand Marshal
John Schiel is proud to be named Grand Marshal of the 2024 Mackinac Bridge Antique Tractor Crossing. He is pictured with his Allis-Chalmers antique tractor.
by Marsha Chartrand, with John Schiel
John Schiel, a lifelong resident of Bridgewater Township, has been chosen to be the Grand Marshal of the Mackinac Bridge Antique Tractor Crossing on September 7, 2024.
John has been a member of the Jackson Area Antique Tractor Club and just recently this year started a club in the Manchester community, the Rolling Generations tractor club. He has crossed the bridge 12 out of the 16 times that the event has been held. (Two of the years were canceled.) John is dedicated to hard work and his tractors. Several quotes were shared attesting to his work ethic and his personal character that have earned him the respect of his colleagues.
“I would say that John Schiel is a true tractor man. You can always find him — if he isn’t working on a tractor, he’s driving a tractor somewhere.” “He is always up for a parade and/or a tractor show. He loves working on them and restoring them.” “If you want to see someone who doesn’t give up and quit, but just keeps pushing through, go see John Schiel.”
Though construction on the bridge delayed John’s honor from 2023 to 2024, he takes pride in getting a two-year stint as Grand Marshal!
He says he was chosen as Grand Marshal through “a lot of sweat” — in recognition of the many hours of hard work he and his wife, Tuesdee, have put in prior to the event over the years, in addition to the time spent on their tractors. The “pit,” a gravel pit used as a staging area for the 1,100 or so participating tractors, which needs preparation, clean-out, and setup each year, is usually done a week or two in advance. Stephen Haeussler, also from Manchester, goes along to help with brush hogging at the pit and other chores.
John and Tuesdee also volunteer at the event. John has been the Jackson club rep for 12 years now and also for the Rolling Generations club this year. They have also done tractor games at the bridge crossing event. “I do everything from trucking to announcing,” he says. “Owosso Tractor Parts and Repair, the ones who put on the event, also look at the community of what you do. I love tractors and that’s why I work on the Clinton Summerfest Antique Tractor Show with the tractor end. And I have helped my parents for years by placing flags in the Manchester cemeteries honoring deceased veterans.
“The way that I look at it, it’s not just an individual award but a family award,” he adds. “My dad and mom put the flag up at the opening ceremonies and my wife has been very supportive of me. It is really an honor this year to take my mom and dad across with me on the tractor. My dad, who is a 100% Disabled Vietnam Veteran, is going to be putting the flag up along with an Active Duty Army Soldier.”
Schiel looks forward to the bridge crossing as “a great event” that has been a dream since he was a little boy. He can remember sitting in the pickup and car telling his grandparents and parents that someday he would drive a tractor across the Mackinac Bridge. “It is an honor to represent the Manchester community along with both tractor clubs and mostly Schiel Farms as the 2024 Mackinac Bridge Antique Tractor Crossing Grand Marshal,” he concluded. “I am really looking forward to this trip.”
The crossing begins at 8:30am on Saturday, September 7, 2024. For more information, see mackinacbridgecrossing.com
John Schiel (left) will be bringing his parents, Charles and Joanne, on his Grand Marshal ride across the Mackinac Bridge on September 7.
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