‘Favorite Day’   

AMERICAN CORNER – It was a sentiment repeated by students and teachers: Tractor Day is their “favorite day” of the year.

Colonel Richardson High School’s 18^th annual Tractor Day celebrated the county’s rural heritage Friday, April 10, 2026, at the rural school surrounded by fields already being planted with grain crops.

A fog delay pushed the start of the event from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., but about seven community vendors were able to adjust to the time shift, according to event co-organizer Stephanie Verdery of Hurlock.  

“We had a little hiccup this morning. The delay definitely was tricky, but luckily, we were able to just move everything back. Almost all of our vendors were still able to come, which is great,” Verdery said. “Tractors were still able to make it safely, which is huge.”

Verdery and co-organizer Ryan Blanchfield of Federalsburg are both CRHS alumni and physical education teachers. They have organized the event for the past two years.

“I still remember them as students, because I taught both of them,” said Caroline County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Derek Simmons, who attends Tractor Day every year. “They've done such a great job putting this on, and they love doing it.” 

Students drove everything from vintage Cub Cadet lawn mowers to working John Deere and International Harvester tractors to the long-awaited 4-hour event. Sophomore Ellie Mills even drove one of her father Jack’s log skidders, winning the Judges’ Choice Award.

Mills drove the massive tractor about three miles “down the road and through the parking lot,” she said. “My dad was following me. It's slow enough that I'm not gonna hit anyone.”

“My dad said I should bring this, because nobody else is gonna have one,” she said. Her father, a member of CRHS’s Class of 1991, owns Jack Mills Excavating and Logging.

CRHS teachers, students and community members judged the 20-some entries. Senior Kaila Jenkins won the Cleanest Award, Dirtiest went to senior Trice Lofland, Oldest to Senior Noah Nagel, and Newest to Senior Wesley Hetrick. They each won a commemorative engraved arctic cup.

Cornhole and other games were set up on the lawn between the school and stadium, with the farm equipment backed up to the stadium fencing. Students milled around the grounds, playing games and visiting vendors. By far the longest line was for Shore Good Coffee Co.’s truck.

“We're trying to appeal to as many of our kids as we can,” Verdery said.

“I was here at the very first one,” Simmons said. “I was assistant principal here at the time – Roger Eareckson was principal – and a group of kids were going, “Why does Easton High School have a tractor day and Colonel Richardson doesn't?” Colonel’s Tractor Day began during FFA Week in 2008 with Dr. Patti Papineau sponsoring the new student organization.

“So that's how it started, and it just grew into this massively inclusive event that has such community involvement,” he said. “It's not just Tractor Day, which is what it originally was. It's turned more into ag and the associated industries (day), and it's just awesome.”

“The number of kids that’ll roll through here – and everybody embraces them doing something – they come out, they're engaged – it's impressive. It says a lot about the kids, a lot about the community, a lot about the staff, that they can do this.”

Caroline County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Mark Hopkins graduated from CRHS in 2014 and is now the School Resource Officer. He called the event “super cool.”

“I'm super happy that they allow them to keep doing this, and we typically don't have any issues,” Hopkins said. “Kids that don't typically get to mess with this equipment enjoy it.”

Students also enjoyed watching the teacher they chose for the Kiss a Pig moment. Math teacher Danielle Dennis bravely puckered up to smooch a piglet owned by senior Dale Swann.

When the fog burned off about 11 a.m. another highlight of the day was a helicopter flyover by a crew from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. After circling the school, it came in for a landing on the stadium field. A few students welcomed the chopper crew and learned more about the state law enforcement agency.

Teacher Jazmyn Delano is a 2014 alumna of CRHS, and said Tractor Day has changed a lot since she graduated. “Now, with a helicopter landing – oh, my goodness, we did not have anything at this level when I was here.”

Delano said it’s the students’ “favorite day, 100%.”

More than a dozen businesses and individuals sponsored the event, and two dozen vendors were on hand. For the first time, seven classes and student organizations sponsored fundraisers, selling Tractor Day pins, baked goods, lemonade, and face and arm painting.

Verdery already is thinking about “our 20th anniversary one, which will be in two years, and possibly trying to make that the biggest one yet,” she said.

Simmons said the southern end of the county, where CRHS students live, will probably remain a farming community since so much of the land is in agricultural preservation.

“So this is a great way to embrace not only the tradition, but also the future down here, which is awesome,” he said.

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3926 – Sophomore Ellie Mills drove her dad’s massive log skidder to Tractor Day. Photo by Connie Connolly.

3929 – Senior Bradley Thomas of Federalsburg and junior Gabrielle Roe of Hurlock perch in the cab of her dad’s tractor. Photo by Connie Connolly.

3933 – Federalsburg Volunteer Fire Company cadet and CRHS sophomore Christopher Kirk of Rising Sun Acres in Federalsburg drove his family’s 1972 International Harvester 1066 to Tractor Day. Photo by Connie Connolly.

3939 – Judges examine each entry to award five prizes at Tractor Day 2026. Photo by Connie Connolly.

3941 – Senior Violet Cheezum of Preston displays the 1963 John Deere tractor her grandfather Thomas got when he graduated high school. Photo by Connie Connolly.

3946 – Trice Lofland, left, with his 1970 Cub Cadet lawnmower and Landon Thomas with his restored 1968 Cub Cadet. Photo by Connie Connolly. Photo by Connie Connolly.

3964 - Students get into the spirit of Tractor Day Friday, April 10, at Colonel Richardson High School. Photo by Connie Connolly.

4026 - Colonel Richardson High School Principal Jared Sherman, left, and Caroline County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Derek Simmons, a former principal of CRHS, attend Tractor Day. Photo by Connie Connolly.

3981 – Watching a Maryland Department of Natural Resources chopper circle and land at Colonel Richardson High School is a highlight Tractor Day 2026. Photo by Connie Connolly.

4000 – Students enjoy the warm, sunny weather at the Tractor Day 2026. Photo by Connie Connolly.

3913 – Students form a long line for the coffee truck at Tractor Day at Colonel Richardson High School. Photo by Connie Connolly.

3988 – Students watch the DNR chopper arrive at Tractor Day. Photo by Connie Connolly.

6201 – Students play cornhole during Tractor Day. Photo by Connie Connolly.

4008 – For the first time, student groups are Tractor Day vendors, like this face and arm painting service. Photo by Connie Connolly.

Piglet– Students pick math teacher Danielle Dennis to pucker up and plant a kiss on a piglet owned by senior Dale Swann. Photo courtesy of CRHS.