Lemont Tractor Club Helps Bring Christmas Cheer To Town

LEMONT, IL — When you think of the holidays, you probably picture Santa, Christmas trees or holiday lights. However, in Lemont, a common sight during this time of year are tractors that can be spotted around town throughout December.

Whether it's for the annual Tractors for Toys toy drive or the weekend tractor rides throughout downtown Lemont, the large machines a familiar sight now to most residents. But who drives those tractors around town?

In 2014, Jim Helbling and a group of friends were all interested in old tractors and decided to start a club.

Helbling said the club went under a different name for a few years, and started going to tractor rides in Indiana, Wisconsin and southern Illinois. The group eventually decided to change the name and settled on Lemont Tractor Club, as most of the members were from Lemont.

"We started getting a lot more people coming in [to the club]," Helbling said. The club currently sits at 36 members.

"Some people have tractors, some don't," Helbling added.

Helbling, who was born and raised in Lemont, said he has been around tractors his whole life, but only got his first tractor in 2012.

The club's tractors aren't just a holiday sight, but also appear at several community events throughout the year, including Lemont's St. Patrick's Day parade and Keepataw Day Parade. Helbling said the club also does wagon rides around the area through the year, including at several churches.

"It seems to get bigger and bigger," Helbling said.

In 2017, the club decided to do something to give back to the community with Tractors for Toys.

"It's for all the local kids," Helbling said. "We're trying to help out as many families as we can."

Every December, usually on the day of Hometown Holiday, you can spot several tractors around Lemont collecting toys for families.

Helbling said the toy drive continues to grow. This year, the club gave toys (and jackets and other winter gear) to 34 families, including 98 kids.

Throughout the year, Helbling said his favorite part of the club is seeing kids excited at parades and different events.

"It's great to see the kids smiling, happy," he said. "That's what we do it for."

There's still one last chance to enjoy a tractor ride through downtown Lemont (weather pending). Rides will be held Dec. 26 and Dec. 27, starting at 6 p.m. The rides can be found at Front Street in downtown Lemont.