Fewer people than usual came to Banks for the 78th annual Banks BBQ Truck & Tractor Pull held last weekend because a thunderstorm forced the cancellation of many activities on Saturday. However, the festival was still sold out when the combines rolled around on Sunday afternoon.

After kicking off Friday night with the annual Texas Hold’em tournament at Schlegel Hall, the event was scheduled to kick off its first full day of events on Saturday.

But on Saturday morning there was a sudden change of plans.

“We are canceling today’s truck and tractor pulling due to weather conditions,” Banks Sunset Park said in a statement Saturday morning.

Sunset Park is owned and managed by the nonprofit Banks Sunset Park Association.

While the supporting events – vendors, beer garden and a band – still took place, most of the afternoon activities were cancelled.

The fourth annual Cornhole Tournament moved indoors and was held at Schlegel Hall. The event, which is quickly becoming a BBQ staple, benefits Banks Youth Football.

Domanic Vanthom and Todd Toburen (team name “Cornholio”) took first place, toppling reigning champions Trask and Tater Applegate.

It was their first year participating in the tournament.

The decision to cancel the race due to rain was a wise one; the dirt track where the truck and tractor pull takes place turned into a mud pit on Saturday afternoon and evening as torrential rain struck with thunder and lightning.

A small group of BBQ attendees huddled under the beer garden’s canopy as lightning flashed in the sky above Banks.

The next morning, however, it was a different story.

Sunday dawned more or less clearly and one of the main events, the parade, began.

Local businesses, school and church groups, two real and one fake political candidates, and more had floats.

The combine derby, always a crowd-pleaser, was sold out, and this year’s winner was Jared Rigert, driving the car he calls the “Silver Bullet.” He has been competing in the event for several years. He noticed that the runner-up, a green combine modeled after the Hulk, was a tough nut to crack. The two vehicles had collided several times in the derby.

Banks Sunset Park President David Duyck praised the efforts of volunteers who made the event possible by phone Monday, but the loss of a day of truck and tractor pulling will be felt.

“A great group of volunteers, everyone does their part,” he said, thanking everyone who came and everyone who donated time and money to the event.

“Saturday was a bit of a disappointment,” Duyck said of the decision to cancel the competition. The group’s volunteers dug ditches to drain the water and after some effort to prepare the course and a late start, the competition was able to resume.

“Due to the beer sales at the race track and in the beer garden as well as the many tickets, we will definitely see a significant decline this year,” he said.

The exact number will be announced in the course of next week.

A volunteer appreciation potluck dinner will be held in the park on August 28 starting at 6:30 p.m. (participants are asked to bring a side dish or dessert). A main course and beverages will be provided.

Chas Hundley is editor of the Banks Post and sister publications Gales Creek Journal and Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.