Solanco High School's FFA club wanted to try something different, so the group decided on a fundraiser that will appeal to its members and the whole community.

The inaugural Solanco FFA Tractor Pull hosted by the Solanco Fair Association will be held Saturday, April 12, at the Solanco Fairgrounds, Park Avenue, Quarryville. Registration will begin at 8 a.m., and the pulls will start at 10 a.m.

There is a hooking fee for anyone planning to pull, but there is no cost for spectators.Trophies will be awarded to the winners. Tractors will compete by weight class in two categories: antique (before 1960) and modern (1960 to 1980).

"We were trying to think of different fundraisers to do that we hadn't done before because the community was showing us they were getting bored of the same fundraisers every single year," said club president Kaylee Appel. "We are doing this to give some variety. We were coming up with different ideas, stuff our members would be interested in, but also things our community would be interested in. We kept going back to the (Solanco) Fair, where everybody crowds around the tractor pulls, and people really like watching that. We decided to do a tractor pull with the FFA and see how it goes."

Chapter chaplain Logan O'Donnell noted that it's a natural fit, and he expects most club members to participate. "I think the tractor pull ties in with the FFA because it's an ag fundraiser, and I feel like it will be a fun event for our students and the community," Logan said.

Madison Aaron, the club's reporter, said the Solanco FFA meets every Tuesday during school and also has an official monthly meeting.

Adviser Kayla Stauffer stated the club has 50 members, with about 35 of them active. Vice president Claire Graybeal said National FFA Week, which is held annually in the third week of February, is a highlight of the year. Club members typically spend Presidents Day together since there is no school. On the Thursday of FFA Week, members rise at 4 a.m. to prepare breakfast for students and teachers and donate the proceeds to charity.

In January, Solanco FFA members Kaylee, Claire, Sarah Martin, and Zoey Miller earned Keystone Degrees, the highest degree that a state FFA association can present to its members.

First-year FFA members Nicholas Mohler, Callie Spangler, Mallie Touchton,  Adah Mellott,  Lydia Hess,  Grace Taylor, and Kathryn Rineer received their official FFA jackets.

Thirteen Solanco FFA members attended the Agricultural Cooperation Establishes Success (ACES) conference over the weekend of Feb. 15 and 16. Stauffer said students learned valuable leadership skills including topics on motivation, habits, resilience, stress management, professionalism, mentors, decision making, unity, and FFA knowledge.

A group of FFA members attended the Lancaster County Next Generation Day Conference. "Students were able to learn how to artificially inseminate a cow, how to use drones to increase crop yields, and experienced a career fair to learn about various job opportunities and colleges related to agriculture," Stauffer said.

Club treasurer Emmy Rineer touted the camaraderie in the group. "Our members enjoy having their friends in the club and be with their friends while serving the community," said Emmy. "Being with your friends makes it more fun."

Emmy added that the club performs community service activities, including picking up trash along the roads and helping with registration at the Solanco Fair.

Zoey, who serves as vice president, said, "I feel like FFA opens many opportunities for members. I know some people have gotten jobs through FFA, have gotten many different opportunities from it, like going to college."

Zoey also said the club can impact many aspects of life. "It gets people involved in their community, knowing that FFA is more than just farming," she said. "Any business is tied into agriculture somehow, not just farming."