Many ports have an annual blessing of the fleet, and the fox hunting community has a blessing of the hounds. But only Snow Hill, MD has a blessing of the combines.

Each year, just before the start of harvest, a dozen or so massive combines rumble down the main street of this little town. After the “Throttle Thrust,” an eardrum-vibrating shut-down procedure for the engines, Rev. Sumner Jones thanks them for their hard work and asks for Divine protection and success over the next few weeks.

It’s hard enough making a living at farming. This year, given the heat and drought, a little Help from Above would be particularly appreciated.

Snow Hill turns the parade and blessing of the combines into an all-day festival, with live entertainment, special events at stores and galleries, petting zoo and hay rides, moon bounce and face painting, and displays by car clubs and civic groups. The parade and blessing starts at noon. The combines thunder out of town at 3PM, leaving time for people to head for John Walter Smith Park for an antique tractor pull.

www.snowhillmd.com. Here’s a video of last year’s event: http://bit.ly/c76pv9