When his dad died of cancer days before his birthday, ‘men in machinery’ showed up

Nathan Hind’s father died of cancer about a week before his sixth birthday.

As community members in Madison learned that Nathan would have to celebrate without his father – Brian Hind, who died on Dec. 29 – it took only one phone call to start a “birthday parade” of tractors and other machinery, the Emporia Gazette reported.

Madison is about 20 miles south of Emporia and has a population of about 700.

“Neighbors began spreading the word and soon plans were set in motion for a celebration that would knock Nathan and his mother Amy’s socks off,” the Gazette reported.

Nathan turned 6 on Jan. 6, and he did not have to celebrate alone.

“Earlier this week, a crazy plan was formed and my husband and I began to call and text neighbors, who in turn called more neighbors and asked them to participate in a parade for a young man we all love. No one said no,” The Rancher’s Wife — a local blogger — posted on Facebook.

Tractors, fire trucks, grain trucks, semi trucks and other vehicles showed up for a “birthday parade.”

Nathan’s dad had a love for agriculture and served on the Madison Fire Department for decades, according to Hind’s obituary in the Emporia Gazette.

“I’m not sure who was smiling bigger — the men in the machinery or the boy watching a parade drive through his front yard,” The Rancher’s Wife wrote. “God bless all those that participated and showed their love. You are the reason rural America rocks.”

This story was originally published January 15, 2018 at 7:45 AM with the headline "When his dad died of cancer days before his birthday, ‘men in machinery’ showed up."