With the 2021 truck show season in full swing, not to mention fire season, we headed to a smoky Red Bluff, CA for the 1st Annual Frenchy’s Truck Jamboree. Held at the Tehama County Fairgrounds about 130 miles north of Sacramento on August 13-14, it was a hot weekend. For me, this was another “First Annual” truck show. These new shows are fun to watch as they come together, getting to know the organizers, and witnessing their rapid growth regarding organizational skills, stress management, wisdom, and issue resolution. Hosting his first show ever, Erik Vaillette did a great job.
Before anything else, let’s give a quick explanation of how and why this new show came to be. Truck driver Erik Vaillette organized this show as a benefit for Rene LaChance – a friend and fellow truck driver that was paralyzed after falling backwards off his truck five years ago. Now 67 years old, Rene has been trucking since age 13, first working with his father, then later owning his own company, called Frenchy’s Motor Service, in honor of his grandfather. At one point, Rene had 18 trucks. After many endeavors, Rene decided to stick to working with just one truck and that is what he was doing at the time of his accident. Eventually, Rene sold his last truck since he could no longer drive it.
Starting a new driving job, Erik was put into a truck that, unknown to him, was Rene’s last truck. Two years ago, Erik got curious about the rig’s previous owner, so his boss introduced him to Rene. The two hit it off and, living only a few short miles from each other, became great friends. Getting to know each other better, Erik realized that this man had paid his dues with over 50 years of being part of the trucking industry and was inspired to start a truck show to help him with his ongoing medical and care costs. This show was created for Rene, and all the proceeds raised this year (and in any following years) will go to him.
Friday was registration day, and the trucks were already rolling in. Everyone was busy polishing and shining in the 103-degree heat Red Bluff had to offer, along with plenty of smoke and haze in the air from nearby wildfires, but that didn’t slow anyone down. Well, it might have slowed them down, but it didn’t stop them! Watching these guys prep their trucks was amazing – they made it look easy. Most of them had obviously done this many times before, and they all seemed to have some kind of “system” they followed.
Fairly new to truck shows, I was surprised to see the tool that seemed to be a hot commodity for the weekend – a cordless leaf blower. Due to all the ash floating in the air, that eventually settled on the trucks, this was an invaluable tool to blow off the ash and keep those shiny rigs shining. Not surprisingly, these leaf blowers were used often throughout the day. As I mentioned earlier, California was fighting a handful of fires, and the closest two were less than 100 miles away. The smoke was thick on Friday and the sun was nothing more than an orange ball that could be stared at for several seconds without hurting your eyes. But don’t tell my mom.
With rumors that there were over 300 preregistered rigs for this first-ever event, we were a bit skeptical, but by Friday night, we were believers. Much of the fairgrounds were already full, and the trucks just kept coming. Friday night was the unofficial start to the show, which featured a large (and bright) light show. The trucks were placed in many different areas throughout the fairgrounds and the lights and horns were amazing. Entering each of these different areas, there was a different vibe and different music. “Raise One For Rene” shots were being sold, which was a commemorative glass filled with tequila. A local band called Liberty Junction was onstage and played classic rock and 80s cover songs that kept the energy high. It was a good night.
Saturday began with a blue sky and a lot less smoke, thanks to a change in the wind direction. The truck show began on time with little issues, and it seemed like half of Red Bluff came out to see the trucks. One thing Erik did was park like trucks in the same area – which was not something we had seen before. Log trucks, flatbeds, end dumps, hay haulers, antiques, heavy haulers and more all had their own designated areas. When it was all said and done and all the trucks were parked, there were 333 registered trucks and about 20 vendors/booths.
The vendors included 10-4, Bling on with Ruby, Borrachos Apparel, DJ Ray, CVPRS Professional Registration, and EZ Pilot Car & Light Systems. Also on hand was Good Times Pizza & Things, Holy Crepe!, Island Ice Hawaiian Shave Ice, Miller Creations Embroidery & More, Orozco Polishing, Roberson & Sons Insurance, Scentsy Independent Consultant Ellen Culver, Stay Loaded Apparel, Taste and See Creamery and Zephyr Polish, who even sponsored their own trophy. There were also bounce houses for the kids, thanks to Gonzalez Jumpers of Gerber, CA. Along with the other vendors, there was a S.W.A.T. truck, as well as a gun raffle, courtesy of Tehama County Search and Rescue.
During both days of the show, 10-4’s own John Testa was on-site and doing live broadcasts, which were streamed to our Facebook page and YouTube. On Friday, John kicked things off with an interview with Rene and Erik, and then he went on to highlight various trucks at the event throughout the weekend. These livestreams are always a big hit, getting thousands of views, and showing people who can’t make it to the event what it was like and what they missed.
Some of the notable trucks worth mentioning included Ed Davis and his killer hot rod turquoise A-Model, along with his son’s (James Davis) orange and black Peterbilt 379 – both of these trucks have proudly graced some of our past covers. Carballo Transport’s black 2-axle Pete 389 with dark blue stripes was looking top-notch, as was the entire black and gray lineup from Arreche Hay, Kris Gaare and his black Pete, and Barry Skavlem with his caramel and cream-colored 389 combination.
Some other sweet rides included the latest build from Gary Jones – his “Low Budget Lounge” – a red Peterbilt with a large aftermarket sleeper, and Jimmy Sernach and his blacked-out 1994 Pete 379. This truck was featured on our March 2012 cover, and we hadn’t seen it in a long time, so it was great seeing it and catching up with Jimmy. Jake Bast brought out his retro-styled white 379, there was a unique and cool custom blue International Loadstar cabover hot rod with a Chevy V8 engine mounted behind the cab, and Justin Lang set up his flat black Peterbilt to look like it was doing a burnout standing still!
Lil’ Ray brought out three of his amazing trucks and three lowrider cars, Phil Miller was there with two of his trucks, including his latest build and the one that was featured on our cover back in March 2015, and Cone Trucking and their metallic grey 389 with red stripes (and a black CA license plate that read LOWLIFE) was one of our favorites at the show. All in all, the lineup of trucks featured at this event included some of the best our nation has to offer.
In addition to the 333 trucks, which came from all over the country, there were also two giveaway trucks that were raffled off, along with some hand-carved wood trucks. Poker chips were sold for $100 each, and then, at the end of the awards, the winners were announced. Ralph Wilkerson of Radco Trucking donated the 1963 Kenworth cabover and Bert Endicott of Endicott Trucking donated the 1974 Peterbilt 359.
Before any of the trophies were awarded, the Northern California Chapter of the ATHS presented Rene with a check for $5,000. That brought tears to many eyes in the crowd. After that, the ceremony commenced, and the beautiful custom-made trophies and metal on wood plaques were handed out. The first award given was by Jeff Botelho, along with his good friend Jack and Jeff’s son. Presenting the “Jim Botelho Old School Cool Memorial Award” as a tribute to Jeff’s dad, this trophy (and honor) went to George Van Dyke for his classic-styled Peterbilt 379 day cab.
The lucky winner of the KW cabover was Ethan Davis (James Davis’ young son), and the winner of the 359 Peterbilt was the Epidendio family. This family donated the 359 back, and it is currently for sale on the internet for the charity. Also, during the awards ceremony, a 1/64 scale die cast antique truck was auctioned off – twice. The first guy who got the winning bid immediately donated it back and it was auctioned off again. This little die cast truck raised a bunch of money for the cause!
After the awards were all handed out around 5:00 PM, the fairgrounds began to slowly empty as the drivers cleaned up, packed up, and headed out – but not without saying goodbye to the man of the hour, Rene LaChance, first.
Erik was proud to announce that this first-ever show raised $21,000 for Rene. With that in mind, Erik has committed to another show next year, but he will probably change it to a spring event (and might even change the location). He currently has a few venue options in mind, along with several ideas for some additional events to include, so stay tuned. We are looking forward to the 2nd Annual Frenchy’s Truck Jamboree in 2022, and hope you are, too.
WORKING BOBTAIL (1995-2005):
1st Justin Lang;
2nd Ketcherside;
3rd Eugene Schappell.
WORKING BOBTAIL (2006-2015):
1st Faren Miller;
2nd Matt Fatchen;
3rd Williams.
WORKING BOBTAIL (2016-2022):
1st Kameron Lowe-Ash;
2nd Phil Miller;
3rd Bruce Cone.
CABOVER:
1st Anker;
2nd Andrew Lapp.
LOWBED/HEAVY HAUL:
1st Hartill Heavy Haul;
2nd Lamon Construction;
3rd California Grading.
HAY TRUCK:
1st Josh Carballo;
2nd Flint McVey;
3rd Ed Orella.
LOG TRUCK:
1st Kendall Grove;
2nd Josh Ross;
3rd Butch Stainbrook.
COMPANY TRUCK:
1st Taylor Transport;
2nd NorthState Aggregate;
3rd Taylor Transport.
PLASTIC TRUCK:
1st California Freight;
2nd Anthony “Mungy” Munguia.
CONSTRUCTION:
1st Miro Dragich;
2nd Tony Noto;
3rd Bruce Campbell.
TANKER:
1st Double E;
2nd North Coast Wine;
3rd Double E.
SPECIALTY:
1st James Davis;
2nd Cain Trucking.
WORKING COMBO:
1st North Coast Wine;
2nd C.G. Soza;
3rd Eddie Lopez.
SHOW TRUCK (LIMITED MILES):
1st Lil’ Ray’s Transport;
2nd Lil’ Ray’s Transport;
3rd Lil’ Ray’s Transport.
PROFESSIONAL SHOW TRUCK:
1st Ed Davis;
2nd Van Dyke;
3rd Van Dyke.
FARTHEST TRAVELED:
Justin Lang.
BEST INTERIOR:
Jake Bast.
BEST OVERALL LIGHTING:
Barry Skavlem.
BEST LIGHT PLACEMENT:
Jake Bast.
BEST FLEET:
North Coast Wine.
PEOPLE’S CHOICE:
Sam Landi.
BEST OF SHOW:
Ed Davis.
