WET & WILD IN WISCONSIN
RAIN DOESN’T SCARE ANYONE AWAY FROM WAUPUN
The 21st annual Waupun Truck-N-Show, held on August 13 & 14, 2010 in Waupun, WI, finally made its way onto the 10-4 schedule for us to attend, in person, for the first time – and we were not disappointed. Leaving behind cool breezes and mild temperatures in Southern California, Wisconsin greeted us with a totally different (and not in a good way) climate. Arriving on Friday the 13th, we arrived to find high humidity, rain and blaring tornado sirens. The area has had the worst summer in a long time, and all the rain has created ponds and muddy conditions everywhere. With all that standing water, you can imagine the millions of hungry mosquitoes waiting for some fresh blood to arrive – and arrive they did. Truckers from all over the country came to support the cause and compete for over 300 beautiful trophies.
On Friday, the registration check-in people spent most of the day processing paperwork. With several veteran volunteer members in position, it was time to kick off the show in high gear. The forty-acre site of the Waupun Community Center, donated by the city, was ready for the onslaught of 265 trucks to take over and turn it into a picture perfect puzzle. The volunteer parking crew, who knew the layout, directed the trucks into their locations, and it started to look like a truck show. With so many diverse areas to park, the parking crew deserves a big shout-out for directing traffic through a labyrinth of obstacles, exhibitors and muddy terrain. Some early first-time show-goers, depending on the size and style of their rig, were parked in what seemed to be isolated locations. Many asked, “Why are we out here by ourselves?” But it wasn’t long before they had lots of neighbors. Even with the rain, the trucks kept coming in – all day and all night.
The Waupun Community Center, which houses a hockey rink, provided some shelter for the inside vendors and the wet (and hungry) attendees. Several custom BBQ grills were getting a workout cooking up some good grub including brats, chicken, and pork chops on a stick. But everyone’s favorite, it seemed, was called “road kill” – which was a combination of all three meats. Several large fans were blowing all day to provide some well-needed relief. The humidity was so bad, it made you feel like you were wearing a thick wool blanket. The outside exhibitors had a tough time during setup, as the off-and-on rain showers made their job a little more challenging, to say the least.
This truck show started over 20 years ago and has been growing more popular each and every year. Outgoing president and founding member Ron Vande Zande has handed the torch over to Randy Bille, who plans to continue supporting Make-A-Wish, Special Olympics, the local men’s and women’s hockey teams, and other deserving charities. Another donation is given each year to a local person or family, selected by the board, to receive some monies and support. With the sales of food, beverages, auction items and raffle tickets, registration fees and miscellaneous donations, early estimates for this year’s net profits are hovering around $75,000! It looks like all of that hard work was worth it.
The show was attended by about 10,000 people, despite the wet weather conditions on Friday. As the day grew long, everybody was waiting for the much-anticipated “Lights of the Night Convoy” that was scheduled for 9 pm. Last year, this event was cancelled at the last minute because of rain, which really disappointed everyone who had come and lined the streets of Waupun for several miles, waiting to see the beautifully-lit big rigs strut their stuff. This year, the weather was no different, so they cancelled the parade again, only this time they did it early in the day. The crowds that had already gathered along the route were invited to come over to the show to see the trucks with their lights on and to enjoy some live music, both inside and out. Mother Nature tried to cancel Matt Coleman’s outdoor gig, but the band just covered their equipment with plastic and played on into the night.
Saturday started with dark overcast skies and more trucks lined up, waiting to check-in and get registered. The early birds were out in full force, with families and friends, shooting pictures and chatting with the vendors. There were many exhibitors and 10-4 advertisers set up for business as usual, including Jones Performance Products. Our friend Dave Jones made a strong presence with his beautiful display trailer, which had a full-length awning and an air-conditioned private office. It was a good place to go to cool off from the hot and very humid weather, conduct business and kick back. Thank you, Dave. Other vendors included Chrome Shop Mafia/4 State Trucks, Valley Chrome Plating, Homer’s Custom Chrome Shop, Rockwood, WTI Fenders, Lincoln Chrome, Wisconsin KW, Peterbilt of WI, Dynaflex, Trucker Buddy International, and so many more. In total, some 53 vendors were on-hand to answer questions and promote their company’s products.
We had the pleasure of meeting up with Kim Pinch, the Exhibitors’ Coordinator, who was positioned just inside the entrance of the community center because of all the wet conditions. As we talked a few moments about the show, she kept saying, “It’s all about the truckers and their families. There is no pomp and circumstance or anything fake about it. What you see is what you get. It’s real and caring.” She then added, “It’s the greatest little town with the greatest little truck show around. And this little show has a great big heart!” We had to admit, all of the volunteers involved were very polite – we heard a lot of “yes sir” and, “no ma’am” and, “how can I help you?” throughout the event. Seeing so many volunteers wearing the official Truck-N-Show shirts, we asked Kim how many were involved. She said that the number goes from about 30 all year, to almost 100 for the show, as volunteers bring family members and friends to help out. It definitely is a lot of work. Her closing comment was, “I am very proud to be a part of the Waupun Truck-N-Show staff. I am glad that they allow me the opportunity to work hard and work proud for such a great cause.” Thank you, Kim.
As Saturday came to a close, the trophy trailer was moved into position and the winners were announced. And with 300 trophies, there were 300 happy winners, but the two happiest were the winners of the huge Best of Show Bobtail and Combo trophies. Both of these coveted awards were sponsored and presented by Dave Jones of Jones Performance. The best bobtail award went to Harvey & Karen Zander with their mural-covered “Icy Blue II” International, and the combo trophy went to Mark Feif, a driver for Paul Marcotte Farms. Mark’s black and orange Peterbilt and polished tanker trailer, which was just re-done after logging over a million miles of hard work, was lookin’ fresh and new – and, obviously, hard to beat.
With the trophies passed out, it was time to wind down and relax or go dance to the music of “Leland Martin & The American Made Band” and then the headliners “Oil Can Harry” (who not only had a huge following, but also a fantastic drummer). They rocked to the delight of a younger crowd and lots of truckers. It was a great way to close out a great weekend of Truck-N-Show fun. All we can do now is wait another year. Kudos to all of the volunteers for a great event that raised a ton of money for charity!