STURGIS FOR TRUCKS
ANNUAL CHARITY SHOW & TRUCK PULL IN KASSON, MN
Every year thousands of bikers join together in Sturgis, SD to relax and celebrate the biker lifestyle. Well, for the last nine years, truckers have flocked to the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Kasson, MN to kick back and have some fun with their fellow truck drivers, much like the bikers in Sturgis. The Big Iron Classic was founded by Jim & Brenda Finn in 2000 as a non-trophy truck show for truckers to get together and show off their iron. If nothing else, it was a good excuse for truckers to slow down for the weekend and polish on their trucks with friends.
From the start, everyone agreed that the show should benefit some cause, so it was decided that “payment” to be a part of the show would simply be to bring a toy for a little boy or girl. Each year since then, the show has collected up to 3,000 toys to donate to local and national charities – this year, they filled a 22’ long trailer (4’ deep) from front to back with toys. They also auctioned off several Big Iron Classic posters and raised over $5,000 for their scholarship fund to be used for individuals who wish to enter some aspect of the trucking industry as a career.
That first year, back in 2000, Jim hoped to have 50-60 trucks at the event – he was pretty surprised when 98 showed up. Over the years, the show has grown. In 2005 they had 400 trucks, in 2006 there were 451, and in 2007 some 548 trucks attended! This year the number dropped to 452, but that is still pretty good considering the current state of the industry.
On the second year of the show, a semi-truck pull was added. This event has grown to be the highlight of the entire show and is the only part of the event that awards trophies. Trophies are awarded to several classes including Antique, Light Class, Heavy Class and the always entertaining Open Class. Participants hook to a “sled” and pull it as far as they can. As they pull it, a heavy weight slides forward to increase the drag and make it harder for the trucker to pull the sled along. A 300’ pull is considered to be a “full pull” but the few truckers who made it that far often just kept going.
This year’s winners included Dave Nisbit (267.2’) in the Antique Class; Brian Henry (282.8’) in the Light Class; Ed Mieseler (303.9’) in the Heavy Class; and Ron Baron (306.1’) in the Open Class. Ron narrowly beat out the two-time defending champion, Scott Rosenburg, to earn the Open Class “King of the Hill” title for 2008. And in doing so, he also gets his truck featured on next year’s Big Iron Classic poster and t-shirt designed by artist Dustin Snell. In total, there were 80 hooks and pulls at the event. Brian Henry was crowned as the Working Class “King of the Hill” for 2008.
We at 10-4 had heard a lot of good things about this show, so we decided to fly up to Minnesota and check it out. We can’t say enough about the hospitality that was shown to us while there – they treated us like kings – and for that, we sincerely thank them.
Friday was setup and parking day. Trucks rolled in all day and were parked in every nook and cranny of the fairgrounds as the 25 or so vendors put up their displays. After some rain came down late Friday afternoon, all of the participants and vendors were treated to a free dinner and live music provided by Trouble Shooter. After the sun went down, many of the truckers turned on their lights and began making a lot of noise with their horns and Jake brakes. One cabover that was there for the truck pull was “turned up” so far that his rig was spitting out 10’ tall flames from his stacks. This truck truly lit up the night and ignited the crowd.
When we arrived at the fairgrounds on Saturday morning, we couldn’t believe how many more trucks had pulled in overnight. And to make things even better, the weather was perfect. We strolled around, talked to people and took pictures all day. At 3:00 in the afternoon, 50 pre-registered trucks pulled out of the fairgrounds and paraded through the historic town of Mantorville, one mile north of Kasson. After that, it was time for the truck pull, which always marks the beginning of the end of the show.
We were fortunate to meet a couple of our subscribers from Courtland, MN. Jim Stoltz and his 78-year-old mother Marion are not only subscribers to the magazine, but also very outspoken fans. Marion brought us out an incredible lunch that included an assortment of German Bratwurst with all the fixings, a cake, and some premium Minnesota beer (Grain Belt). To thank her for her kindness and generosity, at the end of the show we presented her with a 5’ wide x 3.5’ high laminated poster that we had created for our booth (table) at the show. We had a great time with Jim and Marion and want to thank them again for all their hospitality.
We also wanted to thank Jim Finn and all of his volunteers (there are over 40 of them) for the great work they do for the kids through this fun show. We would also like to thank Carl Carstens and Lindsay Denor of Rockwood Products for all of their help and friendship. The show is always held on the weekend after Labor Day, so the 2009 dates will be September 11 & 12. As Jim likes to say, “Half the lights of Vegas and twice the fun, but what happens at the Big Iron Classic gets bragged about throughout North America!” It might not be as big as Sturgis yet, but who knows, maybe someday it will put the small town of Kasson on the map.