FUNNY HATS & COOL TRUCKS
CHARITY SHOW BENEFITS SHRINERS HOSPITALS
The Shriners may wear funny-looking hats, but their purpose and mission is no laughing matter. For the second year in a row, truckers joined together in Galt, California on May 29-30 to raise money for a good cause - and to have a good time! And with over 100 cool trucks, a few awesome hot rods, perfect weather, a party-like atmosphere and plenty of food and drink, what more could you ask for?
Although this show has been around for a while, it is only the second year that it has been held at the Galt Flea Market, which is a great, fully-paved venue. And for the eighth year in a row, all of the proceeds from this show went to Shriners Hospitals for Children. It is kind of strange to see Shriners walking around a truck show wearing their weird-shaped hats with tassels, but it is kind of neat at the same time. At many of the charity events we attend, we often do not see anyone from the benefitting organization in attendance, but at this one, the Shriners were out there in full force, helping out where they could, educating the public and supporting the event.
Shriners Hospitals for Children is a one-of-a-kind international health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing specialty pediatric care, innovative research and outstanding teaching programs. Children up to the age of 18 with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries and cleft lip and palate are eligible for admission to receive the absolute best care available at no charge - regardless of financial need. Shriners Hospitals have been helping kids defy the odds since 1922. And this year, after all the expenses were paid, Bob Hitchcock is pleased to announce that the show raised over $14,500 for Shriners Hospitals for Children.
The festivities began on Friday after all of the vendors set up their booths and all of the trucks were parked. Just like last year, once the sun went down, the lights came on for an incredible big rig light display. There was no judging or competition, it was just a light display for fun, but boy was it bright out there in the dark. As the night wore on and the wind and cold moved in, one by one the trucks were silenced and the show’s evening activities came to an end.
Saturday morning brought sunny skies and warm temperatures - and quite a few more trucks, which had come in during the night. There were a lot of trucks that we knew (past cover trucks and such), but there were also a lot that we had never seen before. People walked around taking pictures, ate food, and listened to the music being played by the DJ, visited with friends and checked out all that the vendors had to offer. In the early afternoon, Bob and his fellow volunteers and sponsors hosted a live auction, selling valuable parts and services to the highest bidder, and raising more money for the charity. After that, it was time to award the winners.
All of the judging was done by people’s choice ballots, and there were only a handful of trophies awarded, so anyone who got one, was pretty happy. And the trophies themselves were pretty amazing, too. From the stage, Bob told a heartwarming tale about where the wood for the bases came from. Bob’s grandfather planted some Black Walnut trees in 1913. Bob and his father cut these trees down in 1972 and then stored the wood. After Bob’s father passed away a few months ago, Bob found some of the scraps of this wood still underneath his father’s house. Bob thought that it was only fitting to use the wood for the bases of the trophies. Featuring an engraved glass sculpture shaped like the state of California atop the polished Black Walnut base, these trophies were very special and truly unique. All of the trophies were put together for Bob by Carl Carstens of Rockwood Products.
In the “Combo” class, 3rd place went to a truck that we are very familiar with - our April 2007 cover truck - a sweet 1964 Peterbilt Model 351 owned by Pinheiro & Milanesio Farms and shown by Jack “Yahpy” VanderFeer of Tulare, CA. The old Pete hay truck and trailer also took home the Jim Botelho Memorial Award, which was chosen and presented by members of the Botelho family. Second place went to another truck we know pretty well, but now it has a proud new owner. Steven Ashburn now owns Paul Stanchio’s previous rig - a 2005 dark blue Peterbilt with orange flames and a tricked-out 2006 Boydston car carrier. 1st place in the combo class went to Darius Barnes of Los Banos, CA. Darius was shocked when they called out his name as the winner, but his Medium Jade Green and Taup 1994 Peterbilt and 2006 polished stainless steel Great Dane spread-axle reefer were lookin’ pretty hard to beat.
In the “Truck” class, 3rd place was awarded to Victor Maestaz of Las Vegas, NV for his teal-colored 1994 Peterbilt with black fenders, while 2nd place went to a rough and tough old 1925 Mack owned by Jane Tauton (whenever they fired up that chain-driven beast a large crowd would quickly gather around it). The 1st place trophy was awarded to Jimmie Sernach of White City, OR for his blacked-out 1994 Peterbilt.
But the coolest of all the trucks at the show (in our opinion) was the big winner of the “Hot Rod” class. Automotive Artist Randy Grubb of Grants Pass, OR brought out his custom “Piss’d Off Pete” roadster with a 12V71 Detroit Diesel with two 671 superchargers, mounted to a sleek, custom-fabricated chromed and polished chassis and silver body. Built using the shell of a chopped 1960 Pete, the “truck” has an Allison 740D 4-speed automatic transmission, 2.70 gears and hydraulic disc brakes. And when Randy puts baffles in the pipes, this baby is street legal (barely) in the state of Oregon. 2nd place in the Hot Rod class went to Bob Zieske, while 3rd place went to Bill Hildenbrand.
Some other notable trucks at the show included Danny Miles’ 1994 white and light blue Peterbilt and matching hay trailers from American Hay & Mercantile in Ojai, CA, as well as Chad DeYoung’s white and green Peterbilt cabover from Alfalfa Supply Inc. in Ripon, CA. We also liked a flat-black Peterbilt owned by Rich Radovich of Lodi, CA, and a whited-out 2005 Peterbilt with black stripes owned by David Mendonca of Visalia, CA (David and his cool rig are leased on with RAM Trucking).
All-in-all it was another fun weekend in Galt, California that raised a lot of money for a worthwhile cause. We would like to thank everyone who attended, sponsored, displayed and/or competed at the show, and say a special “thank you” to Bob Hitchcock of Cherokee Truck Parts for not only inviting us to come out, but for treating us like family. Thanks for making it another memorable weekend, Bob.