NO DUDS IN THE LAND OF SPUDS
BY OUR OREGON TOUR GUIDE & ROAMING
CORRESPONDENT BRYAN WELSH
Have you ever been at a show and thought, “This would be even better on a patch of green grass with great food, stuff for the kids to do, live music and cold beer.” Well, last year I found that show. I picked up a flyer one day promoting a show put on by United Hauling out of Caldwell, Idaho. A close friend Jeremy and I went to that show, and the term “down home” turned out to be an understatement. We had a great time and I promised Rod, Barry and Debbie from United Hauling that I’d be back in 2009.
So, of course, this year we came back, but in a much bigger way. This 5th annual show, on June 12-13, was held at Gabiola Field in Caldwell, Idaho. I brought along my daughter Taylor, good friends Chet and Trista Jobe, their two kids, and the viper red 10-4 tent! With some extra help from Frank & Dianna Pangburn from the “Truckin for Kids” show, we had the booth setup and ready to go with plenty of time to spare.
The show kicked off with a 40-truck convoy on Friday with proceeds benefiting the Idaho Meth Prevention Project, an organization aimed at reducing and eliminating illegal drug use among Idaho’s citizens. Although the gates didn’t open to the public until Saturday morning, we got started right after the convoy arrived. The skies were clear and the temperature was pushing 90 degrees, but Saturday’s forecast was gloomy. We decided to take advantage of the good weather, and strolled out among the 62 trucks on display and the array of food and vendor booths.
As always, United Hauling showed up in fine form with their dark green Pete fleet. Corey Hanson had my pick for one of the most sanitary W900B’s of all time. We also have to hand it to LeRoy Lammey from Boise Boys Trucking for bringing their slick 379 Pete that proves standup sleepers can still be cool. By Friday afternoon, we found ourselves lounging in lawn chairs and listening to great live music. And let’s not forget the unbeatable food - those hot wings had our foreheads sweating! Taylor even talked me into jumping around inside the bounce-house!
Saturday morning came alive with a full-on breakfast buffet hosted by the drivers and staff of United Hauling. After that, it was off to the booth (we had an energized crew that worked hard all day). 10-4’s resident poet Trevor Hardwick and his wife Alicia even came over from Washington to be part of the fun. We had a great time handing out several boxes of 10-4 goodies.
The fact that the majority of the trucks at this event spend 6-7 months a year covered in de-icer and caked with red cinder rocks, makes for a true testament to the drivers that work extra hard to keep their rides show-shined. 10-4 would like to thank United Hauling and all of this show’s fine sponsors for allowing us to be part of their family over the weekend. If any of you ever want to attend a truck show with a “country fair” appeal, this could very well be the one (there was even a guy walking around with a camel). We hope to see all of you in Idaho next year.
And the winners were: Best of Show: Rusty Scott of Scott Fulcher Trucking; Best Bobtail: Curtis Glover; Best Combo: Corey Hanson of Gary Amoth Trucking; Best Antique: Jim Hinkle of Brown Bus Company; Best Show Truck: Steve Treasure; Best Specialized Truck: Jason Bish of Blackberry Sand & Gravel; People’s Choice: Steve Treasure; Sponsor’s Pick: Sugar Ray Straws of Mendelez, Inc; United Hauling’s Pick: (yours truly and my dad) Bryan & Bill Welsh. Our “congrats” go out to all of the 2009 winners!