TRUCKERS GATHER IN GALT
ANNUAL CA SHOW RAISES MONEY FOR SHRINERS
For nine years, Bob Hitchcock of Cherokee Truck Parts in Stockton, CA has hosted his “Cool Truck Show” to benefit the Shriners Hospitals for Children. It seemed every year the show got bigger and better. Well, this year it might have been better, but it wasn’t bigger. And although the amount of trucks was down a bit this year, it was still a great event that raised money and awareness for the cause.
Held at the Galt Flea Market in Galt, CA for the last three years, this venue has proven to be a pretty good location, with plenty of room for everyone to spread out. This year, Bob extended the typically two-day show to three days - Friday through Sunday - June 4-6. One factor that may have affected attendance was that the big ATHS show in Pleasanton was held just one week prior to this one. Needless to say, Bob was frustrated at the start of the show, vowing that if things did not get better, he wouldn’t do it next year.
Wanting to get more trucks on the lot, everyone got on their phones and called their friends, and then a few more trucks came out of the woodwork. Still upset about the lack of funds collected, Bob was pleasantly surprised when several people made sizeable cash donations, which really helped. Bob’s mood improved, but by the end of the show, he still hadn’t decided if he was going to do it all again next year - until a few days after the show.
Wondering if all the work was worth his time and energy, Bob was debating whether or not to have a show in 2011 until he got an e-mail, from a grandmother named Cheree that helped him make up his mind. Apparently, Cheree’s daughter had given birth to twin girls and one of them had some deformities. Cheree wrote, “Before you had your first event, I didn’t know anything about Shriners.” She went on to say, “After my daughter gave birth to twin girls and one had problems, I told her what I had learned from you about what Shriners do for children. She contacted them within a couple days and they were very helpful. My granddaughter is two years old now. There is no way my daughter could have afforded all that Shriners has done for her.” That was it. Bob decided right then and there that whether he made any money or not, he would continue to have the show because the Shriners need the help and support, and because parents out there need to know what they do.
For those of you who don’t know, Shriners Hospitals for Children is an international health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated just to kids, providing them with 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. Shriners have been helping kids since 1922. So, now that you know why Bob has the show, let’s talk about the show itself!
Warm temperatures and plenty of wind greeted the vendors and truckers on Friday as the setup process began. Companies like 10-4, Dynaflex, Trucks N’ Stuff, Brent’s Custom Trucks, and others were on-hand to answer questions, give away freebies and sell a few things. Some organizations that were there to educate people about their causes included the Shriners (with their traveling exhibit trailer), and the California Colorectal Cancer Coalition (C4). Hosted by Bob’s sister Margaret Hitchcock, PhD, the C4 folks were there to encourage people to get checked for various types of cancers. A few CHP officers came to answer questions, as well.
Another company called Go Go Green World, Inc. was at the show to announce their new supplemental fuel and filtering system, which generates on-demand Hydrogen Gas from water utilizing electrolysis to achieve the process. This boost of injected hydrogen apparently lowers emissions and increases power. They also had a Peterbilt from Intel parked near their booth with a sample unit installed, and a large-screen monitor, dangling from a crane, running ads and promos for themselves and Bob all weekend.
Last year, the show had over 100 trucks, and this year we figured that number would jump a bit higher but, unfortunately, only 65 trucks and a handful of hot rods showed up. But the ones that did come, were plenty cool! Saturday afternoon there was a live auction, selling many donated items, to help raise money for the cause. After the auction ended, there was an awesome light show. Sunday morning came fast - then all of the winners were announced. This show does not have a lot of trophies, so anyone who gets one is usually pretty excited.
In the Hot Rod class, 1st place went to Bill Hildenbrand; 2nd to PDI; and 3rd to Bruce Diede. In the Bobtail class, 1st place went to Victor Maestaz; 2nd to Tyler Picknell; and 3rd to Monte Orsi. In the Combo class, 1st place went to Mike Gonzales; 2nd to Stephen Ashburn; and 3rd to John Silva. In the specialty classes, the Best Rockwood Interior award went to Stephen Ashburn; The Jim Botelho Memorial award went to Tyler Picknell; and Bob’s Cool Truck award went to Chris Brazil.
Some cool trucks that did not receive any awards included Mike Hansen’s red and white Pete log truck, Gregg Petties’ blue and black Pete and polished stainless reefer, Jeff Zonneveld’s yellow and black KW, Mike Green’s 1964 green Pete transfer, and Lil’ Ray’s two flashy Peterbilts (which really looked good at the light show).
Once the awards were handed out, it was time to break down and head home. It may not have been the biggest show ever, but it was still a great time. We’d like to thank Bob Hitchcock for all of the hard work he did to get this show organized, and we are glad that he decided to continue on and have another show next year.
We’d also like to thank all of the kind and caring Shriners - because of what you do, lots of kids can get the care they need. We’d also like to thank everyone who attended the show, purchased items in the auction, or just flat-out wrote a check. No matter what the general public thinks or says, we know truckers care!