The 7th annual Truck Function in Junction was the best ever, but it was a rough ride getting there. The community of Junction City, Oregon, lost the show’s founder, Dan Alley, last October due to heart issues. This event immediately was faced with the choice of do or don’t do – and because of Dan’s family and their absolute strength and dedication to something that meant so much to him, along with many dedicated volunteers, they decided to carry on as usual and make the Truck Function in Junction for 2019 the best yet – and they did!
Held on July 13, 2019 in Junction City, Oregon, this year’s “Function” was a challenge on a few fronts. The field that the show is held on, which is mostly dirt, weeds and whatever random crop pops up, was not perfect, but thanks to Craig and Eagle Veneer, along with Dan’s son-in-law Zach Hess, owner of Hess Boys Land Reclamation Services, his wife Heather and their four boys, Hunter, Brodie, Trenton and wild Dax, they all pitched in and made it the best it could be. Next year, there are plans to smooth out the field and plant Fescue grass, so it should be awesome. Thanks to the entire Alley family and Corrie Lucas, among many others, this year’s “Function” kicked off perfectly.
With 86 trucks rolling in as early as 6:00 AM on Saturday morning, along with a few that snuck in on Friday night, this was the largest turnout to date for the Truck Function in Junction. And thanks to Bob and Renee Bell, who headed up the registration table, everyone had a great time checking in and getting their official “Function” swag.
Many thanks to the great vendors and sponsors such as Ratco, McVey’s Mobile Polishing, Mikey, Nichole and Patty Thompson at MAT Transportation, Whit-Log Trailers, MTS and, of course, the Pratt family at Eagle Veneer and many others, for providing so much to the show. Special thanks to Jeremy and his family at T2 for picking up the entire cost of the huge 40 x 20 tent with tables and chairs! Local radio legend Andy Manual spun tunes and DJ’d during the entire event, while Kico’s Barbecue kept everyone well-fed by serving up some of the best smoked meat I’ve ever tasted.
This year’s event was non-judged, but trust me when I say, there were plenty of trophy-worthy trucks on the field. Like at any show, there were too many great people and nice rides to fit into just a few pages, but I will mention some. One standout was the awesome silver Freightliner cabover owned by the Troyer Brothers, and another was Unruh Transport’s baby blue Peterbilt 389. Casey McVey brought out his sweet little blue and white 2-axle Freightliner COE, while Pape Kenworth and DSU Peterbilt, along with McCoy Freightliner, a fine sponsor since the inception of this fun event, all had a great lineup of new trucks for everyone to check out.
Throughout the sunny day, Mikey Thompson, Travis Alley (Dan and Cindy’s son) and several other great volunteers walked the show grounds, parked trucks, and basically just made sure everybody was having a good time. Some folks that were looking outstanding included cool truckers like Mike Todd and his awesome white and silver narrow nose Peterbilt, Brent Boehringer and his son with their clean maroon daycab A-model Kenworth, Gene Whittaker and his blue with white stripes extended-hood KW W900L log truck, and PER Logging’s extensive lineup of various-colored Kenworth log trucks. This year’s event really experienced not only the best turnout to date, but also the nicest quality of equipment ever.
By 6:00 PM, Cindy Alley and the crew began staging the trucks gearing up for the best part of this event – the cruise. By 6:30, the streets of Junction City were filled with trucks and waving bystanders. There’s really nothing better than rolling down Main Street, laying on the horn, and waving at all the people (and goofing off with all the other cruisers in their trucks, of course). Closing Hwy. 99 is no easy task, so special thanks go out to David Sheffler, Travis Alley and Zach Hess, who made sure that all the road barricades got set up and the street closures went as smooth as possible.
As the sun went down and all the running lights came on while cruising, I think all of us involved looked up at Dan and smiled, knowing that he was looking down on his favorite event, and so many friends and family, just grinning from ear to ear. This year’s Truck Function in Junction couldn’t have been a better tribute to such an amazing founder, and we here at 10-4 were just so glad to be a part of it. We already can’t wait until next year, when the grounds will be even better. Everyone that participated in this year’s event truly carried on what our dear friend Dan Alley always wanted – a fantastic truck show and a great cruise! We miss you, Dan, but will continue to carry on with your “small town big event” for many years to come. 10-4, over and out, my lifelong friend – this one was in honor of you!