New shows always have growing pains, but it is pretty cool to watch the growth throughout the years. As 2020 came to a close, the Shine In The Pines Truck Show in Dublin, GA was the first show of the year last year and held out as one of the only shows that actually happened, especially in the southeast and east. But with a less than normal amount of trucks in 2020, 2021 was definitely the show’s time to shine, as they almost doubled the number of trucks that had attended the previous year.
Since moving to Georgia, this show has become my home show, and one I won’t be missing. This year, the weather proved favorable but very warm. This year was pretty awesome with an outpouring of support, not only for little Keason Milton (who the event raised money for), but also for the show. Trucks from all over attended this year’s show, even though we definitely missed some trucks that were unable to attend this year. Another addition to the show was the car, truck and motorcycle show, which added even more for everyone to see and do while there.
Shine In The Pines is a charity show held at the Southern Pines Recreation Center in Dublin, GA with plenty of room for truck parking. I came to the grounds on Friday, waiting in the shadows so-to-speak, watching the trucks as they were coming in, and snapping photos. The prep lot was in full swing with High Speed Polishing on-site and CMJ Truck Wash, who brought out a mobile wash for truck washing and detailing. Plenty of trucks were already parked in the prep lot, ready to be parked, for the show.
Some nice people with cool trucks that came out to the show were Terry and Kasey Aslinger with their 1996 Pete 379, Rob Hallahan from LaCrosse, WI with his Mountain Dew Green 2022 Peterbilt 389, and Frank Trujillo out of Groveland, FL with his 2001 “Bling Bling” Peterbilt 379 dump truck. Others included Bubba and Krystal Branch out of Lakeland, FL with their red “Just A Phase” 1996 Kenworth W900, Dill McKinney out of Lexington, AL with his 1993 “Lucille” Pete 379, and Jacob Bonham of Tri State with their 2007 Peterbilt 379 heavy haul truck. It was really cool to see all these folks come out for this Georgia show.
Some big props go out to the regular attendees, as well, including Daniel and Cody Anderson, who brought in two of their trucks, Friday Trucking out of Iowa, Ben Cadle with his beautiful blue Freightliner cabover, Jerry Sutphin with his Mini Petes, JT Mercier with his black W900, and Kenny Wilson with his FLC120, to name more than just a few. RoadWorks Manufacturing made their first appearance at this show, and it is always nice to see and catch up with Troy Huddleston, Josh Foster and Emily Spencer. Chris from Big Rig Videos has also become a regular attendee to this show, gathering that video content we all love to watch.
As with each year, the show picks a child/family in need of assistance for the child’s medical expenses. The show also continues to post updates about the previous recipients to maintain healing prayers going out to the children and their families. This year, proceeds went to three-year-old Keason Milton. Little Keason was diagnosed in July 2019 with Ewing Sarcoma, which is a type of bone or soft tissue cancer. Since his diagnosis, he has endured a mass removal surgery and several rounds of chemotherapy. He remains in great spirits and continues having chemotherapy twice monthly.
I suppose the “warm” weather I previously mentioned was a bit of an understatement – it was hot! Saturday I was in attendance the whole day and took advantage, when I could, of the shade under the RoadWorks canopy and the Aslinger tent. Food was plentiful with the “Dude With The Food” tent, as well as Bell’s Gator Shack. As with every year, Diesel Life was in attendance and had a booth set up, along with a Tony Justice booth. I welcomed the fact that the sprinkler system was going in the fenced-in baseball fields next to the show, with the over-spray coming over to our side of the fence. Several times, I walked through the sprinklers laughing at the silliness of it but loving how it felt. Emily from RoadWorks joined me one time, and it caught on, because there were others, including kids, who opted to try it out also. However, the coolness didn’t last long, as the heat of the sun evaporated the water quickly.
Bubba Branch made Keason’s day by letting him sit in his truck, but the favor was returned when Keason had the opportunity to present an award to his favorite truck, which he happily gave to Bubba. DJ Dream DJ Service kept the music going throughout the day, and Stone Creek Four entertained the crowd in the afternoon, thanks to The Family Tree and South-East Express.
The awards took place and a new class called “Show Me The Money” was added, awarding cash money to the chosen recipients. This year’s winners were Rob Hallahan, Bubba Branch, and Dill McKinney. Tony Justice was in attendance, along with his lovely wife, Misty. DPF Regeneration sponsored Tony’s 7:00 PM performance, including a song he wrote for Misty, which I think had everyone choked up, including me. Following Tony Justice, the 2021 show came to an end, but not without a group of trucks putting on their lights and taking a stroll around the grounds.
Thanks from Dakota and Markie McDaniel, the show’s coordinators, to all the sponsors, donors, volunteers, drivers and spectators for making the 2021 event a success. Everyone involved plays an important role in bringing this show together, and it would not be where it is today without the dedication and support of those individuals and companies.
This year, a total of approximately $8,000 was raised for little Keason, and a total of 73 trucks registered and attended the 2021 event. Sponsors really stepped up to the plate this year to help offset the show costs. If you are interested in donating or sponsoring in the future, please don’t hesitate to contact Shine In The Pines through their Facebook page. Charity shows can only be as great as the people who put on the show, volunteer, donate and sponsor.
Keep an eye on the show’s Facebook page for updates and announcements about their 2022 show. The show had it’s time to shine this year, but I believe each year will continue to improve and welcome even more trucks and sponsors. As always, to all the drivers out there doing the deal, truck safe.