After coming back to Waupun from the Green Bay Truck Show in 1988, five friends were sitting in a diner and, while discussing the truck show, they put their minds together and the Waupun Truckers Jamboree was born (now known as the Waupun Truck-N-Show). Those five friends were Ron Vande Zande, Don Schultz, Steve Wendt, John Williamson, and Alton Asmus.
Starting out small, the registration was done on the back of a hay wagon, and they gave out plaques to the winners. From its humble beginnings, the show grew to bring in 300-350 trucks every year, with some years growing to 500+ trucks. This year, over 600 trucks rolled into Waupun to celebrate a great show and to be part of something very special after the event producers announced that this would be the last one. Many had attended this event for years, and others made the final show their first one, wanting to experience it before it was gone.
The show would never have been possible without all the sponsors and volunteers who made it happen every year for 35 years. The generous donations from sponsors and the volunteers who became family were all dedicated to the success of the show. It was an event that the city wholeheartedly supported, and the townspeople looked forward to every year. So much of the money raised over the years helped people who were local in the community.
In the early years they gave to the Mac fund, sponsoring families in the surrounding area, and helping them with medical bills. Since then, $5,000 has been donated to the Waupun Humane Society, $385,000 to Special Olympics, with a lot of help to that charity coming from John and Julie Drake, REACH in Waupun, a local charity that works with the school to help families with financial stress and so much more, has received over $57,000, and since 2003 over $687,000 has been given to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Over the years, the show has helped grant 50 wishes to deserving kids.
This year Brian and Shonda Pete from Mineral Point, WI had the honor of being the last Parade Marshalls. The shirts, with a picture of their truck and the “Last Ride Through Waupun” text, were in big demand, and sold out by early Saturday morning. After the show, they made more shirts available by order only. Brian and Shonda are celebrating 20 years in business as Pete Transport. With hard work, dedication, and taking care of the people who work for them, they have grown their business over the years. Bringing their first truck in 2015, they became big supporters of the show. Congratulations to Brian and Shonda for being such a beautiful part of the “Last Ride Through Waupun!”
There were many friendships made in Waupun, and sometimes it would be the only time friends would be able to see each other during the year. It became a trucking family reunion. I can remember being parked on the street with friends like Harvey and Karen Zander displaying Icy Blu. Karen had an “icy” touch when she set that truck up for a show, and even more so, when Harvey put together Icy Blu ll. This year, we got to talk to Harvey from the show and got to share a few memories, even though he was not able to attend. His favorite memory was in 2007 when he got to be the Parade Marshall.
Everyone knew Streaker and his combo with horses painted on the sides, along with one of Brian Dreher’s first show trucks – a pink Freightliner called “Sho Enf Pink” – which was a classic beauty! That truck and trailer would turn heads, and all the drivers who got to drive it said they loved it! Darian Stephens was well-known for his amazing Freightliner Classic XL called Keystone JR. Trev Timblin, Vinnie Diorio, and Quad Graphics have also been big supporters and participants at the show over the years, along with Homer’s Towing out of Milwaukee, which has sponsored a band for many years, as well as brought out their big wreckers to display in their booth. Big Rig Chrome Shop in Osh Kosh were also a huge supporter over the years, and always gave shirts to all the competitors.
Going through the 2024 program brought back memories of shows and happenings from years ago. 1996 was the first year the Lights of the Night Convoy joined the famous day parade through town. The show started a Rolling Memorial in 2003, with names of people from the Waupun community, as well as the trucking community, who had passed, printed on boards, and strapped to a flatbed. As the years went by, more names were added to these boards, including three of the show’s founding members – Ron Vande Zande, Steve Wendt and Alton Asmus. We would like to thank everyone this year for getting the last name placed on the Driver’s Board – our friend Mike Horan.
Stanley, a big stuffed gorilla, greeted everyone who entered the Community Center (AKA the Command Center). Every year, Lola Milner would make sure he was sporting that year’s shirt, and people would make sure they got their picture with Stanley. This year there was even a picture with a K9 from the Fond du Lac Sheriff K9 unit sitting next to Stanley. There was a bid of $1,200 for Stanley, and he was promptly given to the Duey Vande Zande family.
In 1997, The First Annual Trucker Buddy Share America Convoy departed from Waupun at 8:00 AM on Sunday morning. The convoy made stops along the way and ended up in Reno, NV. Gary King started the Trucker Buddy program in 1992 to pair drivers with classes across America (drivers sent postcards to their classes and the students wrote letters to their Trucker Buddy). In 1998 and 1999, the second and third Trucker Buddy convoys started their journey after the Waupun Truckers Jamboree.
In 2005, the name of the show was changed to the Waupun Truck-N-Show. In 2008, the Truck Rodz rig lit up the night parade with flames coming out of the stacks! In 2009, our friend Alex Debogorski of Ice Road Truckers fame, was a big celebrity hit at the show. In 2021, when everything was shut down for Covid, the Waupun Truck-N-Show went on! Many people were so happy to be able to get out of the house and attend the event that year.
Every truck at the show this year was a winner, and they were all part of something very special. The Mayor’s Choice was Brian Pete, the Ron Vande Zande Memorial Trophy went to Gary Geib, the Bernie Werra Memorial Trophy went to Austin Gottman with Chuck Brauer Trucking, the Largest Fleet was BRT Services, and the Kid’s Choice, a new award last year, had two winners this year – the Schiender family chose the American themed dump truck from the Soper Co. and driver Darryl Kulepp, and the Korth family chose Josh Van Wagoner as their favorite. I had the fun of driving these families around the grounds on a golf cart and watching as the kids struggled to make their final decisions.
The Best of Show Working Show Truck this year went to John Herdrich of Herdrich Express. John was at this show on Saturday in 2013 when he got the news that his dad Jim Herdrich has passed away. Jim was John’s hero, and the loss was totally devastating. John works hard and takes pride in the truck he drives, keeping it top notch every day, to honor the man who taught him so much more than just driving a truck. This year it was on Saturday, again, when he was bidding for a top spot in the parade, just like he did on that day 11 years ago. Over the years, John has bid on multiple spots for the parade and given them to either his drivers or friends.
Best of Show Antique went to Josh Van Wagoner and his cool 1996 black and magenta Peterbilt pulling a matching spread-axle reefer. It had always been a dream of Josh’s to win Best of Show at Waupun, and being the last year for the show, made it extra special. Best of Show in the Show Truck class was hands down Dane Hartman of Hartman Farms and his “American Dream” truck! The detail on this black Peterbilt, built by Dickerson Custom Trucks, was amazing. The Best of Show in the DOT Standard Lights class went to Brian Ernshoff of Dabney Trucking, while the Modified Lights class was won by Dane Hartman of Hartman Farms with his dancing red, white, and blue lights. Best of Show Working Truck went to Always Haulin’ Auto Transport.
This show has always been known for giving out hundreds of trophies, and this year was no different! But after the last trophy was handed out and the trucks all left, the grounds of the Waupun Community Center returned to just bare grass with a stream flowing peacefully along its edge. A cement truck planter was placed in front of the Community Center in 2014 with a plaque telling everyone this was the home of the Waupun Truck-N-Show. Nancy Kutschenreuter, Duey Vande Zande, and Lola Milner went there on Monday to take a final picture beside the planter before it was moved to its new home at Steve and Judy Schaalma’s house, which sits along the old parade route near downtown. It was a bittersweet realization for all of them to look at the empty grounds and know that it would not be filled with trucks next year like it had been for the past 35 years.
Thank you to the City of Waupun for welcoming trucks and their drivers and families for all these years. So many drivers made this an annual family event, with the kids there helping clean and polish their loved one’s truck or trucks. This show was started to help families and has tried to be about the kids all these years. I can testify firsthand to this in talking with the kids that I took to choose the Kid’s Choice this year (and being there all those years). I’ve always said, “There is nothing like little kids and big trucks,” and it’s true, they don’t forget. That arm pump to hear the air horn has not been around for decades because kids did not want to hear it or because drivers did not want to light up the faces of those kids. After all, drivers are just kids who did that same arm pump when they saw a truck, and then they grew up to drive them.
The final chapter of the amazing Waupun Truck-N-Show has now been written and the book is closing. The only way to keep the show alive now is by remembering all the good times and the memories it created and sharing those stories with the future generations. Thank you to all the people who put so much into making this show great and helping so many along the way while doing it, and to all the truckers who made the show possible, because without you, there would not have ever been a show. Sadly, it is over, as we have all taken our last ride in Waupun – but we will never forget.
EDITOR’S NOTE: We would like to thank Nancy Kutschenreuter and Jacob Gunderson for providing most of the photos for this story.
