GOOD MOJO IN JOMO
2ND ANNUAL SHOW IS ONE OF THE BEST THIS YEAR
After a rough first year, JoMo got its mojo back! The 2nd Annual Guilty By Association Truck Show & Customer Expo, held on October 1-2 at 4 State Trucks in Joplin, MO (JoMo), was, in our opinion, one of the best shows of the year. After terrible rain and flooding dampened the outdoor event last year, we (and everyone at 4 State) were hoping and praying for nicer weather this year. And it could not have been better. Couple that with plenty of tall trucks, good food, live music every night, tons of vendors, discounted prices in the chrome shop and, best of all, hospitality like nowhere else, and you can see why everyone is raving about this event.
On Thursday evening, before the show even got started, an estimated 200+ VIPs were invited to a pre-show BBQ hosted by 4 State Trucks. This dinner, which was held in 4 State’s new body shop, featured grilled one-inch-thick steaks and pork chops along with potatoes, grilled corn-on-the-cob, green beans, drinks and a whole table of homemade desserts to choose from. In addition to the great food and Martin family hospitality, the place was packed with many of our old friends – it was definitely the place to be on Thursday night!
After dinner, Bryan “Bossman” Martin and his brother Brice introduced some of their managers and employees and then proceeded to emcee a fun “trucking trivia” game in which trucking-related questions were asked and the guests could answer to win prizes. But the “prizes” were really just gag gifts like boxes of Christmas lights, Oreo cookies, workout DVDs, an adult-sized Fred Flintstone costume, and many other silly things. There was also a free raffle for all of the attendees, and these prizes were really good – the night culminated with Lincoln Chrome giving away a complete 7” exhaust system to lucky winner Daniel Snow of Snow Farms Trucking in Harrison, Arkansas.
The show officially opened Friday morning and started with a free continental breakfast for all of the drivers. That word “free” was heard a lot at this show. There was no fee to enter your truck into the show; free admittance for all attendees; no charge to setup a booth; free live entertainment both nights; free shop tours, demos and Q & A sessions; free shuttles to get visitors to and from their cars (which were parked across the street); a free fireworks display; free raffles; plenty of free activities for the kids; and the list goes on and on. There always seemed to be something going on! Inside the chrome shop, the parts were not free but all new merchandise was 10% off. Outside, there was a huge sidewalk sale with slashed prices on surplus, blemished, or slightly damaged items. And everywhere you looked, you saw folks wearing bright neon green shirts that said “STAFF” across the back – these people were all of the employees and volunteers, and their job was to make sure that everyone at the show was happy. And they did a great job.
With temps in the low 70s and plenty of sun, Friday had absolutely perfect weather. This made it a great day to walk around and check out/photograph the 125+ bobtails and combos that were wedged into every corner of the large 4 State property. Some of the activities on Friday included a demonstration on how to build an air line box (held in the Fabrication Shop), “How-To” sessions showing attendees how to install rear fenders and a 3-piece exhaust system (held in the Body Shop), as well as several general facility tours. At noon, the official judging began and attendees started voting for their favorite trucks. After the sun went down, two large bonfires near the stage were set ablaze (it got pretty cold at night) and then the trucks lit up the lot for several hours with a fantastic light display. At 8:00 p.m. the Brent Baker Band took the stage and played for almost two hours. The long but fun day came to a tiring end at 10:00 p.m.
Before we knew it, Saturday morning had arrived and it was time to head back to the show. The weather was a little cooler on Saturday, and as the day wore on the wind picked up – and it was a cold wind – but by 10:00 a.m., the whole place was packed with people! Walking around the show, we got to spend some time with many of the vendors including our buddy Glenn from Mercer, JR and his sister Danielle from Lifetime Nut Covers, Mike from RoadWorks, Darren and Josh from Lincoln Chrome, Sal from Dynaflex, Luanne and Ron from WTI Fenders and Sean from Hogebuilt. Some of the other outside vendors included FASS, Thunder Grafix, the Midnight Trucking Radio Network, Fikes Truck Lines, Ford Trucks, Continental Tire and Detroit Diesel. Factory sales representatives were also in attendance from companies like WingMaster, United Pacific, Grand General, Valley Chrome, Merritt, Bostrom Seating, Accuride Wheels, Jones Performance, Minimizer Fenders and more.
One of the more exciting areas outside was the Freightliner display. At last year’s show, Freightliner unveiled their new Coronado truck, and this year they introduced a new upgrade package for the Coronado from 4 State Trucks and the Chrome Shop Mafia called the Victory Lane Edition. Since Freightliner is the official big rig truck of NASCAR, these special rigs will be operated by over 60 NASCAR teams before the end of 2010! Look for these “racy” looking Coronado’s to also be available at dealerships for retail buyers by early 2011. Along with the Victory Lane Edition Coronado, Freightliner had three other nice trucks at the show.
To try and mention all of the cool trucks that were at this show would be fruitless – it would take several more pages. Simply put, there was tons of incredible iron in JoMo that weekend. Looking at the pictures here, you can see some of our favorites, but the truck that got a lot of attention from the crowd was the latest “full build” from 4 State Trucks – a 1998 Peterbilt 379 called “Disorderly Conduct” owned by Paul Voight. This rig features a wild blue, black and green paint job, a custom Rockwood interior, a 359-style dash, a one-off rear frame cover with “openings” so you can see the painted and lettered driveline below, and something we had never seen before – “see thru” end caps on the fuel tanks! This truck turned a lot of heads.
Saturday was jam-packed with activities, especially for the kids. At noon, the Kids Pedal Tractor Pull began. This event was a blast for both the kids that participated and the adults who watched and cheered them on. The Jasper County FFA ran the entire event. Using two small pedal tractors (a green John Deere and a red Massey Ferguson), boys and girls ages 6-12 took turns dragging a fairly sophisticated “sled” down a 50-foot course. The sled had a sliding weight that caused it to get heavier as the kids pulled it along (just like a real tractor pull). We did not get the names of all the winners, but in the girl’s 8-10 class, there was a real dogfight. Two young girls, Makayla Culver and Chelsea Harper, each completed two full pulls, but on their third try, Makayla finally went further than Chelsea and won the class. It was all pretty exciting and the crowd really got into it.
Throughout the day, over in the Kid’s Zone, there was a coloring contest and a freehand drawing (of a truck) competition. Any kids, ages 6-15, could participate in these events. The winners of the coloring contest were: 6 years and under – 1st Colin Ortiz; 2nd Aiden Rose. 7-10 years old – 1st Julianna Crumpton; 2nd Caleb Coffey. 11-15 years old – 1st Bobbie O’Neil; 2nd Klya Gus. The winners of the truck drawing contest were: 6 years and under – 1st Eli Hernandez; 2nd Madelyn Rutledge. 7-10 years old – 1st Lincoln Martin; 2nd Hadria Heikkila. 11-15 years old – 1st Jeffrey Crumpton; 2nd Matthew Whitaker. Our congratulations go out to all of these awesome kids!
As the sun began to set, it was time to light the bonfires again and then say all the thank yous, give away some prizes and announce all the winners. Truckers held a Poker Run and the winning hand, five aces held by Jerry Kissenger, earned him a Merritt aluminum toolbox and a pair of winter jackets from Lincoln Chrome. Several valuable gift certificates for 4 State Trucks were given away – two for $500, one for $1,000, and a $2,000 certificate, which was won by Bob and Shelly Brinker. Three lucky truckers also received some “10-4 Bucks” ($104 in cash). In addition to the regular classes, a few “fun” awards were also handed out. John Stotlzfus was awarded the “Least Likely to be Caught with a LEGAL Load” award, while Charlie Bates was named as the recipient of the “Most Loyal and Longtime 4 State Customer with a Truck in the Show” award. Bob Wolfe was recognized as the driver in attendance who has held a CDL/Chauffer license the longest (56 years), and Randy and Jona Rebillard were named as the truckers who travelled the furthest to be at the show (from Manitoba, Canada). And the rest of the awards went to:
BEST INTERIOR (2005 & OLDER): Nathan Deacon’s 2005 Peterbilt
BEST INTERIOR (2006 & NEWER): Schulz Transportation’s 2010 Peterbilt
BEST PAINT (2005 & OLDER): Thomas Ivy’s 1986 Peterbilt
BEST PAINT (2006 & NEWER): Jeremy Graves’ 2007 Peterbilt
BEST ANTIQUE: Enid Mack Sales’ 1964 B61
BEST COMPANY TRUCK: Cliff King’s 2007 Peterbilt & Matching Wabash Dry Van
BEST LIGHTS: Marcotte Farms (Mark Fief) 1996 Peterbilt & Polished Tanker
BEST BOBTAIL: Tim Ables’ 2003 Peterbilt
BEST COMBO: Marcotte Farms (Mark Fief) 1996 Peterbilt & Polished Tanker
LARRY H. MARTIN MEMORIAL AWARD: Mr. Bob Mattox of Mound Valley, KS
Immediately following the awards was a four-minute firework spectacular. And these weren’t little cheap fireworks – they were the real deal. Trucker (and apparently fireworks expert) Jerry Kissenger spent over five hours twisting fuses and setting up the entire display, which featured 750 shots! Great job, Jerry – it was an awesome show! As soon as the fireworks ended, Matt Coleman and his band took the stage for a two-hour set of modern country music to close out the event. And before we knew it, the 2010 Guilty By Association Truck Show & Customer Expo was over. Time sure does fly when you’re having fun! Thanks to all our friends in JoMo – we can’t wait to see you all again next year.