Every year, Paul Riggle and Sons has a show at their yard in Apollo, PA. Held mainly as a gathering to raise funds for local charities, the show is also held as a way to show appreciation to their drivers and their families, as well. This year, the event was held on a beautiful day, on June 3rd. With temperatures in the mid-seventies and clear skies, the weather was much better than last year, which had the threat of rain and clouds for most of the day. In addition to the sweet big rigs, a lot of people brought out their cool motorcycles, which included some very impressive bikes, baggers and choppers.
I covered this event last year and couldn’t wait for the next year’s show to arrive – and I was not disappointed, at all. There were more trucks this year than last (probably thanks to the weather) and a few different ones that I had never seen before, too. A lot of people think California has the nicest rides in the country, but the rigs from Pennsylvania will give them a run for their money!
I arrived at the event hungry, and quickly found two food vendors at the show – problem solved. After eating, it was time to walk around the show and see what was there. Hearing some loud music, I was thinking someone had a great sound system in their ride, but nope, they had a DJ on-site that was
playing a great mix of country and rock and roll tunes all day.
This show is a non-judged event, so there is no pressure or politics for trophies or other awards. A tractor that caught my eye was a red 2017 Pete 389 tri-axle owned by Ligonier Trucking of Laughlintown, PA. Fresh from the shop with only 200 miles on it, this rig featured plenty of custom fabrication done by Kevin Montgomery of Morocco Welding – this guy is a great welder with some awesome fabrication skills. A second truck that got my attention was an orange Peterbilt 389 tri-axle straight truck, which had some unique fabricating done on it by Kevin, as well. I look forward to seeing more of this guy’s work in the future.
A couple other standout rigs at the show included John Savoy’s orange 1987 Diamond Reo – which was bought as a glider kit but never built – which now has a KTA Cummins in it, Robert Keffer’s 1992 red and white Kenworth K100E with a matching reefer trailer, and various neat old A-model Kenworths and classic Peterbilt 359s.
It was a great time to catch-up with old friends, make some new ones, talk about life on the road, and share about all the unique rigs we saw at the ATHS national show, recently held in Des Moines, Iowa. If you are in the area next year, stop by and check out this show… you will not be disappointed!