The first show of the year is always exciting, but after 2020, the year of no shows, this first one brought about a whole new level of excitement. Add to that the fact that this was a first-ever event, and you could feel the buzz in the air. Sikeston, MO, known for Lamberts, home of throwed rolls, is a small town located about an hour and a half south of St. Louis on I-55. Starting this year, it also became home to the Swampeast Missouri Truck Show, held on April 16-17, and hosted by Tw McDermott, Kyla Evans, Brian Blissitt, Jason Babb and Ryan Snow.
Trucks began to fill the parking lot at the Sikeston Outlet Mall Friday morning. Later in the day, the trucks began to line up for the convoy that would go through downtown Sikeston, across Hwy. 60 to Charleston, and then up I-55 back to the Outlet Mall on Friday night. Following the convoy, they played the “Smoky and the Bandit” movie on an inflatable screen for anyone who wanted to watch. It was cool.
Saturday morning brought about some pretty chilly temperatures, but the parking lot was packed! Not only were there almost 50 trucks, but there were plenty of spectators walking around, as well. That afternoon items were raffled off from Peterbilt of Sikeston and awards were given out. One of the crowd favorites was Rooster Davis with the “Wee Pete” mini Peterbilt go cart. “The main goal of the show was to introduce our industry to one another. To let them see some of the guys and gals we read about on social media. We think it went really well. Some of the folks here were trucking famous,” said Tw McDermott.
Proceeds from the show were donated to The Kenny Rogers Children’s Center. Kyla and Tw presented the center with a check for $1,500. Through the show, The Shriners were also able to set up and sell food, raising an additional $1,200 for Shriners Hospital. The Kenny Rogers Children’s Center (KRCC) is a one-of-a-kind, state of the art facility located in the heart of Sikeston. The center provides therapy services to children throughout Southeast Missouri at no charge to the families served. Currently they are serving more than 350 children with special needs, from birth to 21 years of age.
The KRCC is a special place for my own family as my youngest daughter, Jolie, who was recently diagnosed with Autism, has received therapies since she was four months old. Last summer, with everything closed down due to COVID-19, Jolie was still able to receive services at KRCC. In the short time she was there, she was able to make leaps and bounds, thanks to the amazing therapists at the center.
Kyla, one of the show hosts and the wife of a truck driver, said, “We just really like shows and wanted to do our thing. Next year we’d like to add more trucks, get more of the local trucking companies involved, get more vendors, more sponsors, and add more for the kids. Sikeston has never had anything like this, and we’re really excited about the turnout.” Next year’s dates have already been set! Mark your calendar for April 22-23, 2022!
And the winners were… Best of Show Paint: Theresa DeSantis; Runner Up: Kevin Stanfill. Best of Show Lights: Randy Victory; Runner Up: Brandon Davis. Best of Show Combination: Nolan Henderson; Runner Up: Terry Aslinger. Best of Show Classic Truck: Mike Britton; Runner Up: Dave Mondy. Best of Show Cabover: Matt Neblock; Runner Up: Matt Fouts. Best of Show Heavy Haul: Brian Parker; Runner Up: John Thompson Kranawetter. Best of Show Dump Truck: Ben Easter; Runner Up: Gibson Trucking. Best of Show Overall: Tony Huttenstine; Runner Up: Matt Neblock. Congratulations!!