Truckers from across the country are gathered in Walcott this weekend. It’s the thirty seventh annual Trucker’s Jamboree.
“It’s a big industry, it’s how we get a lot of our products and things delivered logistically and so it’s kind of interesting,” said Brooke Miller, who stopped by the Jamboree with her husband and children.
The Trucker’s Jamboree started in the 70s as a celebration of everything truck drivers do. Heather Debaillie is the marketing manager of the Iowa 80 Truckstop. She says as the truck stop has gotten bigger, so has the jamboree.
‘It’s just a way that we can say thank you. Thank you for hauling America’s freight. Thank you for being our customer, thank you for being willing to do that work,” Debaille said.
The event has grown to a crowd of more than 40 thousand a year, and it benefits more than just the truck drivers. Dozens of vendors have their shops set up at the jamboree.
“It just gets our name out there. We cater to all kinds of communities: Off-roading, trucking… We like to keep people safe on the road while they’re doing their job, so we make sure that everybody knows exactly what they’re doing around them,” said Eric Gibson, a Quake LED Salesperson.
Also at the jamboree: A super truck beauty contest. One truck that catches a lot of glances is the Ride of Pride truck. There’s a new one every year, and it goes to truck shows as a rolling tribute to our military.
“They’ll be coming down the row and just stop in their tracks and start staring at it. A lot of them, it brings up personal memories for a lot of them, and it’s very touching. It affects everybody,” said truck driver Jon Ritscher, who drives the Ride of Pride Truck to different locations.
The Trucker’s Jamboree runs through Saturday.
