10-4 Magazine August 2022

10-4 Magazine / August 2022 77 to say there are still good people in this world and here is one of them, walking the walk of true old school. Kenworth also provided four 12-passenger vans for the drivers to use for running errands or going to get food. They were really nice vans, and very much appreciated, since we were a few miles from town. We made many new friends at this show, but a couple that stand out for me are Dave Robinson, the former Kenworth employee who had a big hand in making this show happen, and Don Preston, from Minatare, Nebraska, who was there with his son Reginald. Don makes the most amazing metal works with the Kenworth logos, in many designs, and he has a lot of old Kenworth ads in a notebook. He was so generous, he gifted everyone a Kenworth key chain that has what I think is a unique and special design. On Friday, we went in groups to the Kenworth plant, where we were served lunch and got a tour of the facility. Some of the drivers in attendance got to see first-hand where their truck was built, and John was one of those drivers. It was awesome to see all the automation in the plant, and the one thing we kept hearing was how happy the employees were about working there. At the end of our guided tour, we were able to go to the Kenworth store and get a few souvenirs to remember the day. For dinner that night, Kenworth had a barbecue at the fairgrounds with pork chops, chicken, green beans, and baked potatoes. Good food and good times. After we ate, Tom had equipment set up to play “Smokey and the Bandit” on the side of a trailer after the sun went down. It was a beautiful night with a great old trucking movie and, of course, a Kenworth was the star of the film. Saturday was finally showtime! This was what we were all here for – so the KW employees could walk around, see the trucks, and talk to the drivers. The setting around the plant for the truck parking was awesome. The combos were in an employee parking lot, some bobtails were parked near the building under the big Kenworth logo, and some bobtails were on the road along a pond near another Kenworth sign, which is on the road. The Kenworth Chillicothe plant, which opened in 1974, is located on a 120-acre site and features a 622,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art, facility. The interaction with employees was fun, and it was so nice to chat with a few of them. Retired employee Susan Brown was working on the sleeper line, installing upholstery and wiring, and this is where she met her husband, Raymond. Sadly, he recently passed away but she, like all retired employees, are always welcome at the company fun day. We got pictures of her next to John’s truck holding the centerfold from his 10-4 cover. What a sweet little lady she is! Talking to Kelly Hocker, he told us that he moved to Chillicothe specifically so he could work at Kenworth and is so glad he did. He only wished that he had moved there sooner. When the company event was over at 2:00 pm, we were all able to take a picture of our truck under the Kenworth sign. Our friend Kuenn McClinton put a lot of work into getting each of the trucks set up for their photo. After the pictures, it was time to line up so we could all strut our stuff for everyone along the parade route anticipating our arrival. At one point along the route, an announcer gave some information about each truck (year, make, and model) and who the owner was. We then went around the block and, on the other side, in the VIP area, we were announced again and got a picture taken under the historic Majestic sign that spans the street for the theater of the same name. The name was so appropriate for the trucks stopping there for pictures, and the trucks were the ones making history this weekend. Jack told us that all the employees loved being able to see the trucks and talk with the drivers. The show they had