10-4 Magazine August 2024

34 10-4 Magazine / August 2024 owners and drivers were cleaning their trucks and polishing them, getting them ready for Saturday’s June 15th events, which included Kenworth Family Day at the plant and the truck parade through Chillicothe. On Friday, June 14th, a lot of the owners and drivers, along with their families, were invited to take a tour of the factory and check out the Kenworth merchandise store. Kenworth offered lunch at the plant before the tour began. Towards the late afternoon, Kenworth had a dinner for those who were invited (all the trucks in attendance were invited to come), and after that was the awards ceremony, where everyone received a personalized plaque and a goodie bag. During the awards, recognition was given to Dan Murphy. Dan was hired days after the plant opened and started building trucks. He is a well-known and respected plant employee who started as a Production Specialist, then later got promoted to Section Supervisor, and then served as a Liaison Engineer until his retirement in May of this year. Dan rode as a special passenger in the lead truck at the parade, a 1923 Kenworth, and served as the Grand Marshal of the parade. Congratulations to Dan from all of us here at 10-4 Magazine! The highlight of this show is the truck parade through Chillicothe. The diversity of the trucks involved helps to keep the event fresh and show all the various styles of trucks that Kenworth has built over the past 101 years. This year there were 62 trucks from 20 states, along with a few trucks from Canada, in the parade. The parade started at 8:45 PM, which was planned so the crowd could see the trucks with their lights on, as well. The last truck in the parade was the wrapped rig, for the 50th anniversary, pulling a flatbed trailer with a full stage setup. Mantz Brothers, a high energy country group from Nashville, played live music on the flatbed as the combo rolled down the parade route. Besides a light shower on Friday night, the weather was great the entire weekend. The temperatures were in the mid-80s with some humidity, but it was nice and pleasant. It was great seeing old friends, and meeting new ones, as well. I had the pleasure of meeting Mark Harter, who is a newer member of the 10-4 family of contributors. This show is an “invitation only” event to bring your truck or attend the party at the plant, but you don’t need an invitation to attend the downtown parade, which is growing every year. Hats off to Kenworth and the city for a job well done. Most towns don’t love trucks, but Chillicothe, Ohio, sure does love Kenworth! n