10-4 Magazine December 2021

Truck Show Report: By Stephanie Haas Bubba Branch and Mike Manuel. The truck parking had already started before Thursday even hit! From I-77, you couldn’t miss the big light boards announcing the show, or Don Wood’s truck stretched out on top of the hill. Everything was in high gear as soon as the sun came up Friday morning. Trucks were non-stop coming in. Every truck was amazing, and everyone was so happy to attend. Trucker friends from all over came to the show, along with trucks I hadn’t ever seen before. Many vendors set up, including Lance from PDI, Troy Huddleston of RoadWorks brought their “Night Moves” combo, Tony Justice was on site in preparation for his concert on Saturday, Ralph from Hot Rig Apparel, Diesel Life had a tent, and so did Lincoln Chrome. Hungry? There were plenty of options to choose from including Mr. People Feeder, Chick-fil-A of Mt. Airy, White Elephant, BJs Fry Shack and 13 Bones Restaurant. The grounds opened to the public at noon, with anticipation for the big convoy that evening. Mid-afternoon, Brenner Children’s representative, Angel Mitchell, who is their Collaborative Care Manager for Brenner Palliative Care, took the stage to speak about the children’s hospital and Truck shows happen all across the country and abroad, with new shows popping up all the time. Charity events are very popular within the trucking industry and are always supported by those we see out on the road, as well as those behind the scenes who attend the shows as either spectators, vendors or even volunteers. 2021 marked the start of several new truck shows, but one in particular has set the bar to new heights with only a short five months to pull it off. The first annual Mayberry Truck Show in Mt Airy, NC started with a bang and quickly became the show everyone was talking about. The outpouring of support, trucks in attendance, and the monumental amount raised for Brenner Children’s Hospital in Winston-Salem, NC made this show not only amazing, but a truly historical event. For those who don’t know, Mt. Airy, NC was the childhood home of Andy Griffith from The Andy Griffith Show, and this city became the inspiration for the show’s town of Mayberry. Those who take the time to visit Mt. Airy will see places to visit which include the name Mayberry, as well as attractions to take you back to simpler times, with recollections of the TV show, as well. Mitchell Bottomley knew he wanted the show to have Mayberry in the name and, for simplicity’s sake and a name that would be very easy to remember, the Mayberry Truck Show was born. Preliminary talks about the show had happened between several people within the industry along with hosts Mitchell and DeAnna Bottomley. By the end of May (2021) it was go-time, and help was enlisted to move mountains, so-to-speak, with sights set on a huge turnout and meeting (or exceeding) a goal of $250,000 raised to donate to the children’s hospital. There wasn’t just one person with a hand in making this show possible. Mitchell had a vision and the facility to do what no other trucking company had done, and he had the fierce determination to succeed. Driving straight from the 4 State Trucks Guilty By Association Truck Show in Joplin, MO to attend the show, being held on Friday, October 1st and Saturday, October 2nd, because I wanted to be there early to not only see the trucks coming in, but also to help where it was needed. Bel-Vue Trophy in Mt. Airy took care of the plaques for the show, which were the Top Notch 10, sponsored by Diesel Addict Photos, and the Fine Nine. I went to pick up the plaques Wednesday morning, September 29th, and trucks had already started rolling onto the show grounds. Bottomley Enterprises opened up their shop for trucks to get polished by Evan’s Detailing and Polishing, which included the Nebraska franchise, as well as Pieter Williams’ crew from Almost Chrome. Along with the opening of the shop, the company’s wash bay was also free to use for show registrants if they needed it, which was a cool amenity to have access to. Early arrivals for the show included Jimmy Ganski, Don Wood, Rob Hallahan, Jacob Bonham, 32 10-4 Magazine / December 2021 HISTORICAL EVENT