10-4 Magazine December 2021

10-4 Magazine / December 2021 33 the impact that donations have on the children and their families. After her very informative speech, Mitchell spoke of the upcoming convoy and explained how auctioning off the spots would go. A friend of Mitchell’s, E.B. Harris, who is an auctioneer, came on board for this exciting moment to see how much this part of the show could raise. The first nine spots of the convoy had the option to go as a combo or a bobtail. The show, for the top 26 convoy spots auctioned, raised a whopping $127,200. It was amazing to witness, and I found myself having tears rolling down my cheeks when spot number one went for $20,000 to PDI, the second spot for $16,500 from HaterMade, and the third spot for $16,000, which was won by Bill Rethwisch. This was hands down the coolest thing to witness. Awesome folks from the industry coming together for the good of the cause. In addition to the convoy spots, other items were also auctioned off to raise even more. The convoy left at 6:00 PM, and the trucks had an approximately 32-mile scenic drive around and through most of downtown Mt. Airy. A total of 161 trucks participated in the convoy. The trucks returning to the grounds were a sight to see, since it was already dark, and all of them came rolling back to the grounds with their lights on. Trucks were re-parked in record-breaking time. The first day of the show was finished off with a light show that spectators and registrants alike really enjoyed. The show resumed on Saturday at 8:00 AM and show-goers were already coming in. The Top Notch 10 and Fine Nice award recipients had already been picked, and Chris Fiffie and I drove around the lot to locate them and get photos of the Top Notch 10. Photos were needed because the plaques had plexiglass for a 10x8 photo of each truck. After the pictures were taken, I sent them off to be developed, picked them up around 11:30 AM, placed each photo in the plaques, and by the time I finished there was little time in between getting the plaques to the stage and the actual awards ceremony beginning.