Truck Show Report: By Eric Hill When the phrase “Hall of Fame” is mentioned, what comes to mind is something related to sports. You might think of Hall of Fame football player Bart Starr, or baseball’s Hank Aaron, or basketball’s Michael Jordan. Arguably, the greatest of all time in their respective professions. Thesaurus defines Hall of Fame as individuals carefully selected as the best in their class. I don’t believe there is a “Hall of Fame” for truck shows, but if there was, I would bet a $100 that the Waupun Truck-N-Show would be a perfect candidate. After 35 successful years, this truck show was retired on August 11, 2024. The last event was appropriately titled the “Waupun Truck-N-Show Last Ride” with over 600 trucks in attendance. In December 2024, the truck show team assembled at the Waupun Rock Golf Club one final time to celebrate the 35 years of hard work that made this truck show such a huge success. I had the privilege to attend this event, and many memories were shared, tears were shed, and hugs were given. It was a fitting send-off into the history books for the Waupun Truck-N-Show. What makes a “Hall of Fame” event? First, it’s longevity. There are only a handful of major truck shows that have been in existence for longer (MATS and TFK come to mind). The origin of this show began in 1989 in a discussion between Alton Asmus, Don Schultz, Steve Wendt, John Williamson, and Ron VandeZande. Steve Wendt suggested the idea over burgers after attending a truck show in Green Bay, WI. Their goal was to start a truck show in Waupun, that local drivers and truck owners would actively participate in, with a goal of raising donations to benefit some local charities. The idea was agreed upon unanimously and they proceeded with making the show a reality. Ron VandeZande was elected as the first President to lead the team. The early shows were held in the town center of Waupun on Madison Street. The first one-day truck show took place on August 4, 1990. As the truck show grew, it necessitated a move to the Main Street Waupun Community Center, on the northeast side of Waupun. It also required the creation of committees with a designated committee chairperson. At its peak, there were 22 committees and 50 people involved in the organizing, planning, and executing of the event. Over its 35-year span, the show would vary in size from 300-600 trucks. Because of health issues in 2019, Ron VandeZande was forced to step down as the first President of the show. Sadly, Ron passed away in December of 2021 at 78 years old. That same year another member of the original group, Steve Wendt, also passed away. Duey VandeZande was elected as the next President for the final six years of the 26 10-4 Magazine / March 2025 truck show. Other key team members included Nancy Kutschenreuter, who managed registration for 28 years, and over the last five years, she served as Vice President. Lola Milner assisted Nancy with registration and was also responsible for ordering and selling Waupun show apparel for 32 years. Besides the goal of having a “Hall of Fame” worthy event, the most important objective was raising money for two major charitable organizations – the Make-a-Wish Foundation and Special Olympics. There were other charitable organizations that got donations, but those two were the largest. In 35 years, the show donated well over $1 million in contributions from all the participants, sponsors, and attendees, that benefited many families. Here is a breakdown for each charity: Make-a-Wish (2004-2024) $687,000; Special Olympics (35 years) $385,000; Reach Waupun $57,000; and Waupun Animal Shelter (2023) $5,000. The donations of this sizeable amount cannot be overstated enough, and they will now unfortunately be missed. A “HALL OF FAME” SHOW
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