10-4 Magazine / March 2025 27 For the participants, trophies were an important part of the show. Besides the Mid-America Trucking Show, the Waupun truck show handed out the most awards for all the events I’ve attended. There were so many trophies, they almost filled up an entire flatbed trailer! At one point, there were roughly 395 award categories. In the beginning, plaques were handed out for the award winners of each class, but eventually the switch was made from plaques to trophies. Over its 35-year history, three different companies provided plaques and trophies for the event. Two special awards were created for the truck show. The first was the Memorial Trophy. This was a trophy created and awarded in memory of a special person who was a driver or owner that participated in this event. The second special award was the Kid’s Choice Award. Several selected children attending the truck show, along with our beloved 10-4 Magazine team member Kim Jaikes, would scour the show field and pick their favorite truck. These desired awards were presented at the Saturday afternoon awards ceremony. There were many “Hall of Fame” sponsors, as well, that contributed to the event’s success over the years. Some of these major sponsors were AMCAN Truck Parts, Big Rig Chrome Shop, Brakebush, 4 State Trucks, Homer’s Towing, JX Enterprises, J&J Trucking, Jones Performance Products, Smedema Trucking, Time 2 Shine, Quad Graphics, Skinner Trucking, Wisconsin Kenworth, TTI/Blu Leasing, and Truck Country. A big “high five” goes out to all of these longtime show supporters! Many accomplishments were made from this event, including contributing to charitable organizations, driver and owner involvement in every show, the development of both personal and professional lifetime friendships and partnerships, and major financial benefit to the businesses in and around Waupun. Over the 35 years of this truck show, millions of dollars were taken in, and its ending is a very big financial loss to these communities. One of the key characteristics of a “Hall of Fame” truck show is the staff of people who made it happen and the time they invested in planning, organizing, and executing the show. A very special thanks and recognition to the following “Hall of Fame” team members: Lola Milner (33 years); Duey VandeZande (33 years); Steve and Judy Schaalma (32 years); Nancy Kutschenreuter (28 years); Tom Loveless (26 years); Brenda Douma (20 years); Jeff Kreuizenger (15 years); Peggy and Jeff Bolstad (15 years); Terry Beine (15 years); Scott Tofteland (10 years); and Carrie Sackett (10 years). In addition, a very special “Thank You” to all the volunteers and judges who contributed their time, expertise, and effort to each show, along with the City of Waupun, for allowing the truck show team to put on this amazing event for all those years! On a personal level, I’ve attended many truck shows as an attendee and participant, and more recently, as a 10-4 representative. Over the past few years, I have provided truck show support and written many reports for the magazine, but Waupun was the last truck show event I attended with my parents before their passing, so it was special to me. I’ve developed many personal friendships and professional relationships because of this show and would like to say a very sincere “Thank You” to the Waupun Truck-N-Show team for always making me feel welcome. It was a truly “Hall of Fame” show, with “Hall of Fame” people, that created “Hall of Fame” memories for so many of us over the years. We will sincerely miss this legendary August event! n
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