10-4 Magazine October 2021

10-4 Magazine / October 2021 63 It was a pretty laid-back day, as trucks were starting to roll in, with many having the idea of trying to miss the rain that had come in over Wednesday night and more that came in late morning on Thursday. Some of the vendors arrived on Thursday including Troy Huddleston and Josh Foster with RoadWorks, who got “Night Moves” parked and settled in for the show, as well as SethWedgeworth of The Chrome Shack out of Poplarville, MS who brought in not only all their merchandise to set up their booth, but also two of their Peterbilt 379s. The fun really began Friday as trucks from all over came in, including plenty of the local trucks from Mississippi and Louisiana, as well as David and Connie McKinney, who brought out their white and blue “Part Time” 2016 Peterbilt 389 from Alabama. Brubaker Trucking out of Iowa brought their newly built “Mostly For The Money” Peterbilt, McDannell Trucking out of Sycamore, OH brought their orange Peterbilt, and Bubba and Krystal Branch from Florida brought their bright red “Just A Phase” Kenworth, just to name a few. It was cool to see all the trucks rolling into the building and getting parked. With a tremendous outpouring of support by those who’ve been coming to this event every year, there were also a lot of first timers, who decided to finally come out and see what this show is all about. The last of the trucks to come into the building on Friday were wet from the pouring rain that came in that day. Saturday seemed to have come and went in the blink of an eye. I was able to take photos without much foot traffic first thing in the morning, but by around 10:00 AM, plenty of spectators were on-site to see all the beautiful trucks in attendance. Everyone also enjoyed the indoor light show, which didn’t need to wait until it was dark to start, and then Tony Justice took the stage to keep everyone entertained. Following Tony’s act was the awards ceremony, with all the trophies sponsored by Diesel Freak out of Michigan. The awards ceremony was done very efficiently so preparations could begin for the Chrome on the Coast truck convoy. The convoy started later than initially planned, but went very smooth, with the help of local law enforcement leading and trailing the lineup of trucks. By the time the trucks circled back around to make their way back to the coliseum, it was completely dark out, which made for a cool sight, with all the trucks lit-up and out on the streets! This particular show always leaves lasting impressions on people who say things like “everyone is so nice” and “I felt so welcome” and “I won’t be missing this show anymore.” These are the kinds of shows I love attending, because you are either meeting up with old friends or meeting new ones that don’t really feel new at all. All the people who put this show together continue to learn and grow every year. These coordinators work really hard and strive to improve the show and make it bigger and better than the previous year. Special thanks from the show to all of the volunteers, registrants, spectators, vendors and sponsors for their support and help to make each show more successful than the previous. As with each of the Gulf Coast Big Rig Truck Shows, proceeds benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, and this show promises to continue providing a great truck show atmosphere for all, while raising as much money for the cause as possible. With 78 trucks in attendance, this year’s show more than doubled the number of trucks from their 2019 show and filled the venue to capacity (they couldn’t fit another truck if they wanted to), making this show the biggest and best ever. Mark your calendars for next year’s event, slated for July 15-16, 2022. As always, to all the drivers out there doing the deal, truck safe. n