10-4 Magazine October 2022

Truck Show Report: By Daniel J. Linss In addition to the many shows we cover, a few times a year we at 10-4 stretch our legs a bit and travel to an event or area we have never been just to check it out. This year we ventured into the heart of America – Nebraska – for the 3rd Annual Midwest Classic Truck Show. Held on July 22-23, 2022, at the Burt County Fairgrounds in Oakland, NE, we enjoyed our time in this small town, in the middle of nowhere, with a long Swedish history, that just happens to be the Swedish capital of Nebraska. The Aron Arlington family arrived as the area’s first Euroamerican settlers in 1857. Norwegian John Oak and his wife Inger came to the area in 1866 and, as other settlers arrived, the Oak family provided them shelter and assistance filing homestead claims. In 1868, John Anderson petitioned the Burt County Supervisors to honor Oak by naming the town Oakland. John Oak died in 1875, and then Oakland was officially incorporated on April 13, 1881. To this day, Oakland still has a heavy Swedish influence, especially in and around the old downtown area of the city. This was the first time the event was held in Oakland, as the previous two years were held at Raceway Park of the Midlands in Pacific Junction, Iowa, about 30 minutes south of Omaha, NE. After outgrowing that location, show founder Brock Gadberry and his team decided to move it the Burt County Fairgrounds in Oakland, NE. This move was welcomed by show attendees, and because of that, it grew even larger this year. We arrived in Omaha on Friday afternoon after a long day of traveling from California. After picking up our rental car and making a quick stop at Costco to get “supplies” for the week, we headed toward the show, which was about an hour north of Omaha. Arriving at the show in the late afternoon, being our first time in Nebraska, we found a nice collection of trucks we had never seen before. There were just shy of 100 trucks parked on the grass, with bobtails in one area and combos in another. As we braved the high heat and humidity, we were happy when the sun finally set and the temperature fell to a much more pleasant level (but it was still hot). After the sun went down, the trucks began firing up their lights. It was quite the spectacle, and we are sure the glow coming from the fairgrounds could be seen from space! As the night came to a close, it ended with an amazing firework show that lasted at least ten full minutes. Seriously, this was a professional grade display that went on for a long time! It was a great way to close out the day. A pancake breakfast was prepared and provided by EZ Pete Interiors for anyone who was hungry on Saturday morning, and then lunch, consisting of pulled pork sandwiches and all the sides, was provided by the Oakland Express Truck Stop across the street from the 70 10-4 Magazine / October 2022 A MIDWEST CLASSIC