Next month, you may hear a rumbling on the streets of Clarion. It won’t be thunder. Rather, it will be the return of an exciting community event: The Pride in the Heartland Truck Show. After a year off, the show is back for its fourth year and hopes to be bigger than ever. The show is also keeping up their good will tradition as all profits will be donated to the Clarion Fire Department.
The truck show will take place over Saturday and Sunday, July 24 – 25. The main sponsors and organizers are again Ennis Corp. and Fuel Coal-fired Pizza. Over the weekend, the event to be held on Main Street in Clarion will feature multiple fun activities.
There of course is the truck show! Melinda Anderson of Ennis Corp. noted that the show will have a variety of entry categories that truckers from both near and far are invited to participate in. These will include a People’s Choice Award and the Best Local Boy. Liz Ennis added that they hope to see even more local truckers participate this year since they know there are some impressive rigs in the area.
Besides the show, the streets will be buzzing with many other activities. Saturday morning the fire department is organizing a bags tournament, sponsored by Fuel and Deschutes Brewery. A live band and street dance will take place that evening featuring the band Burning Sensation. The streets will also be lit up with the truck light show.
Sunday, Fuel will serve breakfast and the sounds of Mojo Productions’ DJs will be rocking the street all day. A scavenger hunt for kids is also planned. Anderson noted that the Iowa Motor Truck Association driving simulator will also be on-hand so people can test their truck-driving skills. A live and silent auction are again planned throughout the weekend.
The Ennis organizers also teased a fun new event that will help raise funds. Some local celebrities will take a pie in the face for the worthwhile cause. That event will be a must-see!
Anderson and Ennis said that the event will be a great way to highlight the trucking industry while helping a local cause. This is especially important given the events of the last year. “When other businesses were working from home or closed during the pandemic, truckers were out there delivering what we needed,” said Ennis. Anderson added, “Drivers deserve recognition and thanks daily. That industry is vital to a small town.”
The organizers are also excited to be able to help the local fire department again. The owners of Fuel, Curt and Kammy Nelson, noted that that cause is near and dear to their hearts. They emphasized, “Support for our small town fire departments is essential to all. With our house fire a few years back, the volunteer firefighters where there so fast, responding and getting it under control before further damage could be done to the neighborhood. You never think it would happen to you. But we all need these great people to keep volunteering and everyone else in the community to support them!”
Pat McCormick, the Clarion Fire Chief, is looking forward to the truck show as well and appreciates the efforts of the sponsors, especially as the department works to build a new fire station. “The truck show is our largest fundraiser of the year,” said McCormick. (The 2019 show raised over $11,000 for the department!) “Things like this are important because we are a volunteer crew. We have been able to buy a lot of equipment with truck show funds. And now with a new station in the works, we really will be able to put any funds to use.”
The fire chief, as well as the truck show organizers, also emphasized that this will be a great event for the community as we return to normal. McCormick said, “I think people are looking for a reason to get back out and do things.” Anderson added, “This event is a great way to showcase our entire community.”
The Ennis organizers encourage people, businesses and organizations to contact them if they would like to get involved in the truck show. There is still time to add events to the schedule! Ennis is also excited to have already raised over $8,300 and are looking forward to collecting even more before the truck show even happens.
See Ennis Corp’s and Fuel’s Facebook pages for more information in the next month about the truck show, as well as an ad in the Monitor.
