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Well, where do I start? I could tell you I didn't believe all the hype about Greenville's "Showfest." I could tell you I didn't believe that the cops and Mayor of the city didn't mind having a constant drag session on a four-lane road. I could even say that there's no way a small town like that could draw that many people from all over. Once you go, you'll believe. Just like I do. As we approached Greenville, Mississippi, I can't say I didn't have some things on my mind. First, we were staying at the same hotel as a club I used to belong to and I figured there might be some tension. Second, I didn't really know what to expect since this was our first year attending the show. Most of my tension would soon be thrown out the window. After living through the monsoon that seemed to have lasted the last 60 miles of the trip, we arrived at the hotel safely. Right off the bat, we ran into a good size group of people waiting to get rooms, most of who were members of my former club. Showing good character, though, they greeted me as a friend and like nothing had ever happened. In fact, over the course of the weekend, I managed to rekindle most of the friendships I had with those people. Back to the beginning of the story. This big group of people had been waiting to get their rooms since like 6 A.M., and it was almost 3 P.M. Go figure why some of them seemed a little irritated. With our key in hand and most of my worries gone, we headed to our room to get settled. From this point on the weekend only got better. Less than five minutes goes by and we get a call from Magnet. For those that don't know Magnet, he's an NC member from Florida who's new claim to fame is that not only did he ride the short bus to school, but that his mother owns it. Okay so maybe his Mom doesn't own the short bus, but to see him wear his shirt with pride, you'd bet the farm that she did. With the usual "What's been going on?" and "How've you been?" out of the way, we headed with Magnet and his buddies to check out the hotel parking lots. Every MiniTrucker knows that's where you size up the competition. Like we expected the two parking lots we trekked through had some very cool rides in them, with even more cruising the strip and parked at other hotels. Six hours in a truck with only junk food will tend to leave you a bit hungry. Feeling famished, we decided it was time to get our grub on. Ever notice if one trucker is hungry they ask their buddy to go eat, who in turn asks his buddy, and so on. By the time we finally got to Anna Casey's, we were a party of at least 30 and hungry. At this point it's important for you to know that the water in Greenville, Mississippi has a brown tent to it. If you like water, make sure you ask for bottled. Dinner like this is always a memorable event and this one had its share of laughs and stories.
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With dinner out of the way, it was time to check out the happenings on the strip. Bill Carlton got things off to a good start as soon as he left our dinner party. Ever see a crew cab dually do a full 360 burnout in the middle of the road, then take off leaving a trail of sparks? I have and it was COOL. Standing on either side of the road you could see the camera's flashing and video tapes rolling as the sparks lit up the night. You like burnouts? There were plenty of them being done as well. Late into the night, it finally died off some, but you've got to remember we're still talking about Friday night. Two days of show action still remained. Friday night I also got to meet up with some people I've mentioned in past articles. For those of you that remember my friend Kyle AKA "Speedbump" this part should be a little humorous to you. "Speedbump" introduced me to a club mate of his they've nicknamed "Speedbump Jr." which I found extremely funny. Hey, don't get me wrong they're good people. Let's face it though, when you let a guy named "Speedbump" who pierced his own equipment, pierce your equipment, you're bound to end up being called "Speedbump Jr." It's almost unavoidable. "Speedbump" also introduced me to his girlfriend who they've nicknamed "Headlights." You can pretty much figure that one out. They make a good couple though. Saturday morning we finally got to bed only to wake two hours later to begin the SAME day again. Showered and hungry we headed to the car wash to wait in line for a stall to wash the dually in. Did I mention it was freezing? It was now 6:30 A.M. and COLD. I quickly half-assed sprayed down the dually getting the road grime, dirt, and bug guts off. Now soaked and still freezing we trekked down the street to K-Mart. At 8 A.M. when K-Mart finally opened it was a mad dash of truckers who cleaned out the automotive area, as well as the jacket display. A little warmer we headed to the show. The rest of Saturday was your normal truck show Saturday with cleaning and lots of hanging out. The competition lived up to the hype with some good quality rides in attendance. As the sun started to set, it was time to repeat Friday nights events. Sunday was pretty much like any Sunday at a show. Took some pictures, hung out with friends, and waited for awards. With the good also comes the bad. Saturday night as the Mayor's son returned from a party in nearby Arkansas, he was fatally injured in a car accident. Being that the Mayor is a supporter of the show, the host club took some time on Sunday to say a few words, and express their thoughts. Finally, at the end of the day, the awards were handed out, and we headed back to the hotel.
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