Virtual Walcott Truckers Jamboree Revs Up in July
After 40 years of drawing crowds to Walcott, Iowa, off I-80, the annual Truckers Jamboreee will be virtual this July 9-11, including an online Antique Truck Show; Super Truck Beauty Contest; Trucker’s Best Friend Pet Contest and free meals for drivers.
“The good news is we will most definitely continue with our long-standing tradition of Celebrating America’s Truckers,” Heather DeBaillie, Vice President of Marketing for the Iowa 80 Truckstop, said in a recent release. “While we can’t host 45,000 people at Iowa 80 to celebrate, we will take the Jamboree virtual and still celebrate the important job of the professional driver.”
The Antique Truck Display will move online for this year with a slideshow of all who want to provide photos and information about their antique trucks. Likewise, this year’s Super Truck Beauty Contest will also be a virtual event. Drivers will have the opportunity to enter online, choose competitive categories, submit photos and the public will vote on their favorites. Winners will be announced on July 11th and they’ll receive their trophies.
The same goes for the Trucker’s Best Friend Pet Contest. Drivers are encouraged to register their pet and submit the requested photos or video to compete. Entries will be voted on and prizes will be awarded for Best Dressed, Owner Look-alike and Best Trick.
Registration for all competitions has an entry deadline of June 30.
The Iowa 80 Trucking Museum will also celebrate the 100th birthday of its 1920 GMC with a video event to be posted on the museum’s Facebook page on Friday, July 10th. The truck will still be featured in the lobby of the museum for visitors who would like to see it in person.
All CDL professional driver customers visiting Iowa 80 on July 9-11 can receive a free meal in the Iowa 80 Kitchen restaurant. Meal certificates will be available during those three days at the Fuel Center, Service Center, Truckomat Truck Wash and Super Truck Showroom.
“We want drivers to know how much we appreciate the hard work they do. This certainly isn’t the way we thought our 41st Jamboree would play out, but we care about drivers and their families and we still want to celebrate them,” said Delia Moon Meier, Iowa 80 Senior Vice President. “We truly hope everyone understands and we hope that you will join us in spirit and online July 9-11 in celebration of trucking. We look forward to seeing everyone in person in 2021.”
The Jamboree Program will be printed and available at Iowa 80 Group locations starting late June. All concerts are being rescheduled for 2021. More details and a schedule of online events can be found at truckersjamboree.com.
Since its inception in 1979, the Truckers Jamboree has been celebrating America’s truckers.
The Iowa 80 Truckstop, which bills itself as the World’s Largest Truckstop, established its home base in 1964 and is a home-away-from-home to countless drivers and a destination for travelers as well, according to iowa80truckstop.com.
Iowa 80 Truckstop features eight restaurant choices, a convenience store, gift store, Super Truck Showroom, barber shop, chiropractor, dentist, movie theater, workout room, laundry facilities, gas islands, diesel fuel center, truck service center, Truckomat truck wash, Dogomat pet wash, CAT Scale, 24- private showers, trucking museum and more.
It is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and the truckstop hasn’t closed its doors since opening day in 1964.
