Truck show brings enthusiasts together
BALLSTON SPA >> The 27th annual American Truck Historical Society Hudson Mohawk Chapter Antique Truck & Tractor Show drew thousands of truck enthusiasts to the area over the weekend.
The event, held at the Saratoga County Fairgrounds in Ballston Spa, featured nearly 300 trucks of all shapes, sizes and conditions.
“It was a banner show,” club founder Herb Jackson said on Sunday, calling it a record show. “It was great.”
The hundreds of trucks ranged in age from late 1910s to brand new models brought in by event sponsors.
Many of the trucks, from small pick-ups to heavy duty Macks, came from right within the Capital District, but others traveled from as far as Canada and Pennsylvania to be part of the local show.
Arnie White and his wife Darla, from Fairfax, Vt., traveled in their oneof-a-kind 1990 International, a former moving van that Arnie and his son fashioned into a motorhome.
The Whites travel all around the country going to dozens of truck shows in the vehicle. “This is one of our more favorable events to come down to because of the people,” Arnie said. “It’s the people that make the event. You can’t find nicer folks at any other truck show.”
Overall, trucks from seven different states and two countries were represented at the event.
“This is our 27th year and it just gets bigger and bigger,” Jackson said.
Part of the show’s success, Jackson believes, is that it doesn’t charge truck owners to show their vehicles.
“We’re here for a good time, not to make money,” Jackson said.
Likewise, for event-goers, attendance is just $1 per person.
With proceeds from the truck show, each year the club makes donations to local charities and food
banks.
The two-day event attracted about 7,500 people this year, with good weather working in its favor.
The crowd throughout the weekend included current and retired truck drivers, mechanics and motor enthusiasts.
Spectators came from far and wide, including attendees from out-of state.
While antique trucks were the main focus, the weekend event also featured tractors and tractor pulls, as well as fair food and an antiques flea market.
The annual September show is the largest event of the Hudson Mohawk Chapter of the American Truck Historical Society. The group has about 200 members and meets monthly, in addition to going on trips.
The chapter’s primary focus since its inception in 1990 has been preserving antique trucks and the trucking history in upstate New York.
The organization, which meets monthly, is always looking for new members. To join the club, “You don’t need to have an antique truck,” Jackson said. “You’ve just got to have an interest.”
Jackson would like to see younger generations become involved with the local society chapter.
To learn more about the Hudson Mohawk Chapter of the American Truck Historical Society, which is aways accepting new members, visit www.hudsonmohawk.aths.org or the organization’s Facebook page.