Truck Show To Display Custom Rigs This Weekend
Parade of Lights Is Saturday at St. Ignace
By Ryan Schlehuber

Reversing a vehicle straight into a tight space is a skill that Ed Reavie says he has yet to master, and when it comes time to position the large semis in downtown St. Ignace for the annual Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show, he is always impressed to see the truckers easily slide the 70- to 80-foot-long rigs into position using only sideview mirrors and friendly advice from the show's parking crew. This year's show will be Friday, September 14, to Sunday, September 16.

"It is very interesting to watch these guys back their rigs into a small space without any difficulty, and on one try, because I can't even back out of my garage straight," said Mr. Reavie, who created the truck show in 1995 in honor of his late friend, Richard Crane, founder and chief of the American Truck Driving School in Garland, Texas, one of the country's original trucking schools. The school is now operated by his children, Rick Crane and Fran Bernard. The family provides cash prize awards for the show and an annual award in the name of their father.

Admission to the show is free. People can view the custom rigs on display Friday evening beginning at 6:30 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on State Street and at Little Bear East Arena. AParade of Lights crosses the Mackinac Bridge Saturday at dusk, and continues through downtown St. Ignace.

Most viewers will arrive after the rigs are parked, however, the work being done to get the rigs in place is a show within the show, for those viewers who arrive early to see it, said Mr. Reavie.

"It is really fun to watch," he said. "It takes only a matter of minutes to park one rig. These truckers know what they're doing, and they do it so well."

The Truck Show averages about 70 trucks on display, said Mr. Reavie, and it has become well known among truckers across the nation, as it provides a chance for truckers to participate in the Parade of Lights across the Mackinac Bridge and display their rigs right in the heart of St. Ignace, on State Street downtown and at Little Bear East Community Center and Arena.

"We never know how many trucks we'll have come Friday night, as many of the truckers come in at the last minute," said Mr. Reavie.

The show in St. Ignace may receive even more popularity with truckers, now that shows in Coldwater and Grayling no longer exist, he said.

The Truck Show, at one time, showcased 140 big rigs. That was before the cost of fuel sky-rocketed after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Not knowing just how many rigs Mr. Reavie and his three-man crew will have to park is perhaps the most difficult part of setting up for the Truck Show.

That is why Mr. Reavie relies heavily on promoting his Truck Show through trucker magazines, the local press, his mailing list of more than 1,000 names, and through word-of-mouth from the truckers themselves, who communicate with each other over their CB radios.

Getting the word out there and keeping in contact with truckers, especially local truckers, gives Mr. Reavie an idea of how big the upcoming event should be.

Two truckers from Florida are committed to coming, which, Mr. Reavie says, is a good sign that truckers are really going out of their way to participate and compete in the event.

"...it's really quite amazing that these truckers go out of their way to be here," said Mr. Reavie. "They really like it here because most truck shows are held in a field or at a truck stop. Here, they know when they step out of their rig and see the event, they're in St. Ignace."

While Mr. Reavie is still working on backing his own vehicle out of his garage, he has managed to find the best way to set up the bulky beauties through the two-lane street in town, keeping the bobtails (rigs without trailers) parked downtown and the longer rigs at the parking lot of Little Bear East. He does reserve some curb space downtown for what he calls "the really special rigs," ones that may have a unique design or are new to the event.

Rigs are set up downtown to encourage viewers to use sidewalks and wander through the local stores, which merchants welcome, said Mr. Reavie, although there is room left on the street to allow for emergency vehicles to maneuver through.

"In the past, we would park most of them with their tires backed in toward the water," Mr. Reavie explained, referring to nearby Moran Bay. "The set-up now allows people to view the rigs on both sides of the street and walk through the local stores, as well."

Parking all of the rigs and setting up the antique auto show and swap meet at Little Bear East, to be held all weekend, takes about three hours, said Mr. Reavie.

"We'll have about 30 or so trucks come in Friday night," he said, "but we always come back in the morning to find another 30 or so waiting."

Deadline to register a rig is Saturday at 9 a.m. After that, truckers can still display their trucks, but will not be able to compete for awards and cannot participate in the Parade of Lights that night.

The Truck Show is supported by 11 corporate sponsors this year. Local sponsors help cover the cost of the truck show tabloid that is inserted in The St. Ignace News prior to the event.

The Parade of Lights will be held Saturday at dusk. On Saturday at 8 a.m.. the "On the Waterfront" car show and swap meet will be held at Little Bear East on the north side of town. In the Little Bear East facility, pedal cars, both antique and restored, will be showcased throughout the weekend. A competition will be held for best pedal car display.

The downtown street will be reopened by 6 p.m. Sunday.

Trucker Lingo

(Courtesy of The Trucker's Report)

• Alligator - blown tire in the road

• Ankle biter - small child

• Antler alley - deer crossing

• Baby bear - rookie police officer

• Bear bait - speeding vehicle

• Back 'em up - slow down

• Big slab of big road - interstate

• County mounty - sheriff

• City kitty - city police

• Bumper stick - a car too close to the rig's bumper

• Chick coup - weigh station

• Bobtail - driving tractor with no trailer attached

• Flip flop - U-turn or return trip

• Four-wheeler - a car

• Freight shaker - freighterline truck

• Granny lane - slow lane • Hammer lane - left lane

• Motion lotion - diesel fuel

• Parking lot - a truck hauling cars

• Salt shaker - snow plow • 10-4 - okay

• 10-33 - emergency • Wiggle wagons - double or triple trailer trucks