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Perryville residents will get a chance to see some of the tri-state region’s prettiest, fanciest and best-lit big rigs this weekend when the third annual “Laid Back on I-55 Truck Show” kicks off Friday and Saturday on the downtown square in Perryville.
According to event organizer James Stegall, this year’s event is expected to be bigger than ever in spite of — or perhaps because of — the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think we can expect a bigger turnout for sure,” Stegall said. “We’re getting hits on it left and right.”
In addition to expectations of more visitors, Stegall said he has commitments from nearly 100 truckers who want to show off their machines, a number he attributes to cancellations of so many events since the pandemic began.
“It’s 100 percent a contributing factor,” Stegall said. “Until last month, we weren’t even sure whether we were going to be able to have it. And then when we got the go-ahead, we had so many people reach out to us. People are ready to go show the trucks off and they haven’t been able to because everything’s been shut down for so long.
“I believe that’s going to be a big, big contributing factor to this.”
As usual, proceeds from this year’s event, co-sponsored by the Downtown Revitalization Committee, will benefit the Down Syndrome Association and will kick off Friday night with the Big Rig Light Show at dusk, just a bit after Jerod Yount takes the main stage at the Downtown Pavilion to provide live music.
Trucks are expected to begin arriving at 1 p.m. Friday, when registration opens and the city begins blocking off the square.
In regards to the pandemic, Stegall said organizers plan to follow standard recommendations to help prevent possible spread of COVID-19, including having the trucks and vendors appropriately spaced out around the square, and encouraged visitors to do the same with regards to social distancing, masks and other individual safety measures.
“If you feel sick, please stay home,” Stegall said.
Saturday’s event include a kiddie tractor pull beginning at 11 a.m. and a DJ will provide music during the day. The awards ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m., followed by this year’s new addition — a convoy that will parade out of town down North Main Street, through the roundabout to Hwy. 51, then down Route AC past Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial to U.S. 61 before making its way back to 51 and out of town.
The convoy will begin at approximately 5 p.m. and will be led by the winners of an auction that will be held Friday night. Aside from the trucks, Stegall said there will plenty other things to see and do.
“We’re going to have some pretty big vendors,” Stegall said. “There’s some pretty neat stuff for the spectators to come out and look at. We’ve got several different companies that donated different products for us to raffle off as well.”
Stegall said one of the best parts of the truck show is watching the younger visitors as they explore the big rigs.
“That’s the biggest thing,” Stegall said. “I think it’s more fun to watch the kids get to look at the trucks than it is anything. There are a lot of them that don’t have the opportunity to be around big trucks, and so it’s kind of neat to get them out there and let them look at them and see the inside.”
