Look for the OOIDA tour trailer at the Swamp East Missouri Truck Show

Sikeston, Mo., is the next stop for Marty Ellis and the OOIDA tour trailer.

That’s because he is headed to the Swamp East Missouri Truck Show and Convoy.

Ellis and the Spirit of the American Trucker tour trailer are scheduled to be there April 14-15 at the Sikeston Sports Complex.

Sikeston is at the junction of I-55 and I-57, about halfway between St. Louis and Memphis, Tenn. It is on the edge of the Missouri Bootheel region.

This is the third annual Swamp East Missouri Truck Show. In part, it is a fundraiser for a charity helping special needs children. It also promotes the positive side of trucking. And it also is a celebration of family and community connections.

The event is a fundraiser for Kenny Rogers Children’s Center in Sikeston. It provides developmental and therapeutic services to children with special needs and their families. The center was founded in 1973, and the country music star got involved in 1977 after performing at the Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo.

Rogers donated an Arabian stallion to the group, which was auctioned for $75,000. Rogers returned in subsequent years with other country music stars for fundraising concerts, and in 1980 he began a telethon to support the program. The center was named for Rogers in 2000.

“Who’s Going Fill Their Shoes?”

T.W. McDermott is the lead organizer of the event. He said when he decided to create the Swamp East Missouri Truck Show, he was thinking of another area trucking company owner who had been involved in the community and telethon for the Kenny Roger Children’s Center.

McDermott’s father had hauled Good Humor ice cream for Jerry Pullen, owner of Pullen Bros. Truck Inc. Pullen retired in 2014 and died in 2020.

Answering the question in the title of the George Jones country western song “Who’s Going Fill Their Shoes?,” McDermott decided it was time to step up and support the community like Pullen had done.

Polishing the reputation of trucking

A Friday evening convoy is planned from Sikeston Sports Complex to Charleston, Mo., and back. It is the same weekend as Charlston’s Dogwood-Azalea Festival. A light display is planned when the trucks get back. The convoy and the truck show together show the community the nice side of trucking, McDermott said.

“We’ve really pushed to better our reputation and tell young folks that there’s some good opportunities in trucking,” he said.

He knew in kindergarten he was going to be a truck driver, McDermott said. His family and many in the community are involved in trucking, he said.

“It’s neat to give back to something that’s given me everything I got on,” he said.

There were 84 trucks in the show last year, he said. From all the calls he’s gotten, they could double that this year.

Upcoming truck shows for The Spirit

Here are some of the truck shows Ellis plans to attend with the OOIDA tour trailer:

• May 5-6 – Midwest Pride in Your Ride in Earlville, Iowa.
• May 12-13 – Strawberry Jam and Chrome in Stilwell, Okla.
• May 20 – Semi Crazy Cornfield Round Up in Audubon, Iowa

Stop by when you see the OOIDA tour trailer

If you see the OOIDA tour trailer, stop by and say hello. Ellis looks forward to visiting about the Association’s activities and current issues. There are copies of Land Line Magazine to pick up there. You can join or renew your membership with the OOIDA 50th anniversary promotion of two years for $50. That’s a $40 savings. You can also use the promotion as many times as you like.

After the Swamp East Missouri Truck Show, Ellis plans April 22-23 to be in Jackson, Miss., and then he has a couple of stops in Florida scheduled.

Here is the schedule for The Spirit. LL