OOIDA tour trailer joins the Strawberry Jam and Chrome truck show

The Strawberry Jam and Chrome truck show in Stilwell, Okla., is the next stop for Marty Ellis and the OOIDA tour trailer.

Ellis is scheduled to be there Friday and Saturday, May 12-13.

This is the inaugural event for the truck show, but it joins two other Stilwell Strawberry Festival shows, a motorcycle show and a car and small truck show.

The Stilwell Strawberry Festival Bike Show and the Strawberry Festival Car Show will be presented on Division and First streets in downtown Stilwell near the Adair County Courthouse. The new Strawberry Jam and Chrome Truck Show will be presented at the old Harps Grocery parking lot on the west side of Second Street.

The Stilwell Strawberry Festival is sponsored by the Stilwell Kiwanis Club. These are some of the planned activities:

• Selection of a Strawberry Festival queen.
• The Stilwell’s Got Talent Contest on Friday evening.
• A 5K Run for the Berries and a 1K fun run are planned on Saturday morning before the parade.
• A festival parade is planned at 10 a.m. Saturday.
• Arts and crafts vendors.

Strawberry Jam and Chrome

Truck show organizer Gary Killough said he has paid for the cost of trophies and other expenses out of his pocket, so all of the proceeds from the truck show will benefit mental health.

He said he has been working on organizing the truck show to complement the other Strawberry Festival shows and events for a couple of years.

The idea to raise funds to support mental health education and programs came up because his wife works for an area mental health facility. A state mental health official will be on hand to answer questions and hand out brochures, he said, and also to help tally up the money raised at the end of the event.

He said getting Ellis and The Spirit at this first show came about from stopping by the OOIDA tour trailer at a TA truck stop to renew his OOIDA membership.

“I am really, really honored that OOIDA’s tour trailer will be here,” he said.

A couple of truck show firsts

Not only is this the first Strawberry Jam and Chrome truck show, but it’s also Killough’s first show where he will have a truck entered.

“This is the first year that I’ve gotten a truck dolled up to show,” he said.  “I’m just now getting my feet wet in the truck show realm.”

His truck is named Leigh the Blue Angel, which uses his wife’s middle name. The truck is a 2019 Kenworth T680. He also plans to have it at the Guilty By Association Truck Show in September in Joplin, Mo. OOIDA is a sponsor of the 2023 GBATS as part of the Association’s 50th anniversary celebration.

Killough also spoke with Land Line Now’s Ashley Blackford about his truck show along with some other show organizers.

Listen to that podcast here.

Stop by when you see The Spirit

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 use the promotion as many times as you like.

After the Strawberry Jam and Chrome truck show, Ellis plans to head to Foristell, Mo., in the St. Louis area, and then plans on May 20 to be at the Semi Crazy Cornfield Round Up in Audubon, Iowa.

Find upcoming Spirit stops here. LL