OOIDA tour trailer stops at Semi Crazy Cornfield Round Up

Marty Ellis plans have the OOIDA tour trailer in southwest Iowa this weekend for the third annual Semi Crazy Cornfield Round Up in Audubon, Iowa.

The truck show is scheduled for May 20 at Waspy’s Truck Stop on Highway 71 on the south side of Audubon.

Multiple chapters of the American Truck Historical Society are involved in this show-and-shine event. Any vehicle with tires is welcome, according to the ATHS online calendar.

Both Waspy’s and the Semi Crazy Cornfield Round Up will be new experiences for Ellis. He says he plans to check out the automated truck wash when he arrives on Friday.

“I look forward to seeing what all shows up, since it’s for ‘anything with wheels,’” Ellis said.

Semi Crazy Cornfield Round Up

“Anything with wheels” has included motorcycles, antique tractors, semis, and ton-and-half and two-ton class trucks, organizer Dave Gammell said. He plans to bring a 1966 International VCO cabover, short-wheelbase firetruck to the show. He has an interest in International trucks because his father, who co-owned a trucking company, drove them. Gammell is a mechanic. He and his wife haul families for Christmas celebrations in the firetruck, he said.

Last year there were 80 vehicles or so, he said, but it was a cold day. This year, the forecast shows highs in the 70s, which should be great, he said.

Multiple Iowa chapters of the American Truck Historical Society will be represented at the Semi Crazy Corfield Round-Up, Gammell said. He is a member of the Midwest Plains Chapter. He said he expects trucks from three other chapters

Waspy’s is a great place for a truck show, he said.

“It’s a really nice truck stop. It’s 17 acres of pure concrete. There’s no gravel, there’s no asphalt. It’s 8 inches of concrete,” Gammell said.

Besides the truck parking and gas and diesel pumps, there is a hotel, diner (Feed Mill Restaurant) and a steakhouse (Two Palms Grilling) at Waspy’s, he said.

And the truck wash operation is excellent, he added.

“They get a lot of bull racks there, and it’s on a pig route,” Gammell said.

Waspy’s says on its website that its truck washing service can handle livestock trailer washouts, and the truck wash can handle a wide array of trucks, trailers, and oversized vehicles

Albert the Bull

As it happens, not only is there Waspy’s and the truck show, but Audubon also can boast of Albert the Bull, a 23-foot-tall Hereford concrete statue. He has adorned the community since 1964. He was named for a past president of a local bank, according to Roadside America. Albert the Bull Park is just half a mile from Waspy’s, or an 11-minute walk, according to Google Maps.

 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 Semi Crazy Cornfield Round Up, Ellis plans to head to York, Neb., and then Johnson’s Corner, Colo.

Find upcoming Spirit stops here. LL