OOIDA’s Jon Osburn takes The Spirit on a short tour of Ohio
The Spirit of the American Trucker, OOIDA’s touring tractor-trailer, starts off on a short Ohio tour with a stop in New Paris.
Jon Osburn, skipper of The Spirit, plans to be at the New Paris Petro through Aug. 1. New Paris is near the border of Indiana and Ohio. It is on I-70 at Indiana Exit 156B on U.S. Highway 40.
After he leaves New Paris, he plans to be at these stops:
- Aug. 2-3 at the Wapakoneta, Ohio, TA truck stop;
- Aug. 4-6 at the North Baltimore, Ohio, TA truck stop; and
- Aug. 8-10 at Truck World truck stop in Hubbard, Ohio.
The village of New Paris is proud to be where Rev. Benjamin Hanby wrote the Christmas song “Up on the Housetop” in 1864. The Chamber of Commerce sells music boxes that play the song.
According to village lore, Rev. Hanby rented a small store room at the south edge of the village and opened a singing school for the children. The song was first publicly introduced and performed in nearby Richmond, Ind., at a benefit dinner for poor children at Christmas in 1864.
Before starting his short Ohio tour, Jon enjoyed being at the TopGun LargeCar Shootout truck show in Rantoul, Ill.
Despite the fun and camaraderie at the show, there was a somber undertone too. Show co-founder Tom Reitz died Saturday morning. He and his wife Daveda started the show in 2007. Tom held on long enough to make sure the 2018 show happened. Land Line and OOIDA offer condolences.
Whenever you see The Spirit tour truck, go say hello to Jon. He enjoys visiting about the Association’s activities and current issues.
You also can join or renew your OOIDA membership there.
Through the end of this month – you still have a little time – annual dues are $20 off. All new and renewing memberships are eligible at this rate of $25 per year, and multiple years can be paid at this rate. Add $10 for a spouse and/or for each additional driver.
Also, you can get vouchers for flu, shingles and pneumonia vaccines from Jon at The Spirit.