OOIDA’s tour trailer visits London, Ohio

The London of Ohio’s prairies is a far cry from the one in England. The one in Ohio is the next scheduled stop for OOIDA’s tour trailer.

The Spirit of the American Trucker will be at the London TA on March 27-29. It is at I-70 and U.S. Highway 42, Exit 79 from I-70. There are 138 parking spots for tractor-trailers there. The full-service Country Pride restaurant is temporarily closed.

London is 25 miles west of downtown Columbus, Ohio, on I-70.

Funnyman native son

One of London’s native sons is John Markus, who graduated London High school in 1974 and went on to Stanford University and a career as a writer and producer. He wrote jokes for Bob Hope and Joan Rivers. He became an Emmy Award-winning writer for “The Cosby Show,” where he became a producer and show runner and wrote 67 episodes.

Here is a Stanford University magazine alumni article on Markus.

Here is a more homespun sendup by a London historian, who says Markus got his start writing quips for columnist Earl Wilson (scroll down a bit if you follow the link).

Not the only “London” in the U.S.

In addition to Ohio, there are cities named “London” in Kentucky, Arkansas, Texas and West Virginia, according to Reference.com.

In addition, five states have cities named “New London” (Connecticut, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Minnesota), and three states have cities named “Londonderry” (New Hampshire, Vermont and Pennsylvania).

Stop by when you see The Spirit

If you see OOIDA’s tour trailer, stop by and say hello to Osburn. He enjoys visiting about the Association’s activities and current issues. He usually has copies of Land Line Magazine to hand out. You can join or renew your membership for $10 off the regular price there. Face masks are available for anyone with a commercial driver’s license at The Spirit. Drivers without medical insurance can get vouchers for free flu, shingles and pneumonia vaccine vouchers at The Spirit.

After London, The Spirit is scheduled to stop March 30-April 1 in New Paris, Ohio.

Here is the schedule for The Spirit. LL