The Spirit heads to Special Olympics Convoy in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The next stop for OOIDA’s tour trailer is a favorite of Jon Osburn’s, skipper of the Spirit of the American Trucker.
He and The Spirit are headed to Sioux Falls, S.D., for the Sioux Falls Truck Convoy for Special Olympics. He is scheduled to be there on Sept. 18-19.
The event will take place at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds. Trucks should take Exit 80 from I-29 for the north gate. Trucks should enter the parking area via Madison Street.
The convoy is scheduled to leave the fairgrounds at 10:15 a.m. The honor of leading the convoy will go to the trucker who wins the bid before the parade. There is a mandatory drivers meeting at 9:40 a.m. Once the trucks return, there will be truck show and lunch. Awards and an auction are expected to begin at 12:45 p.m., and the Park and Show is scheduled to continue until 4 p.m.
All of the funds raised from the event, including registration and auction proceeds, go the Law Enforcement Torch Run, which is Special Olympics South Dakota’s largest grassroots fundraising campaign, according to its website.
The South Dakota Convoy has been going strong beginning in 2003. Organizers report collecting $54,000 in 2019 for Special Olympics. There were 166 trucks involved.
Special Olympics is a sports organization for children and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities. Osburn has been a supporter for many years.
Back when Osburn was a contractor with Mayflower Transit, he heard about the Special Olympics World’s Largest Truck Convoy on the “Dave Nemo Show” radio program. That encouraged him to get involved in fundraising for the charity at the Mid-America Trucking Show in 2005. Then in 2008, he wrapped his truck and trailer to promote the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Boise, Idaho, his home base.
Osburn said he first attended the South Dakota Convoy in 2010 when he was behind the wheel of the MERV, a medical education and resource vehicle that provided medical screenings for truck drivers. He said organizer Marty Ellis, an OOIDA life member, and some other OOIDA members got him to take part.
“A whole bunch of truckers pony up $100 and take a Special Olympics athlete for a ride,” Osburn said. “It’s a great event.”
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 OOIDA membership for $10 off the regular price there. Free face masks are available at The Spirit. You also can get forms for uninsured drivers to get flu, shingles and pneumonia vaccine vouchers at The Spirit.
After Sioux Falls, OOIDA’s tour trailer is scheduled to stop Monday and Tuesday in Beto Junction, Kan.
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