Walcott Truckers Jamboree slated for July 12-14 in Iowa

All these years later, the owners of the Iowa 80 Truckstop are still saying “thank you” to truck drivers.

The Walcott Truckers Jamboree started in 1979 as a way to show appreciation for all that truck drivers do. Later this month, the event will be enjoying its 39th anniversary.

Jon Osburn, the skipper of the OOIDA touring tractor-trailer The Spirit of the American Trucker, will be in attendance at the show, which lasts from July 12-14. The annual event was started by Bill Moon and his family, the owners of the Iowa 80 Truckstop. The first event had a few hundred drivers in attendance.

“The Moons started it as a one-day event to say thank you,” Osburn said. “It started on a Thursday. It started simple. It was thank you, thank you, thank you. Now, it’s the world’s largest truck stop, and it’s a three-day event.”

About 40,000 people are expected to attend the 2018 installment.

This year’s jamboree will include an antique truck display, the Super Trucks Beauty Contest, more than 175 exhibits, an Iowa pork chop cookout, carnival games, live music, the Trucker Olympics, and fireworks.

“The entertainment is always good,” Osburn said. “They go out of their way to find different and new entertainment every year.”

The Kentucky Headhunters, which won Country Music Association awards for Vocal Group of the Year in 1990 and 1991, will headline the entertainment for Friday, July 13.

And the event remains as a way to show appreciation for truckers. Admission and parking is free.

“They have 900 parking spots, and they have off-site parking for more trucks. They have buses that run every 10 to 15 minutes.”

Check out the full schedule of events here.