Exactly 40,947 truckers and their family members, along with local residents, attended the 36th annual Walcott Truckers Jamboree, July 9-11, said the Iowa 80 Truckstop, which hosts the event each summer. Visitors came from 21 states and three Canadian provinces to display their trucks.

During the three days, guests enjoyed over 150 exhibits; a truck beauty contest with 67 entries; an antique truck display with over 150 vehicles; a cookout featuring delicious Iowa pork chops; Trucker Olympics; Carnival Games; and free musical concerts. 

Iowa 80 Trucking Museum also celebrated the 100th birthday of its 1915 Mack AB last week during the jamboree with birthday cake and balloons at the museum.

“My family has been serving the trucking industry for 51 years,” said Delia Moon Meier, one of those running the facility. “We appreciate the hard job drivers do. The jamboree is our way of saying thank you. It is also an event that allows us to promote a positive image of trucking to the general public.” 

The Walcott Truckers Jamboree has been celebrating truckers, rain or shine, since 1979, she added.  

“The Walcott Truckers Jamboree is a celebration of everything trucking,” said Heather DeBaillie, Iowa 80 Truckstop’s marketing director. “Everything we have comes on a truck. The Jamboree gives us an opportunity to say a big thank you to the professional drivers who deliver those goods. Even the rain on Saturday didn’t keep people from celebrating.”

Lists of this year’s event winners and more photos are at here and here. Next year’s Walcott Truckers Jamboree will be held July 14-16, 2016.