2005 Midwest Dragfest - Custom Truck Show

Whenever a club comes together to promote our lifestyle and support our community, they generally decide to throw a show. What most people don't realize is how much behind-the-scenes effort it takes to throw a successful show. The majority of truck shows across the country won't see more than 150 vehicles and maybe 2,000 spectators if they're lucky, especially on a first-year event. So when the Missouri chapter of IV Ever Low decided to give it their all and throw a show, they had a lot of work ahead of them. Maybe it's because of the awesome group of people they had, or maybe it's because of their love for the scene, but whatever it is, a small group of folks came together to throw one heck of a show.

We arrived Friday night to check out the setup and early roll-in, and much to our surprise there were plenty of hardworking people still buzzing around the show enjoying each other's company (not to mention the bottomless ice chests). Since we didn't want to have too much fun on Friday, we decided to save some of our energy for the days ahead and rest up. Saturday morning came and brought with it more than 250 rides and 3,000 spectators to the showgrounds. This was a much larger turnout than anticipated, but the excellent staff was ready and handled everything right down to the judging as smoothly as any full-time professionals.

There were plenty of happenings all over the place, including tons of club games that matched clubs head-to-head in tug-of-war, a truck push drag race, and even a dodgeball tournament (if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball!). As if that wasn't enough to keep the crowds busy, there was also plenty of late-night entertainment, including an on-stage bikini contest with $300 awarded to Miss Midwest Dragfest. There was also a huge after-party, with wet T-shirt contests, live music, and $1,000 in cash giveaways. The only way to perfectly end the night would be to go out and drag, so we did just that. We jumped in with the Domination The Video crew and went for a late-night drag session, where the winner actually dragged his truck until he ran out of gas and then got pulled over. He ended up going to jail overnight and had to be bailed out in the morning, and the best part was his ticket read: "Operated vehicle in careless and impudent manner by intentionally dragging rear of vehicle on roadway causing sparks for video being taped." How's that for a good time?

The show was truly a hit, and Justin Walters and his crew know they couldn't have done it without the help of their sponsors. So they want to give a special thanks to everyone that supported them and came out, including Drop 'Em Wear?, PPG, Mini Truckin' magazine, Rick from Snap-On of Sedalia, and Oliver and Pops from Domination The Video, with a very special dedication going out to Jay Walters. Look for next year's show to blow up. For more information on the event, be sure to go to www.midwestdragfest.com or e-mail midwestdragfest@yahoo.com with your queries.