When you think of shows in the Midwest, one of the first shows that comes to mind is Slamboree. There are many reasons why this show is as successful as it is today, but the main reason is because the members of Pleasures Trucks and Compacts have given all the money raised from Slamboree to the American Diabetes Association since their first show 13 years ago. It all got started when one of the original founders of what was then Mini Pleasures was diagnosed with diabetes. During the last 12 years, the guys and girls of Pleasures have donated more than $30,000 to the American Diabetes Association.
Slamboree was held at the University of Oklahoma's Lloyd Nobel Center during the weekend of August 4-6. When we got to the show, we found that the members of Pleasures had everything in hand as usual, getting everyone registered and parked for the day. While everyone was cleaning up their rides and getting ready to be judged, a mini tornado came right across the top of the show. The twister sucked tents and canopies 20 feet in the air. It even pulled up the Pleasures tent that was held down by concrete blocks. Every region deals with its own weather problems by letting Mother Nature do her thing and then pulling together to make things right again. When everyone got everything picked up and put back together, the show was back to normal. Just as usual, some of the Midwest's finest rides had made their way to the show. Even a few of the state's topnotch shops, such as Wicked Racing & Customs and Stone Cold Customs, brought out some of the new projects they had been tinkering with during the summer.
In the afternoon, the Pleasures crew made its way from ride to ride, taking care of the judging duties. Meanwhile, Tulsa's Most Hated stunt team burned up the parking lot showing the people what crazy stuff they could do with a motorcycle.
The cruise that's been going on at Slamboree for the last four years rivals some of the nation's bigger shows with people lined up on both sides of Lindsey Street, wanting to see the show trucks do something other then sitting there. All night, everything from cover trucks to first-timers made their way up and down the street, getting as much dragging in as they could. The local law enforcement was, for the most part, letting everyone have their fun with the exception of a few hay haulers who thought it would be cool to blow tire and diesel smoke over everyone. But officials took care of that before it could get out of hand.
When Sunday came around, you could tell that everyone had a lot of fun the night before because all the showgoers were a little slow getting back to the show. When everyone found their way back, the judges finished up with the rides and picked the Best of Show awards. Every year, Pleasures puts on one of the most well-run shows in the nation, and we would say lucky #13 was no different. After the trophies were awarded, the winners in the minitrucks classes were Woody Wilson with his Chevy Luv, Nate Walker and his flamed S-10, and Brain Jackson with his stock floored Sonoma. Not only did Shane Schaffer win his class, but he also took home the Best Paint and (most importantly) PTC Ladies Choice awards with his March '05 MT cover truck.
The members of Pleasures would like to thank everyone who came out for all the fun that went on during the weekend. They would also like to thank all the sponsors, including Hosstyles Wheels (www.hosstylewheels.com), Todd's Custom & Collision, Brock Industries, Rhodes Designs, LWM, WyoTech, Custom Classics, Line-X of Norman, and Intense Audio. For more information on next year's show, be sure to visit www.pleasuresonline.com.