TruckFest shows off big rigs

Photo by Gabriel Hathaway

Nolan and Josie Lee enjoy exploring the back of a fire engine at TruckFest on August 19.

by GABRIEL HATHAWAY

More than 40 big trucks gathered at Minnesota State College Southeast’s (MSC Southeast) Transportation Center on Saturday, all spick and span for families to get up close and personal with the trucks loved by many.

Tom Gierok, a truck driving instructor at MSC Southeast, was inspired to start TruckFest in 2019 when he heard of a little boy in Winona who loved to watch trucks drive by all day long. The first TruckFest was thrown together in just 18 days, Gierok said, and since then it has continued to grow. This year, MSC Southeast also celebrates 50 years in Red Wing, Minn., and 75 years in Winona. To celebrate these milestones, the Anniversary Committee sponsored bounce houses, free prizes, and a free lunch at the event.

Colin “Semi” Rath, who is on the board behind TruckFest, said the festival is a great opportunity for people to get a positive impression of truck drivers. “I think what [TruckFest] does is it gives the younger generation a little more comfort around truck drivers … maybe gives them a better impression that it’s not so bad,” Rath said. “A lot of truck drivers give a bad image. You see the not so good ones and those are the ones that stand out; these are the good ones.”

At TruckFest many kids pulled their parents along from truck to truck, honking horns and getting to sit behind the wheel. Mississippi Welders Supply Co. had many families visiting its truck, as the company brought a clown helium tank from the 1970s and blew up balloons for the children.

When asked about what his favorite part of the festival was, Rath said watching the kids have a good time.

Gierok noted that MSC Southeast has a long history of truck driving education. "With Minnesota State College Southeast being a leader in transportation education in the southeast region, TruckFest is the perfect way to connect our community with the opportunities that exist in the trucking industry,” Gierok said.

Joanne Thompson, director of marketing at MSC Southeast, mentioned how TruckFest has become a sort of mini-reunion for many of the truck drivers there. Rath echoed this and emphasized the importance of forming a team in a line of work as isolating as truck driving.

Rath thanked all the people who participated in TruckFest this year, and said, with a smirk, that there is more parking lot space for next year.

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