52nd Annual National Truck-In (Van Nats) - Part 10

We've made it to the last post from the 52nd Annual National Truck-In, the Van Nationals.  Picking up where I left off, we continue with the long line of vans heading out of the fairgrounds for the lake cruise and downtown public show.

I didn't count but based on all the photos I took, I figure just over 200 vans went on that lake cruise through Albert Lea, which would have been quite a sight to see.  Final official count was 601 vans for the event in total.  That was a lot, but it would have been great to have even more, though the thought of editing and posting even more photos makes me tired just thinking about it - haha.

Having been there the entire week, I really feel our club, with all the help from DSV, CIV, and Ivan and Janes put on a truly great event - one that I definitely would have wanted to attend even if I wasn't part of the host club.  I know the weather forecast looked pretty wet most of the week and wondered if that kept some people away but we really lucked out.  I was happy to see all the vans I did, see friends, listen to bands, and meet lots of new people.  Prepping for and working the event was work but it was also fun.  These events don't organize themselves - it's a ton of planning and execution.  I certainly contributed, but many in the clubs did a lot more than I did.

Spending most of the day at the gate, I saw lots of people come back from the cruise while others started to pack up and leave a day early.  With vans from all over, it makes sense that some had long drives home.

The Viper Van left its mark as it exited the fairgrounds. :)

I think the toughest part about working the gate was turning people away who heard about the event or drove past and were really curious / wanted to check out the vans.  Some drove quite a ways and I still had to turn them away.  I was really nice about it and thanked them for their interest, but I didn't really have an option.  Traditional truck-ins are van-only private events for a lot of good reasons and we did have the downtown public show and 3 cruises as a form of outreach.  Finding more ways to increase awareness and interest in vanning, van clubs, and truck-ins is important if we want them to live on.  I largely credit Chariots of the Gods show in Minneapolis, which is a public event and not a traditional truck-in, for getting me into it.  The crossover of interest between custom choppers and custom vans also helps since I love both.

I headed out Sunday after packing up and double-checking if any help was needed.  It was a whirlwind week.  If you attended, I hope you had fun!!!  If you're looking for a van event in Minnesota to attend later this year, I'd highly recommend Chariots of the Gods on Aug 9th as a public event (no van required) or Ivan and Jane's Aug 14-17th as a truck-in (van required).