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No doubt one of the most special places in monster truck history, the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds has seen some great moments over the past 18 years. Monster Blog Special Contributor Andrew Palochko has been privileged enough to attend for the past 14 years, and he has been kind enough to share some of his photos and thoughts from the many years of Bloomsburg memories.
We have also posted videos from last year's Bloomsburg Jamboree in this section, courtesy of Monster Blog Special Contributors Charlie Wagner and Marty Menze. At the bottom of the page is a link to the TV commercial for this year's show, and a link to get your tickets to attend the Bloomsburg Jamboree this weekend!! ------------------------------------------------------------- JAMBOREE REFLECTIONS by Andrew Palochko - Updated 8/18/06 -------------------------------------------------------------
It's been 15 years and
1 month since I first laid eyes on a monster truck at the Bloomsburg
Jamboree. I haven't missed the Summer Jamboree since. Bloom has always had
a special place in my heart - from the "Trucks & Tractor Power" days right
up until this year, it's always been a staple of summer. Unfortunately,
mother nature postponed my 15th trip to the fairgrounds, but thanks to
some hard work by dedicated people at Special Events, the Bloomsburg
Fairgrounds, and the town of Bloomsburg, we can still party in Bloom this
year.
Two originals in this photo: the original Kimosabe and the original Sudden Impact. The Kimosabe truck qualified for several of the PENDA Points races in Bloom over the years, and owner Jack Brady is still out there competing - now in Mopar Magic. And we all know the history of John Seasock - the original Sudden Impact truck that started it all made several display appearances in Bloom before Seasock's second truck (the green Ford) hit the infield.
Two more from yesteryear: Liquidator and Mopar Magic. Pictured is the first of three Liquidator trucks that owner Bob Fisher ran until his retirement in 1999. Gary Wiggins' Mopar Magic was sold shortly after this photo was taken and he recently made his return to the industry aboard the Stone Crusher Ford.
The pits in Bloomsburg. You can see Kirk Dabney aboard his Nitemare truck, and the hand sticking out of the Grave Digger window belongs to Lyle Hancock. That same chassis (Digger #3) is currently promoting the Monster Jam Europe tour overseas. Behind Nitemare, how many of those trucks can you recognize? Here's a hint: two of the names are still active today, and the third was active a few years ago with a different owner.
Lyle Hancock in Grave Digger takes an early lead over Bob Fisher in U.F.O. Note the houses across the street from the fairgrounds. Die-hards build scaffolding and platforms every year and host cookouts on their rooftop to catch the infield action.
Gary Porter in an early Carolina Crusher races Wayne Smozanek in Tropical Thunder, circa 1993.
Current ace Bigfoot driver Dan Runte is shown here sporting some longer hair and a crew shirt. Runte got his start with the Bigfoot organization crewing for the legendary Andy Brass.
Many of today's monster truck drivers got their start in the mud pit, and a lot of them have spent their share of time in the Bloomsburg infield. This guy needs no introduction, but he did look a bit bored in this picture. Several years later he made his monster truck debut in Monster Patrol.
Fred Shafer in Bear Foot beats Mark Hall in Executioner - 1993.
Dan Patrick was very successful in Bloomsburg, winning one of the '94 races and becoming the first driver to break the 5-second barrier on a PENDA track. Patrick is shown here in the finals against Power Wheels Bigfoot.
Temperatures at the Jamboree exceeded 100 degrees a few years in a row through the mid-90s. "Hoseboy" was one of the most popular people at the Jamboree, keeping the fans in the bleachers wet and cool. Who was "hoseboy"? None other than current Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle driver Alex Blackwell.
Dan Runte in Bigfoot
takes a narrow win over a charging Fred Shafer in Bear Foot in 1996. '96
was the final year for the PENDA Points Series and as we'll see in the
next installment of photos, 1997 ushered in some changes in trucks,
tracks, and format.
UPDATE: 08/18/06 - Part Two Now Online!! ------------------------------------------------------------------
Picking up from the
last lookback at the Bloomsburg Jamboree, 1997 ushered in some serious
infield changes. For the first time in five years, there was no PENDA
Points Series. Special Events officials ran two racing tracks: the
obstacle course and the drag track - very similar to the format featured
on the popular "Motor Madness" show on TNN. And, for the first time in
Bloomsburg's history, freestyle became a part of the show.
** Email Andrew at andrew@andrewpalochko.com!! ** ------------------------------------------------------------- '05 Bloomsburg Jamboree Videos by Charlie Wagner & Marty Menze -------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------- CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TV COMMERCIAL!!
CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS NOW!!
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Welcome to The Monster Blog's
special section counting down to this weekend's 4 Wheel Jamboree in
Bloomsburg, PA!! The floods of 2006 may have been enough to postpone
the 4 Wheel Jamboree from its original early July date, but they certainly
would not stop the folks at Special Events from making sure this event
happened this year. Now, jamboree fans from all over are prepared to
turn out in droves for this weekend's event, and we here at The Monster
Blog saw nothing more fitting than honoring this special event with a
section all its own in the week leading up to it.
