By the time you read this, show season will be over, which is hard to believe. The Slammin' and Jammin' Show is the second of three shows that promoter Charlie Cobble puts on. Charlie has owned this show for three years now, and it gets better every year. The overall show season for 2003 was very good, with increased attendance across the country - Charlie looked for a big crowd. This event is held at the James E. Ward Agriculture Center on the east side of Lebanon, Tennessee, and has been a very successful show, even though it has changed hands a couple of times. The fact that it has remained in the same location every year keeps people coming.
Trucks were already lined up on the street at 8 a.m., waiting for the gates to open on Saturday. As soon as the gates opened, the participants started staking out their spot for the weekend, and the folks who were into camping began to set up camp. By noon, more than 1,000 vehicles had been registered, and the activities were getting underway. Things really cranked up with the performance put on during the burnout competition. Participants burned their tires into the pavement. Next, everyone headed to the cover area for the hopping contest, where a few trucks really started jumping. The really strong hoppers were able to get all four tires off the ground about 3 feet in the air.
Next was the lowest vehicle contest, and we still don't fully understand how they decided who had the lowest truck, when they all could lay their frames on the ground. Finally, it was time for the event everyone had been waiting for - the bikini contest. There was a good amount of participation this year, with 15 girls signing up for the competition. After several rounds, Brandy Tribble was chosen Miss Slammin' and Jammin'. The 6-foot-tall blonde bombshell was a very popular choice.
DJ "Koto," Doug Gieser, was spinning the latest tunes while keeping everyone up-to-date on how long the judging line was. Judging was done by the drive-through method, and with more than 1,000 vehicles, Chuck Burgess and his crack crew didn't wrap up the chore until after 7 p.m