This '47 Dodge, owned by John Blakely, looks straight-from-the-factory fresh. Dig the stacks.
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is an incredibly popular town. Not because of the great natural beauty of the state's forested hillsides or the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The fact that Pigeon Forge is a major tourist attraction for the area is closer to the mark, but doesn't capture the nuance of driving through town on a summer weekend. Imagine affordable hotels, pancake houses, curio shops, an Elvis museum or two, Dolly Parton, and Louise Mandrel, all stacked like flapjacks along the 321, which serves as the primary artery through town. High volumes of road traffic roll inexorably and unstoppably like thick, dark molasses, slowly, but with amazing efficiency. Pigeon Forge has long been a popular venue for car and truck shows. No doubt, the 186 trucks that appeared at the 6th annual Battle of the Trucks event in Pigeon Forge from August 5-6 of 2004 thickened the automotive syrup flowing through town.
The fact that 17 states were represented at Battle of the Trucks illustrates the fluid nature of the show scene, particularly in the relatively compact Southeast. In some ways this event was a harbinger of the show season's end. Many of the people at the event's venue - the parking lot of the Shular Inn and an adjacent field - had already attended a string of automotive gatherings. Some of the truck owners had met Truckin' staffers at shows just weeks before, which led to conversations about where we would likely cross paths in the near future. As for this particular stop along the show circuit, read on for an overview of what the Battle of the Trucks had to offer.
Victors of the Battle of the TrucksBest of Show: Avery and Laverne Hittson, '72 ChevroletBest Full Size: Rod Reprogle, '53 FordBest Mini: Glenn OverstreetBest Interior: Jeff and Shannon WellmanBest Graphics/Murals: Dale and Connie Ison, Tractor-TrailerBest Undercarriage: Bill Gaines, '95 Chevrolet StepsideBest Un-Finished: Sam BeelerBest Paint: Dale and Connie Ison, Tractor-TrailerBest Engine: Bill Gaines, '95 Chevrolet StepsideBest 4x4: Clyde and Trish ShaferBest Bed: John C. Johnson, '66 ChevroletBest SUV: Deanna and Lee Russell, '96 Chevrolet Tahoe LTDJ Choice: Herman Fritsch, Sr., '31 Ford