Fourteen years of putting on a show requires a real love for the scene and massive dedication. Vital Signs Street Designs has shown once again that they have both by putting on Spring Fling 2009. Held in beautiful Panama City Beach, Florida, in the middle of spring break, Spring Fling has become a staple in the southeastern show schedule. With more than 900 registered vehicles in attendance, it is one of the largest in Florida. While all of the custom trucks kept people walking around during the weekend, the Vital Signs crew made sure there was no chance for boredom could set in by holding tons of activities and contests, like the Battle of the Bands and the Miss Spring Fling bikini contest. With all of this plus a huge vendor row and kids' activities, Spring Fling is a definite weekend to pencil in on your schedule for 2010.inline_mediumwraptextrightChevy Silverado31057059/events/1001tr_spring_fling_20091001tr_01+spring_fling_2009+chevy_silverado.jpgTrue

Back by popular demand, SoCal enjoyed another Ludikrs Car and Truck Show on August 15, at the Orange County Fairgrounds, in San Bernardino, California. Sponsored by Continental Tires and Xtreme Lowz, the show featured two indoor show areas, a motorcycle/quad stunt exhibition, and a tattoo expo. With over 600 rides, some of SoCal's hottest trucks made the trek out to the show.inline_mediumwraptextrightLifted Truck25704350/events/1001tr_ludikrs_show_20091001tr_01+ludikrs_show_2009+lifted_truck.jpgTrue

Typically the summers in Georgia are hot, muggy, and sticky, but on the weekend of July 17-19, attendees to the Southeast Showdown show in Lawrenceville, were greeted with beautiful blue skies, mild temps, and low humidity. Thanks to show sponsor Hooters, everyone had food and drinks to enjoy and adding some spice to the show, Hooters brought out two fully-custom show trucks, oh and some Hooters' girls as well. The numbers over the weekend were impressive, with 528 rides displaying and more than 3,100 people walking through the show. Those who attended enjoyed a bikini contest, dragging, bungie hop, and The Big Picture movie screen. Issue 11 cover truck, owned by Brian "Shady" Baty, won Best Fullsize and the Truckin' Editor's Award. Also, featured in last month's issue, Robert Robinson's Tahoe won Best SUV. Sponsors included Verizon, Hooters, NOS energy drink, Godfather Customs, and The Big Picture.inline_mediumwraptextrightFord Lightning30807816/events/0913tr_southeast_showdown_20090913tr_03+southeast_showdown_2009+ford_lightning.jpgTrue

The Coast Coliseum at Biloxi, Mississippi, was packed to capacity and top-quality trucks were bumper-to-bumper in the Mississippi heat for the '09 edition of the gulf coast's biggest show. We kept hearing that the '09 show season was supposed to see a drop in attendance, but Scrapin' has garnered praise and hype as one of the top shows in the nation, guaranteeing another record turnout. With feature-worthy trucks and great photo locations, it makes a feature editor's job easy. Check out some of our favorite trucks here and look forward to the following issues of Truckin' to see features on some of these awesome trucks.

Arriving in Austin, Texas, the heat hit us like a ton of bricks. Triple-digit temps and plenty of sun was the backdrop for the '09 Heatwave show held at the Travis County Fairgrounds the weekend of July 24-26. Fullsize trucks ran supreme with several rides rolling 28-inch wheels with the bodies just inches off the ground. Ekstensive brought out several sick trucks including next month's cover truck, so don't miss the last issue of '09. Thankfully, Nitto Tires had its rig and allowed us to cool off under their tent and check out its latest tires. Burnout contests, bikini contests, and helicopter rides kept everyone busy all weekend long. For more info on next year's show, log on to heatwaveinc.com.inline_mediumwraptextrightNitto Tires31148805/events/0912tr_2009_heatwave_truck_show0912tr_03+2009_heatwave_truck_show+nitto_tires.jpgTrue

Enjoy the most custom trucks on the planet as displayed at this year's SEMA show in Las Vegas.
Airbagged, lowered, lifted, and customized every way imaginable, these trucks are on top of the custom world. Truckin' rolled out 12 wild rides on display outside and 5 featured inside the show. No other magazine can say that has ever been done before!

The new sheriff in town for the Ford F-100 Super Nationals is Charlie Cobble, President of Autoshows.cc Motorsport Events. This year's 31st Ford F-100 Super Nationals will be Charlie's 100th custom show that he has promoted during his thunderous career.

There is only one thing hotter than the weather in Houston, Texas, in June and it is the 7th annual Showdown truck show is definitely it. The sizzling weather didn't stop the hot haulers from flocking to the Sam Houston Race Track for a weekend full of fun under the sun. Thousands of spectators were in attendance to witness the South's finest display of custom rides. Be sure to log onto heatwaveinc.com for the latest scoop on Heat Wave Inc.'s upcoming show schedule, and as always, you can find further coverage of Texas Showdown '09 and other scorching hot shows from around the country at truckinweb.com.

If you're driving around Lake Conroe, Texas, during the first of May and you see a ton of custom trucks cruising the streets, it can mean only one thing-Gator Drag is in town. Trucks from all over the state of Texas, Louisiana, and even Oklahoma, came to the show and continued the tradition of bringing out sweet fullsize rides. The numbers were good this year and the quality of trucks was even better than in recent years. Thankfully, we were there all weekend with our cameras ready and came home with great features and more than 200 photos of show coverage.

We never cease to be amazed at the quality and quantity of custom trucks that come out of California's Central Valley, and each time we go to Danger Zone, the show is bigger and better. This year, the customs trucks continued to roll in until after noon. We got there early to try to beat the rush, but even our early arrival wasn't enough to beat hundreds of vehicles lined up to get in. Lucky for us, we already had our trailer inside so we snuck in the vendors' entrance. Show staff had to turn away vehicles after the park was filled to capacity with 1,500 entrants! The layout was new for this year's show, which made navigating the trucks easier. The only problem was there were too many trucks to check out in just a one-day show! Spectators were packed down the main stretch of vendors and the ever-present Central Valley sunshine made the trucks look their best. What more could you ask for? For information on next year's show, visit dangerous-toys.org and check out Truckinweb.com for more coverage.

The forecast called for thunder-storms and mostly cloudy skies over Lake Charles, Louisiana, during the week of April 18-19, but that didn't stop the masses from attending the 18th annual Midnight Fantasies show. Lovers of all things custom flocked to the Lake Charles Civic Center for a weekend filled with trick trucks, vendors displaying the hottest products, and mountains of delicious, steaming-hot crawfish. When the showers fell, the 6,000+ showgoers and truck owners ducked into the main hall to dry off and salivate over the indoor vehicle selection and bikini contestants.

After a one-year hiatus, Laid Out at the Park came back! Trucks rolled in well into the afternoon to fill Cherokee Park in Morristown, Tennessee. Show promoter Jeff Dillard was sick for most of the show, so his wife stepped up and took the reins for what was a highly successful show. Just take a look at the trophies that were handed out for the best upholstery, best paint, and best under construction, that were given a special touch by being covered in vinyl, graphics, and primer. Limo Wreck played several sets on the stage (check them out at myspace.com/limowreck69) and provided live music to set off the bikini contest. Check out laydoutatthepark.net for information on future shows.

Checking IDs at the main gate, Severed Ties ensured the fun would last all weekend long and be mostly legal thanks to the 18-year-old minimum requirement. On March 19-22, 5,500 registration sheets were filled out within the first two days and the Severed crew had to go print more copies. It's our best guestimate that more than 9,000 people took over the Somerville Marina at Overlook campgrounds in Somerville, Texas. The beautiful setting was home to some of the nation's hottest custom trucks, as several top-notch builds debuted at the event and many under construction rides showed plenty of future potential. A big attraction for the show was the Severed Ties Mini Trucker Olympics. We'll do the math for you here: imagine endless Bud Light and truck club members battling in silly games and you get the picture. It was fun just watching as clubs competed in a beer chugging contest, Razor scooter races, dodgeball matches, and even human bowling on what has to the world's largest slip and slide. If you missed the show and want to feel like you were there, go to truckinweb.com and click on shows. There, you'll find more than 300 photos and videos of trucks from the show.

Evolving as one of the biggest and best shows of California, Forbidden Fantasy popped the proverbial SoCal show season cherry with a bang. Over 600 custom trucks and cars piled into the fairgrounds at Lake Perris, and quickly turned a desolate little town into the custom truck place to be in the Southwest on the weekend of March 14-15. Many custom trucks debuted at the show with several promising under construction rides bearing sheetmetal skins and awesome frames. Truckin' rolled big at the show with one of the largest booths and six cover trucks in a corral for everyone to check out. For more info on next year's Forbidden Fantasy, go to myspace.com/ffftruck.

Kicking off the '09 show season in style, this year's Art of Noize show, held by Bring the Noize truck club, was a great success with a new record in rides and spectators. Fullsize trucks, minis, and even the van crowd represented well at the event. This month's cover truck debuted at the show and had a steady following checking out the sick ride. Held at the Victory Lane Sports Park, in Glendale, Arizona, the show had a live DJ, food, and plenty of softball to check out as tournaments were being played on the adjacent fields. For more info about next year's show, check out artofnoize.com.

The Coast Coliseum was packed to capacity and top-quality trucks were bumper-to-bumper in the Mississippi heat for the '09 edition of the gulf coast's biggest show. With feature-worth trucks and great photo locations, it makes a Feature Editor's job easy. Check out some of our favorite trucks here and look forward to the following issues of Truckin' to see features on some of these awesome trucks.

Every year we can count on Scrapin' the Coast to pull in hundreds of custom trucks and gather feature-worthy trucks for both us, and our sister publications to photograph. With a main stage for bands, giveaways, and a secondary, backwater location for after-hours festivities, STC brings the entertainment too. As is always the case, Biloxi, Mississippi, gets hot and humid in the summer, so we're glad to retreat into the air-conditioned exhibition hall to check out the featured vehicles and vendors lucky enough to grab a spot inside.