Love for old pickups leads 2 friends in Chickasha to their own classic truck show
CHICKASHA, Okla. (KFOR) — History and memory never completely disappear.
A lot of it remains covered in rust, or as spare parts, waiting to be made whole.
“I probably keep more trucks than I should,” muses mechanic and collector Jerry Reed.
That’s where we found two friends recently, Reed in his home garage, and Chris Walsh providing fellowship and a little humor.
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“Do you both share a love for the spotlight,” we ask playfully?
Laughing, Jerry responds, “We feel the same about it.”
The hood is open this afternoon on a ’78 GMC pickup that needs a carburetor changeout to give it a little more power.
When it comes to trucks, Jerry’s is a lifelong love.
“My dad bought me ’64 Chevrolet pickup when I was 13,” he recalls. “We started working on it together and never stopped.”
As a 10-year-old, already looking out for fast cars and cool trucks, He got a job at Garvin Watkins muffler shop in Chickasha where a 1956 GMC pickup caught his eye.
He actually found it not long ago and bought what was left.
“Garvin used this truck to fix up another one,” Jerry says. “I bought it for a $100 bill. I couldn’t pass it up.”
Look around his yard and shop and you’ll see a continuous parade of purchases and salvage jobs.
Neither Jerry or Chris like to see old trucks parked permanently.
Reed says, “The ones I can’t fix and drive, I sell and let someone else have a chance.”
Drive an old truck very far and other people who like them might stroll over and strike up a conversation as soon as its standing still.
Both friends like taking their own trucks to shows around the region.
They both talked about hosting a show of their own, and they already had the perfect spot in mind.
“There’s no other venue quite like it,” insists Chris Walsh.
Curtis Hart’s Muscle Car Ranch had its annual Twisterfest Music Festival scheduled for the first weekend in October but organizers made room for old trucks to park beneath the neon signs or beside the Valentine Diner.
They’re right at home here among automotive and highway history.
“I call these trucks ‘memory makers’,” says Reed.
The Twisterfest Music Festival runs October 4-5 and Muscle Car Ranch. It coincides with the Classic Truck Show and the Texoma Pro Wrestling Tournament on Saturday.
For more information, go to twisterfest.com or visit their Facebook page.
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