Another MATS is in the books, and I’m sure y’all are pretty tired of hearing about it. It seems to be the focus of my life for the month of March every year, which consequently makes it the focus of the blog. I am once again blown away by the number of people we meet who tell me they actually read what I write here, and it’s extremely humbling to have people thank me for my work. I always feel the need to apologize when someone comes up to me and says, “I read everything you write,” because it’s still hard for me to imagine that anyone but my Momma wants to do something so tedious.
The Parkers with Jason Johnson and The Rookie, from World’s Toughest TruckerSo thank you. Thank you for reading, thank you for the support, and I will do my best to keep it up, as many of you have asked me to do. I’m still waiting for the day someone walks up to me and says, “I’m going to strangle you if you don’t quit writing that crap.”
We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves this year. Our dear friends Dennis and Michelle Mintling got us into the Mobil Delvac meet-and-greet with the Marshall Tucker Band, which was a huge treat for me, because I may or may not have seen MTB in pretty much every biker bar between Macon and Panama City at least once. (I’m sticking with “may or may not,” because Momma doesn’t like me hanging out in biker bars.) We appreciate the hospitality from the good people at Mobil Delvac. You made this ol’ Georgia girl very happy, and George got to celebrate his birthday with a great group of people. I was completely impressed by the digs, but the thing that impressed me the most was that every Mobil Delvac person we thanked for the evening turned around and thanked us for what we do. I was told more than once they wouldn’t have a job without the truckers, and I appreciate a company that understands and acts on that. Good on ya, Mobil Delvac.
I have a couple of suggestions about the show for anyone who may be listening.
First and foremost, could we please have some employees at the convention center who know where things are? I don’t expect anyone to be able to tell me where booths are located – you’d have to be Rain Man to remember the forty-leven-thousand booths. I do, however, expect for someone who works at the convention center to know where the bathrooms and conference rooms are. And while I appreciate the maps and guides given out at the show, when I’m tearing through that place in desperate search of a specific conference room, it would be much appreciated to be able to ask an employee where something is and get an answer other than, “You know, a lot of people have asked me that today. I have no idea.” It made my eye twitch.
As much as I enjoyed the Marshall Tucker Band and loved seeing them, I think it’s time for someone to listen to the general consensus of the truckers who attend the show and put Tony Justice on the main stage for the big entertainment.
OOIDA has had the right idea for the past two years by making him the Saturday night entertainment on their stage in the Papa John’s lot, but I think it’s time the fans were able to sit in Freedom Hall to watch him, instead of freezing our you-know-whats off in the parking lot.
Just a suggestion.
Thanks again to the Young family for another huge show. See ya’ next year!
