The Mackinac Bridge is a five mile structure that connects the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with the lower portion of the state. Every year on the second weekend in September, you can watch nearly 200 trucks cross the bridge to celebrate the Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show “Parade of Lights.”
Nineteen years ago, the small town of St. Ignace, Michigan, on the north side of the bridge, hosted the first Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show. Mr. Crane was an entrepreneur who had a passion for training folks who wanted to become professional drivers. His son, Rick Crane, and daughter, Fran Bernard, continue to honor their father with the help of Ed Reavie, a local car and truck enthusiast, and the citizens of St. Ignace, who welcome them each September with open arms.
Outside of the Upper Peninsula, however, very few are familiar with the event. It’s one of the best kept secrets in truck shows.
This year’s event was the biggest ever in the history of the show. The National Association of Show Trucks (NAST) ran the truck “beauty contest” competition and reported nearly 150 trucks and tractor-trailer combinations in the show. With the added vendor units in the parade, estimates range near 170 vehicles crossing the bridge at dusk.
The Mackinac Bridge is supported by tolls, and the $5 per axle fee is sponsored by Bill Hutchins, a journalist in the trucking industry, and his wife, Wilda Dodson, supporters of the show.
Ellen Voie, President/CEO of Women In Trucking Association, was this year’s Parade Marshall and had the opportunity to ride in one of the lead trucks owned by Reefer Service Inc.
Voie also awarded the first ever, Women In Trucking Award for show truck competition to Anita Dewiche (pictured) of Dorchester, Wisconsin, owner-operator of Gentle Rain Transport. Anita pulls a flat bed trailer and hauls lumber products throughout the Midwest.
Meredith Ochs of Sirius/XM’s Freewheelin’ Show on Road Dog Trucking broadcasted live from the show and was able to interview Anita and other drivers at the Women In Trucking booth. Ochs was able to ride in a convoy across the Mackinac Bridge as well.
Fran Bernard, owner of International Trucking School in Canton, Michigan and long time member of the Women In Trucking Association coordinated the award and arranged Voie’s spot as Parade Marshall.
Bernard’s goal is to increase the awareness of the Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show and to invite even more drivers, vendors, and attendees to the show for their 20th anniversary next year.
This truck show is one of the most well organized, fun, and family friendly events in the country. Let’s not keep it a secret any longer. Mark your calendar for the 20th anniversary Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show, the second weekend in September, 2015.
