Features > Events/Trail Rides
Party Time
story & photos by Steve Temple
Truck Fest Serves up a Feast of Off-Road Goodies
If you’ve ever been to a Las Vegas buffet, you know it’s hard to resist sampling all those appetizing items steaming under the heat lamps and arranged on the dessert trays.
Now, imagine the same sort of spread for an off-road enthusiast, but serving up tricked-out rigs and hard parts for pickups rather than slices of prime rib and strawberry cheesecake, and you get the idea of the 4 Wheel Parts Truck Fest. Not only that, you don’t have to pay to get in, because the event is freeeee!
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“The Truck Fest is special because consumers get an opportunity to see super customized trucks free of charge,” points out Rob Forman, Marketing Director for 4 Wheel Parts. “More important, they also can buy all sorts of products there at great discounts. You can take the items with you, or have them shipped to your home or nearest store. You can also get a discount on installs as well. The Truck Fest is just like a big Open House!”
Now in its second year, this buffet of bolt-ons was most recently held at the Ontario, California convention center, and a total of four Truck Fests were scheduled in various cities this year, and possibly more Fests on the way next year.
Whatever the location, the Truck Fest sets a table with just about every juicy piece of performance hardware an off-roader hungers for — and more. With more than 100 manufacturers on site, there’s nothing to stop you from over-indulging, because at the center of the event were several rows of cash registers ringing non-stop with showgoers’ purchases. Even if you don’t plan to buy anything, you still might walk home with some cool stuff, because $1000 worth of gift certificates were given away at the event.
In addition to all the accessories, some really righteous rides were on hand as well. Ranging from mild to monster-sized trucks, these rigs demonstrated all the possibilities for buildups, giving attendees some great ideas for projects.
For those who want to get some hands-on knowledge, both Fabtech and Explorer Pro Comp put on live buildups during the event that showed how to install off-road upgrades for the body, engine and suspension of both GM and Ford vehicles. Other eye-catching attractions included a live radio broadcast by the popular southern California FM 97.1, hourly giveaways, and the nicely equipped 4 Wheel Parts Girls (sure, they’ll be happy to answer your tech questions!).
There’s only one caution when you go to a Truck Fest: Just like at a Vegas buffet, you gotta make sure to save room for dessert!
