Ok, so I have to admit, I didnt really know much about vannin' before attending the 37th National Truck-In event. As a matter of fact, I didnt know anything. The way it breaks down is Snotty, who knew about us,  got a hold of Todd with the Van Former van to see if he could get in contact with us to see if we would be interested in attending this year's National Truck-In. After being on the phone with Todd for 15 minutes of him explaining what the event is about and what goes on there, I was in. We ended up talking for about and hour and then once or twice a month up until the event happened. Even with all the talk and knowledge I had coming into this, it still did not prepare us for what we experienced the 4 days we were there. To begin with, we pulled into the Schuylkill County faigrounds located in the valley of Summit Station, PA on Wednesday morning about 9am to a long line of vans waiting to get through the gate. I thought this was quite impressive until I was told that there had been people there for the unofficial start of the event as early as the previous Thursday. The thing that caught me right from the beginning of driving past all those people in line was the fact that everyone was throwing their hands up and welcoming us in as if we had been coming there for years. Once we found our spot and got mostly set up, I heard there was a ceremony getting ready to happen to kick the official event off. So I made sure not to miss that and I am glad that I didnt because I have never seen anything like that before. They go through the whole process of welcoming everyone out (and there are alot of people present for this), raising the flag that represents the theme of the event (Van Camp), getting a group shot of the host clubs (Moon Lite vans & Performance Inc.) and cutting the ribbon to the entrance of the grounds so the vanners can finally roll through for the official event. But remember, there were  like a couple hundred vans already on the grounds before this even happened so the place already seemed pretty packed out. The main reasons for hittin' up this vannin' event was for one, I had never experienced it for myself and had a lot of curiosity after hearing about it and two, I wanted to show "our" show world where they came from. Vanners are the true pioneers of the truck and river runs that we all hear about and are trying to bring back into our scene. These are the guys that got together back in the day to hang out, party and have a good time with people of the same interests. Vannin' became so popular and there was such a huge presence at events that there was a National Truck-In event created to bring all the vanners together in middle America. Terry Cook who was the editor of Hot Rod at the time was the one who wrote the article suggesting this event and Rocky Mountain Vans out of Denver, CO was the first club to respond. The stipulations of the event was that it had to be ran by a different club each year, held in a different location each year and would always be within the last 3 weeks in July. The first one kicked off in Tiger Run, CO in '73 and has been rolling ever since. In the early stages of this event (between '75-'79) there was a huge battle between good and evil (vanners VS promoter) that would result in the 2% movement that is the backbone to the vanner's world today. This story is so good that I have to wait and tell it in the pages of DropJaw Magazine (issue #7) because I want it to be documented forever. If you like to hang out and party with friends at the events you attend each and every weekend, you will NOT want to miss this story. It shows how we as show goers have total control over our scene no matter what it is. Back to the show....I figured it would take a couple days to get to know some people but by the end of Wednesday night, we had already met a whole lot of the people from the vannin' world and a lot of the vanners that have been in the scene for 30+ years. I have to say, Vanners are some of the most sociable and respectful people I have ever met in my life. You know the guy or girl that you always talk to at event, even though you dont see them that often you still conversate about whatever, forever....that is how EVERY vanner was at this show. It didnt matter what age, sex, race or drunken state, everyone had a story to tell or just wanted to shoot the shit about nothing. This was more like a social event than a show. The show off actually happens on Friday, light show Friday night and alot of different games, events, classes, siminars and get togethers throughout the week....but mainly it is a place that every vanner comes together as a family. One thing about the National Truck-In is that it is closed off to the public. The only people in the gates are vanners and you dont have to worry about anything. You can let your kids run around without having to worry about someone messing with them, you can leave your van unlocked all hours of the day and you dont have to put anything away at your campsite because no one is gonna steal anything here. Respect for one another has been passed down from generation to generation...it is truely like one big family. Oh yeah....EVERYONE camps whether in your van or in a tent or maybe even a camper. Hardcore vanners will talk a little junk about sleeping in anything other than your van but over time some of us have adapted to a more comfortable camping experience so it is understandable. Me and Rod slept in the van, just so you all know. We were also labeled as "puppys" since this was our first National event and we even got given a rock and was told that we need not get caught without it or there would be hell to pay. Needless to say, we got away without having to do any of the crazy things that they make some puppys do like wearing signs that say "I'm a puppy, feed me beer". Speaking of beer, you will learn a little later that 2%ers are known for partying until early hours of the morning and are very generous with their party favors. You will get asked all day do you want a beer, or if you'd like to sit down and have something to eat. What's theirs is yours. I'm telling ya....if you have a van, love to hang out and party and have the greatest time of your life, you need to come check out the 38th National Truck-In in NY next year. There are also van shows that happen all throughout the year in all kinds of places so be sure to check one out soon. If nothing else....we will see you at next year's Nats. Special thanx to the members of Moon Lite Vans & Performance Inc. and to the whole vannin' community for the open arms we received when we got to the 37th National Truck-In. See you all next year if not sooner. Keep on Vannin'