LOUDONVILLE — More than 100 semi-trailers and other large vehicles will take over the streets of downtown Loudonville for a truck show and parade on Saturday.
The event starts at 8 a.m. with the trucks lining up and down East Main Street, which will be closed to through traffic from North Spring Street to North Union Street.
At 2 p.m., kids with battery-powered vehicles will ride around the block for a mini parade. Gabe Griffith, who set up the event, said there are about eight kids who are registered to bring their vehicles.
At 3 p.m., Griffith will host a silent auction with items provided by various sponsors.
Then the truck show will begin at 4 p.m., concluding the show.
Trucks will drive down County Road 3A, loop back to State Route 3 via South Mount Vernon Avenue across from Mohican Adventures, continue to Wally Road and proceed through downtown Loudonville.
Most of the trucks are semis, but there will also be some fire trucks, military vehicles and pick-ups.
The event also includes a DJ in Central Park, food trucks and a people’s choice vote for favorite truck.
Griffith set up the event through his company, Exotic Fabrications LLC, and in partnership with the Loudonville Area Chamber of Commerce.
“I love trucks, and I love the little town I live in,” Griffith said.
Griffith created the event because he wanted to bring a new, big draw to Loudonville in hopes to draw residents and tourists to the downtown businesses.
“I believe in spending money in my community, and your community will grow if you believe in it,” Griffith said.
He hopes to put the event on next year, and possibly start an annual gathering for Loudonville.
Griffith has collected nearly $20,000 from sponsors, donations and truck registrations. That money will fund two scholarships for Loudonville High School students to attend trade school, technical school or a commercial driver’s license school.
One scholarship will be awarded to a male student, and one to a female student at the end of the 2025-26 school year.
Griffith noted that money will first pay for operating expenses, and the remaining amount will go into the scholarship fund.
“You don’t have to be a lawyer or a doctor, you can do cool things with your hands,” Griffith said. “(Truck drivers) get to go to new places and make a good living doing it.”
The Mohican Traditions Festival will also take place Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be outdoor shopping and special deals at participating downtown businesses.
And Loudonville’s weekly farmer’s market will be open from 9 a.m. to noon.
For more information about the truck show, visit the Largecars Takeover Loudonville Facebook page.
