The truck stops here
It’s not where you’re going; it’s the stops you make along the way that count. And when it comes to pulling over, Iowa 80, which proudly declares itself “the World’s Largest Truckstop” isn’t a bad place to start.
But this is not just a place for drivers to refuel, it is also home to the Walcott Truckers Jamboree, where truckers come from far and wide show off their vehicles, listen to music and celebrate life on the road.
As the first day of the Trucker's Jamboree draws to a close, one man looks out into the night.
A girl at the jamboree shows off her own style of wearing jeans.
Truckers and residents who attend the jamboree have the chance to look at and sit inside trucks that have been decked out especially for the occasion.
The festival is not just for truckers themselves, but their families too, from the elderly, to younger truckers-in-the-making.
The Iowa 80 Truckstop is almost 50 years old and has been hosting the jamboree since 1979. According to its website, the truckstop's late owner Bill Moon founded the Jamboree as a way of thanking the drivers who stopped by so often.
Marin Page, 13, lolls outside her family truck, which is part of the Super Truck Beauty contest, where truckers deck out their vehicles, inside and out, for others to come and admire.
A family exits the truckstop giftshop, where customers can purchase everything from Native American souvenirs to trucking paraphernalia. The Iowa 80 also houses a large commercial complex, with fast-food outlets, a 300-seat restaurant, a cinema, a barber, and a dentist, among other facilities.
One of the littler attendees at the Truckers Jamboree is covered up from the setting sun.
A father helps his 20-month-old daughter Dezirae signal to passing truck drivers to blow their horns. They responded with gusto.
Joyce Wagner, a local from Walcott Iowa, enjoys the country music that is part of the celebrations.
One girl buys a snow cone at the jamboree.
Families wander around in the carnival atmosphere.
