2023-10-18

Truck show raises over $3,000 for charity

BRIDGEWATER - Two charitable causes benefited from over $3,000 raised during an event held in August at the exhibition grounds in town.

Autism Nova Scotia's South Shore chapter and The Rose Fund each received $1,700 from the Brothers of the Highway Truck Show and Shine, an inaugural event hosted by local truck drivers who want to give back to the community.

"We didn't want to just give to one charity, we wanted to split it up," Tyler Meisner, the event's chairman, said in a phone interview.

The two-day celebration was an expo of big rig power and might, and also a demonstration of community support. It took place this summer and featured over 60 trucks, mostly transport trucks, a light show and awards ceremony involving several categories.

A local lion's club brought its train attraction. There were prizes available for children and there was was also an evening performance by country music singer and Kings County first responder Kevin Davidson

Drivers came from as far away as New Brunswick and Antigonish, Meisner said of the first large scale event that promises to return next year.

"We will be back in 2024 but the date hasn't been officially been picked yet," he said, noting, at the time of the interview, he was in talks to have it at the South Shore Exhibition grounds once again.

Last year, Meisner, a trucker and volunteer firefighter out of Pleasantville, assumed a key role in organizing a show and shine event last year in Hebbville that raised $5,000 in support of a fellow driver battling cancer.

"I managed to build a relationship with drivers and sponsors and businesses," Meisner added. "If it wasn't for them, it wouldn't be possible."

He said the event also wouldn't have gone ahead without the backing of volunteers. He had over 30 for the weekend.

Meisner, who's been driving truck for about a dozen years comes from a bloodline of family members who also made their living on the roads. There used to be more show and shine-style events around the area, he said, and felt compelled to keep a tradition alive. "It's a brotherhood," he noted.

As for the beneficiaries in this year's showcase, one cause was eye-opening for Meisner, while another hits close to home.

He said he didn't fully realize the complexity of the autism condition and its affects. Meanwhile, The Rose Fund, which operates under the Health Services Foundation of the South Shore, helps cancer patients cope financially. Meisner said his father was diagnosed with cancer in 2011 and "from then on" he understood the importance of having proper supports available.

To learn more about Autism Nova Scotia, go to https://www.autismnovascotia.ca on the internet.

For more information about The Rose Fund, named in memory of Rosanne Himmelman who lost her cancer battle in 2005, visit https://therosefund.ca online.