DICKSON CITY, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A truck show near Scranton brought out hundreds of visitors from northeastern Pennsylvania and beyond, but they were not just there for the trucks.
28/22 News Reporter Avery Nape brings us the sights and sounds of the annual diesel display and what's behind it.
Rolling coal for a good cause: Diesel Jam 2025 brought hundreds of truck owners and truck enthusiasts to Dickson City's Circle Drive-In Saturday afternoon.
More than 200 trucks, big and small, lined up for spectators to enjoy.
"I think it's pretty sweet. I mean, look at all the sweet rigs pulling in! It's pretty sweet," Eli Koch from New Jersey said.
Diesel Jam started in 2018 by the Andrew Mazza Foundation.
The 23-year-old was killed in a DUI crash in 2016.
Now, his father, Phillip Mazza, and others who were close to Andrew host the show each year as a way to honor Andrew's passion for all things diesel.
New law could legalize fortune telling in PA.
"I think he would be very, very proud to see what this show has become and grown into," Phillip Mazza, Father of Andrew Mazza, told 28/22 News.
But Saturday's event was more than just a truck show. It's keeping Andrew Mazza's legacy alive and continuing to show the importance of the trades here in NEPA.
Each year, the foundation donates proceeds from the show to help local high schoolers attend trade school. 30 scholarships, each worth $500, are given to local students to help them continue their education.
"It just meant a lot to actually be able to get the scholarship for two years back to back and help me in my college," Two Time Scholarship Recipient Chad Honeywell said.
Honeywell recently graduated from Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster.
The two-time scholarship recipient now works in construction. He says supporting the trades is crucial for any community, not just here in NEPA.
"Without the trades, we don't have roads, we don't have buildings, you can't work out of everything. So it's like, they're necessary, they're necessary for the work-force," Honeywell added.
Andrew's father is just glad the community has a chance to experience the things his son loved so much.
"For the community, by the community. And that's, that's what it takes," Phillip continued.
Learn more online about the Andrew Mazza Foundation and its scholarship program.
