BLOOMSBURG, COLUMBIA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — It’s a summer tradition that draws in more than 2,000 vehicles to Columbia County, all for a massive off-roading weekend.
28/22 News stopped by the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds to find out more about the event that has mud and dirt flying.
Seeing horses at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds is nothing out of the ordinary, but starting Friday, a different kind of horsepower is taking over, all for the 4-Wheel Jamboree.
“It’s a little slice of Americana. It’s basically a state fair, meets a truck show, meets a racing event,” explained Andy Knapp, chief revenue officer at Events Inc./4-Wheel Jamboree Bloomsburg.
The three-day event welcomes around 2,000 four-wheel vehicles. Some of them are massive, including monster trucks, to compete in racing, show-n-shine, and attempt to make it across its 4-foot deep mud bog.
Almost 120 years of hill climb racing for one community
“They usually don’t get all the way through, but that’s how they’re judged, is how far they get in the mud bog,” said Knapp.
Brave participants like Leonard Hunter have been in it since the original jamboree in Indianapolis.
He says it’s the community that keeps bringing him back.
“Washington State, Florida, everybody comes here. So you come to one of these shows, it’s not just coming here for local people, it’s coming for family and friends that are coming from across the country,” said Hunter.
In its 38th year, generations join in on the fun.
Not just fans, but new drivers like Skye Moore.
“My grandparents and mom and dad always brought me to these shows, and I was just always involved on stage, registration, all of that,” said Moore.
You can enter to drive your own vehicle on the grounds, but if you want someone else to do it for you, Sergeant Smash has you covered.
“From two years old all the way up to 100, you can get to experience what it’s like to be up that high and it feels like you’re going to tip over, but we got a good driver in there and it’s a lot of fun, it’s a lot of fun,” said Mike Moore, president at Events Inc./4-Wheel Jamboree Bloomsburg.
Running through Sunday, the jamboree’s a spectacle that will for sure have you leaving muddy.
The 4-Wheel Jamboree also has competitions for best farmer tan and best beer belly.
You can buy tickets for the weekend event at the 4-Wheel Jamboree or at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds gate.
