EVENT COVERAGE | 25TH ANNUAL SOUTHEAST MINI-TRUCKIN’ NATIONALS

A Quarter Century Old and still Going strong

When it comes to custom vehicle shows, location plays a huge role. It sets the scene, draws crowds and can even recreate a time gone by—in this case, 25 years ago when the Southeast Mini-Truckin’ Nationals were first held in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Rather than celebrate the show’s silver anniversary in the Volunteer State, however, Jason Bell and his Southeast Mini-Truckin’ Nationals crew decided to keep it in the quaint little town of Maggie Valley, North Carolina. This hamlet in the heart of the Smokey Mountains is only 3.2 square miles and home to just over 600 people, which provided a perfect, quiet location for a show of this caliber. In anticipation of the event, Jason worked closely with the local businesses and law enforcement, who welcomed the show with open arms.

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When the three-day event kicked off at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds, tons of old 25-year-old builds that spent a decade or two in storage came out of hiding, along with several retro-style builds. In total, 750 vehicles were registered from all over the United States and Canada.

Speaking of the show grounds, once inside the gates, you were surrounded by beautiful mountains and trees. If you looked up on one of the hills hard enough, you could even spot the mountain goats that have become a big part of the show’s annual artwork and theme. Vendors and shop booths from all over the country lined the perimeter of the grounds to support such an iconic event.

Once the sun started to set, the fun moved outside the show site and onto the town’s street. This is where the old school feel really set in. The main strip in front of the show was lined with people sitting in chairs and on tailgates just like the old Pigeon Forge days. The local police department led the start of the cruising and let everyone cruise, drag, ride in the bed of trucks and just have some good old cruising fun until late in the evening. This year with the perfect weather, you couldn’t have asked for a better weekend of cool custom vehicles, friends and laughs.

The title sponsor of the 25th annual Southeast Mini-Truckin’ Nationals was Accuair, along with sponsors Viair, XS Power, Raptor Bed Liners, AVS, Paintless Dent Repair and Diverse Customs.

If you are looking for an event to hit up next year that is laid back and stress free, make sure you put this one of your calendars. You can find them on Instagram or Facebook under @minitruckinnats. The 26th annual Southeast Minitruckin’ Nationals will be held in the same location in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, on April 24-26, 2020.

once inside the gates, you were surrounded by beautiful mountains and trees. If you looked up on one of the hills hard enough, you could even spot the mountain goats that have become a big part of the show’s annual artwork and theme.