/Minden Kin Club’s truck pull a go

Minden Kin Club’s truck pull a go

By Sue Tiffin

After a hugely successful ice racing event, the Minden Kin Club is ready to do it again – this time in warmer weather.

The club has announced Minden’s annual truck pull and show and shine will be happening this year – the first time since prior to the pandemic – on June 25.

“We’re all ready for a decent party, to be honest,” laughed club president Andy Rickard. “Hopefully being earlier in the year it’s a chance for everyone to get outside and enjoy themselves. There haven’t been many events to go to lately.”

While usually, an ATV mud bog is held alongside the popular truck pull and show and shine events, this year the club is planning on an ATV hole shot competition, a radar run on the pull track with top speeds measured by radar at a set distance. 

“The logistics of digging the mud pit just got expensive and difficult,” said Rickard. “It’s a lot of work trying to dig the pit, fill the pit in, re-sod it, having the grass grow back … so you can dig it up again next year.”

Rickard hopes that the unique hole shot event, offering a first, second and third prize, will attract new participants and also some of the same people who participated in the mud bog, as well, with their modified machines.

“It would be neat to see them,” he said. “They’d obviously be very fast at this event, which would be exciting.” 

A food booth, other food vendors, and beer tent will be on offer, with the Minden Legion taking on the operation of the beer tent while the Kin Club manages the new ATV event, a collaboration that Rickard appreciates. 

“Really at the end of the day, a service club is a service club,” said Rickard. “It doesn’t really matter which one is making the profit, it’s all going back to the community anyway.”

Rickard said this year, the Kin Club is honouring past sponsors, enabling businesses that have donated or supported the event over the years to maintain their sponsorship, and make a donation if possible.

“Some businesses have been quite busy through the pandemic, and some have been not,” said Rickard. “So the ones that are having a harder go of it, we’ll maintain their position and give them the advertising this year, hoping to help them back up. Some of the businesses have been quite busy, we’re hoping they’ll be able to help us out.”

The initial response to the event’s return has been enthusiastic. 

“It’s a big event, there’s a lot of people involved in that, from our corporate sponsors that sponsor the prize money, to the volunteers that put on the event, and all the participants and spectators,” said Rickard.

The Minden Kin Club held the 32nd truck pull and show and shine in 2019 and raised around $14,000 for community needs.

“We’re a pretty simple club, we run two events,” said Rickard. “Once we get the ice racing finished, we plan the truck pull, and once we get the truck pull finished, we plan the ice racing.”

Registration starts at 8 a.m., and the ATV hole shot competition starts at 9 a.m. The truck pull begins at noon. Admission is $15 at the gates, $5 for those aged 12 to 16 or free for kids under 12. Camping will be available at $25 a night.

For more information, visit the Minden Kin Club at mindenkin.club or on Facebook.