The saga of Hank's Jamboree began in a small county park near Ottawa, Illinois, back in 1988. That was the year four-wheel-drive enthusiast Hank Walsh held the first-ever event that bears his name. The event defined "grassroots." The one-day event sported a display of trucks, a few vendors, and a couple of competitions. People loved it. By 1991 the event had outgrown the park, so it was moved to the more spacious acreage of a local marina. It was there that the event gathered steam in a big way. In addition to the truck show, Hank added a full spectrum of racing as well as nightly entertainment. The event was also expanded to encompass two full days. With a full head of steam, the event continued to grow, eventually forcing a move to the even larger Tri-County Fairgrounds in Mendota, Illinois, which is where it was held last year when we paid a visit.
Unfortunately for everyone involved, bad weather reared its ugly head. It rained relentlessly for three days prior to the event and during most of the event. It was reported that the area got 9 inches of rain before it was all said and done. On top of that, temperatures plummeted, making it feel very un-August-like. Ultimately, the deluge caused such significant flooding in the area that several counties had to be declared disaster areas.
As you can imagine, this had a devastating effect on the event. To give you an example, in 2006 there were 300 trucks in the truck show. Last year there were but a handful. There were only 40 trucks entered in the truck pull last year compared to nearly 100 the previous year. As a matter of fact, it took a gargantuan effort just to have the truck pull because of all the rain and mud. The fairground's infield was so soupy that aside from a few test runs, Hank couldn't even hold his legendary off-the-hook tough-truck competition. Many of the competitions had to be canceled. The crappy weather also hurt spectator counts, which were down by 50 percent.
There were bright spots, however. Mud bog competitors were up by 50 percent over the previous year. Go figure. Due to a tremendous effort on the part of many people, the show went on both days and the stands were filled with far more people than one would've imagined, considering the conditions. Not only that, but the crowd was wildly enthusiastic.
Hank's Jamboree is spooling up for their '08 show, which is taking place rain or shine August 16-17. This year the event has relocated to the LaSalle Speedway in LaSalle, Illinois. On tap is a truck show, four classes of truck pulls, five classes of mud bogs, truck and ATV dirt drags, a burnout contest, back-to-back pulls, monster truck racing, tough truck racing, and much more. For more information call 815/434-4077, or visit www.hanks4x4.com.
 Monster trucks have always...  Monster trucks have always been a staple of Hank's Jamboree. Bigfoot and Freedom Force got crazy even with the soggy infield conditions. Raminator and Rammunition are scheduled to appear at this year's show. |  Hank and his crew fought incredibly...  Hank and his crew fought incredibly bad weather to hold the truck pull competition. They spent hours grooming the track to create a firm base for the 40 competitors who braved the gnarly weather to come and pull. |  One event that thrived was...  One event that thrived was the mud bog racing. Participants were up 50 percent from the previous year and the action was intense. There were five classes ranging from stock to modified. |
 The mud bog, which stopped...  The mud bog, which stopped most vehicles cold, was no match for the National Guard. They breezed through it easily like it wasn't even there. |  The crew from the Mud Dawgs...  The crew from the Mud Dawgs got a healthy workout slogging through the saturated infield with the mud-bog recovery rope. This was the kind of mud that can suck your boots off. |  ATVs are big in Central Illinois,...  ATVs are big in Central Illinois, so it's only natural that Hank's Jamboree would integrate them into some of the events. ATV mud-bog racing is one of the events they got to partake in. |
 Soggy conditions notwithstanding,...  Soggy conditions notwithstanding, the staff of Hank's Jamboree was upbeat. Hey, even being wet and covered in mud for two days is better than a good day at the office. |  Rain didn't stop folks from...  Rain didn't stop folks from perusing the vendor area. Everything from truck parts to ATVs to food was available. |  In one of the rare moments...  In one of the rare moments when it was not raining, competitors mill around as they wait for their turn to challenge the mud bog. |