The 20th annual Corbitt Truck Show and Reunion is coming up next month on Oct. 15, and it’s a great time to come out and view some of the vehicles that were manufactured right here in Henderson.
Corbitt Preservation Association Vice President Tom Burleson said the reunion coincides with the Show, Shine, Shag and Dine event, which brings thousands of car enthusiasts from all over into town for a weekend of fun.
Burleson told John C. Rose on Thursday’s TownTalk that his group is selling raffle tickets for some nice prizes – tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20. First prize is a Milwaukee tool set, which retails for $750-$800. Second prize is a Hobart welding accessory kit, valued at $300.
Tickets are available from anyone in the Corbitt Preservation Association, their social media page, as well as at the museum on the day of the reunion – and Burleson said you don’t have to be present to win.
The Corbitt museum, located at 180 Church St., has plenty of Corbitt merchandise for sale. “We’ll be open for business that day and look forward to seeing people,” he said. There are Corbitt caps and t-shirts for sale, among other items. This year’s t-shirt features an image of a 1929 fire truck, whose chassis was built by Corbitt, which once known as the South’s largest truck manufacturer.
The fire truck originally was property of the U.S. Navy, but Burleson said it had more recently been used on the campus of the Maryland Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Officials there contacted the preservation association when it was ready to be retired, and it is now in the process of being restored to its former glory.
That very truck should be among the rolling stock of Corbitt vehicles that will be on display near the fire department on Garnett Street during the car show, Burleson said.
It’s not an everyday occurrence, but he said the group does hear from folks who have Corbitt vehicles.
“I enjoy it because it’s living history,” Burleson said of his interest in Corbitts. “So many people don’t know or appreciate what the Corbitt Company did for the country and for the community.”
The company began making buggies in 1899 and then produced horseless carriages when they began installing motors on the backs of the buggies. Although most known for their trucks, Corbitt also manufactured cars and tractors.
During World War II, Corbitt produced “big ol’ beasts” to transport all kinds of heavy cargo. “That was their niche and they sold a ton of them,” Burleson said. They’ve turned up in Europe, leftovers from the American presence.
And there are a couple of farm tractors that have been located in Brazil, the result of a deal between the U.S. and the South American country. A couple of shipments made it to Brazil before the deal broke down, Burleson said, but he said someone made contact with folks here to say he had one and his neighbor had one, too.
The Corbitt enthusiasts are keen to keep the vehicles in working order. “These are real things that are wonderfully still rolling,” Burleson said. “We have a good handful of folks who keep these things up and ride them and drive them and display them and love to talk about them,” he said.
To learn more, visit www.corbitttrucks.com or phone 252.767.2247 or 252.432.6476.
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