High school student hosts Charles City truck meet

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

Charles City received a convoy of young visitors on Saturday as local teenager hosted a truck meet.

Much like a car show, truck enthusiasts from around the area came to show off their pickups and socialize with each other over their shared love of the vehicles.

“We went to a meet in Hampton and liked it, so we thought it’d be neat to throw one of our own,” said Kayden Barnish, a junior at Charles City High School.

Organizing through social media platforms like Snapchat and TikTok, Barnish got the word out through truck groups like the North Iowa Exclusives and the 515 Exclusives. The meet happened on Saturday, March 23, with trucks rolling in to line up down the block of Barnish’s grandparent’s property as their drivers socialized and appreciated each other’s rides.

Putting everything together for the truck meet was a big endeavor for the high school student, who had to work to get the event running on a budget and handle all of the logistical preparations like arranging for a restroom access and getting approval for the street closure.

Expecting as many as 80 trucks coming in and out over the afternoon, finding parking spots for everybody was an ongoing challenge for Barnish and his grandparents throughout the day.

“It’s a little stressful, but it’s something I want to do in the future so I might as well start now,” said Barnish.

Barnish also had to be responsible for making sure that his friends behaved, laying down the law when drivers got too rowdy with revving their engines and burning their tires.

“It was the most mellow meet we’ve had this year,” said Barnish. “I don’t think it could have gone any better than it did for my first time.”

Local police said that the visiting drivers behaved while they were in the city, though the sheriff’s department was called after the event with reports of some rambunctious drivers doing burnouts at 7-Mile Corner. Deputies responded and hung around until the group dispersed and no citations were issued.

Barnish said he hopes to organize another meet in the future, next time renting a venue where the drivers can do burnouts to their heart’s content on appropriate property.