(Published on January 18, 2017) Monster truck lovers of all ages recently gathered over a two-day period (Jan. 13 – Jan. 14) at the Salem Civic Center to watch an all-star lineup of various trucks – Equalizer, Hurricane Force, Red Solo Truck, Defender, Illuminator and Storm Damage – put on an action-packed show from start to finish. Presented by First Team Nissan, tickets ranged from $20 to $28.

Jermaine Anderson said after purchasing his ticket last month, he went on his social media platforms to express his excitement. “Everybody should come to the Salem Civic Center on January 13 because the Monster Truck Winternationals event is guaranteed to be worth the price of admission,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

Adults and children alike displayed their enthusiasm from their seats for nearly two hours. Tyler Scott’s 11-year-old son Kyce jokingly told his father not to jump out of his chair when the engines get loud. “He bet me twenty pushups that he could go two hours without jumping,” Kyce said. “Within twenty minutes, he lost the bet. During the intermission break, he got on the floor and kept his word. I love my dad.”

A California native and Baylor University alumnus, Resa Levin has been employed as a No Limit Monster Trucks promoter for three years. “This is the first time that we’ve been back to Salem in eight years. The Salem Civic Center asked us to return, and we were glad to do it,” she said. “It took months to put together this event. We had to gather many performers and people. We also had to work hand and hand with the venue and make sure everything was good.”

According to Resa, one of the most difficult things about a live monster truck event is the unpredictability. “You can cross every T and dot every I, but sometimes things happen that are out of your control,” she said.

On the second night, a local female truck driver suffered a crash against a wall going over 50 miles per hour. She was temporarily shaken up but was able to walk off on her own accord with minor injuries. Later that evening, she checked into Lewis Gale Hospital for further examinations, and they confirmed that she was okay.

Mason Rose attended the event with his wife, Jade, and children King, 10, and Kory, 11. “I met my wife back in 1983 when I attended a monster truck event with my dad,” he said. “Jade and I haven’t missed many monster truck events over the years, and now that we have kids, it’s sort of become a family tradition.”

“As always, our main goal is to make sure that we put on a top-notch show,” Resa said. “We want people talking about their experiences until we return again.”