Big, Loud, Crushing Monster Trucks in Town
Friday, May 25, 2012 @ 12:43 PM
"Bounty Hunter" Monster Truck puts on promo show at CN Centre Parking lot – photo Opinion250. click on photo for short video of this event.
Prince George, B.C.- The Monster Spectacular trucks are in Prince George, and put on a crushing display at the CN Centre earlier today.
Behind the wheel of the “Bounty Hunter” , driver Darren Migues, a former truck driver and mechanic , who was first drawn to the world of Monster Trucks by his five year old son. “I had taken my son to a Monster truck show and he wanted to sit inside one, but they wouldn’t let him” says Migues. “ l knew there were some Monster Truck drivers in my area of Kansas City, but I was surprised to learn there was a whole team based just 25 miles away from my home. I volunteered to help them, and they told me there were some job openings, so they called me in for a job interview. They told me they would make their decision on Thanksgiving.”
Darren( in photo at right) says that Thanksgiving was a very long day for him as he waited to hear news on his application. The team called, he was hired, but not as driver, at least not just yet and the job was only supposed to be for six months. “I took a leave of absence from my job, and after about 4 months, they let me drive one time, and I was just like, all right, I gotta figure out how to become a driver.” He says he just stayed with it and stayed with it until he was regularly behind the wheel and was offered a permanent post as a driver.
That was 7 years ago.
Today, he is part of the Monster Spectacular event at the C N Centre this weekend.
Along with Mueges’ Bounty Hunter truck, ( which was the Monster Jam World Finals Freestyle Champion), there will be :
Red Baron, the former Monster Spectacular Series Campion
Rock Star, a two time American Touring Series Champion
and the California Kid, a throwback gangster style themed truck.
As an added attraction, Team Global FMX will present a freestyle motocross display by Kris Garwasiuk of Kelowna.
As for Migues, he takes it all in stride, behind the wheel of his truck which is powered by a 575 big block Chevy motor super charged. It puts out about 1800 horsepower says Migues, enough to turn those 66” tall wheels.
And now, his son gets to sit in a monster truck “whenever he wants, he doesn’t even have to ask.”
The Monster Trucks will be putting on a show Saturday night at 7:30, and again on Sunday at 2:00.
The show is loud, and CN Centre reps say while there will be some ear plugs offered for sale at the show, parents should make sure their kids are wearing some sort of hearing protective gear.
Comments
First the Canadian Tenors, then these honking big trucks.
I wish more people would understand that PG is a town that needs to accommodate the interests of many.
Can we get some idea of how well each of those two events so close to each other were attended by paid ticket holders, please?
Free Press reported 1800 at the Canadian Tenors.
Oh dear Gus…complaining because the CN Centre IS accomodating the interests of many? How wide apart can you get in two days in terms of entertainment variety….Canadian Tenors and a Monster truck show? (plus upcoming rock, theatre, childrens shows, etc.) Is your complaint that they’re too close together? Or are you just searching for a reason to complain?
I seriously doubt these two events are gonna draw from each others audience.
Lenny …. no …. it is great that the CN centre can accommodate the variety that it does. The arenas across the country are built for that very purpose.
I remember the days that are probably not much longer ago than 5 or so years when the arena was underutilized for musical events which cater to larger arenas.
You will notice that the Canadian Tenors were not playing at Vanier Hall. They draw a much larger crowd. In fact, two performances ther would not have accommodated the 1,800 total that was reported by the Free Press as Pylot Projet posted.
I am merely saying exactly what I wrote: “I wish more people would understand that PG is a town that needs to accommodate the interests of many.”
That goes for all venues!!! The CN centre is a prime example of one that can accommodate many – but not all. Would be difficult to hold a swim meet in there, just as an example.
In fact most facilities in ANY city are not as multi-purpose as the CN Centre.
Oh, BTW, the “so close to each other” was meant from the point of view of the toime slot that each fits into. When doing surveys, on should try to minimize variables. The variable of school months versus vacation months, for instance. These two are close to each other when the same people are likely in town, although one is on a weekend and the other is mid week.
It would be interesting to see stats on the demographics of male/female, under 20 versus 20+. I am sure everyone has their intuition on what that would be.
No complaint there…. just looking at how well we are serving ALL “special interest groups”.
Gus, if I’m reading you correctly, you are suggesting a PAC continue to be something this City should seriously consider. I happen to agree with you, although I realize most people right now are focussed on pot holes, which I also agree need addressing in terms of priorities.
“I seriously doubt these two events are gonna draw from each others audience.” – I think you are wrong.
Yes, you are reading me correctly, Lenny.
I think we first need to find out whether the core review uncovers any savings this city can make with respect to operating procedures we use which may not be effective or efficient.
Then we have to look after some needs. The key one seems to be that we really do not know how much it costs to properly maintain the infrastructure we have. We are, however, not the only ones with that problem, so we can learn from each other and we can rub the provinces and feds noses into the fact that they are selling the farm while municipalities have to make up the difference because there are no savings to be had by selling the farm.
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“PAC not needed , the facilities this town has, are not being fully utilized”
That is a common argument from those who know very little about what such facilities require.
Go to the back of Vanier Hall and tell me how a 60 foot trailer with production equipment to put on a modern show can offload the equipment and get it onto a stage without a dock that allows the use of dollies and fork lifts to move the pallets of lights and sound equipment from the truck via the loading dock straight onto the stage all at one level. There are not even any overhead doors or doors onto the stage of adequate size. The original designer and the school super at the time I am sure never saw the working side of a theatre in their lives.
Its like trying to serve hotel banquet facilities for 1,000 people, like the Civic Centre, out of a McDonalds kitchen. It just will not work.
We have someone now who is proposing to build a new hotel downtown. We have other new hotels which have been built over the last few years. We have enough rooms in town now to go for larger conventions, conferences, trade shows etc. A PAC will not only provide spaces for the performing arts, but also for business tourism purposes, something neither the City nor the PAC group have been talking enough about. In fact, neither of the two groups have been promoting a PAC in a community where a large number do not even understand what such a facility does and can do in a community’s economic development.
Some are failures, yes. The same as the CN Centre was for a long time. Then someone came in who understood what kind of functions could be successful in such a centre.
Any such centre will not be successful without someone who can make it successful. BUT, give such a person Vanier Hall and say, “here it is, make it successful”, and that person will laugh in your face and think you are an idiot, turn around and move on to another community where he/she has a chance to succeed.
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