TPAC Marks 20 Years, Sets New Record

By Susan Jones

CHARLOTTE COUNTY – After being sidelined in 2020 because of Covid, the Truckers Parade Against Cancer made up for lost time with the best parade yet. This past Saturday, trucks lined the street stretching the four miles from Charlotte Court House to Drakes Branch trucking for a cure along the parade route to Keysville. Each truck carried a banner with the name of a loved one. Many trucks carried two or more. 

For 20 years the Truckers Parade Against Cancer has driven across Charlotte County raising money for the American Cancer Society. The parade route has changed over the years as more trucks have joined the cause.  In 2000, the first parade had 50 trucks. The popularity and the number of participants has grown every year.  This year, a record 250 trucks participated, carrying the names of 331 people whose lives have been interrupted by cancer and a record $150,000 was raised for cancer research.  As of 2021, this event has raised over $1.4 million to aid research to find a cure for cancer.

A small army of volunteers put in countless hours to help make this event a huge success. Whether selling raffle tickets, preparing and serving food, printing and laminating banners, adding American flags and parking every truck, gathering auction items, writing letters or stitching a quilt to be raffled—there is much work before and clean up and follow-up afterwards. Most, if not all, of the volunteers have a loved one who has been affected by cancer—and this common bond drives the work that is done. The team itself has lost several members, including day-one supporters Hampton Dodd and Kenneth Jones in 2021. 

While some may call the parade loudly offensive to this otherwise sleepy community, others cheer the rumble and roar and horn-blowing of the trucks comparing it to how cancer loudly and offensively disrupts lives.  The parade is a tribute to the lives lost to cancer and a celebration for the survivors.  It is not only an opportunity to share memories and tears, but to encourage and to embrace those who are hoping for a cure, and more importantly to serve as a reminder, “No one fights alone.”