The thrill, the excitement, the loudness, whenever they do donuts and wheelies and stuff like that, it’s just pretty cool because I mean it’s a massive truck doing stuff like that.
EDINBURG — The rumbling engine sounds of a truck echoed throughout the arena Saturday as the Mega Wrex monster truck made its way onto the pit.
Kids stared in awe looking back and forth from their monster truck toys to the life-sized versions that stood only a few feet away.
Each of the brightly colored trucks lined up at the starting point with neon lights decorating the rim of each vehicle.
This rumbling engine sound, the smell of exhaust, and cheering was a familiar sight here at the Bert Ogden Arena where the Hot Wheels Monster Truck Live Glow Party kicked off its first show Saturday afternoon. Seven trucks were competing Saturday including the original monster truck — Big Foot, a Ford F-250 pickup truck.
The show is scheduled to run Saturday through Sunday with a show at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and a Sunday show at 2:30 p.m. The doors to the arena will open an hour before the event starts.
The crowd cheered and children stood on their chairs as the show began. One by one each truck attempted a variety of stunts beginning with wheelies.
With a mixture of fear and excitement, the crowd watched intently as the first truck, the Bone Shaker, attempted the trick. The arena fell silent as the monster truck paused in the air for about a second before completing the stunt.
Harlingen native, Jeffory Hernandez, 29, attended the event with his 3-year-old son who loves monster trucks.
Hernandez explained that although he often takes his son to events like Monster Jam, this was their first time attending the Hot Wheels event.
“The smile on his face never gets old,” Hernandez said with excitement.
He added that attending events like this is an exhilarating experience because of the types of stunts attempted by each vehicle.
“The thrill, the excitement, the loudness, whenever they do donuts and wheelies and stuff like that, it’s just pretty cool because I mean it’s a massive truck doing stuff like that,” Hernandez said. “You don’t see that every day.”
Lydia Ortega, 42, a native of Mercedes also attended Saturday’s event with her son. Although it was their first time attending a monster truck event, Ortega explained that her 2-year-old son, Bruno, is obsessed with monster trucks.
She added with a laugh that Bruno wants to collect every monster truck toy.
“Bruno loves monster trucks,” Ortega said as Bruno played with his orange monster truck toy. “He follows Monster Jam and recently he’s been following Hot Wheels so I thought this would be a good experience for him.”
Ortega said that her son often watches monster truck videos on YouTube, so she was excited for him to see a live show.
Not only have monster trucks provided a form of adrenaline-filled entertainment, but it has also created traditions for families.
San Juan resident, Paul Esquivel, 57, attended the show with his son Achilles, 14, in an attempt to pass down the tradition of driving a lifted truck.
“I used to have a lifted truck. That was my hobby back in California so that’s what got me into this,” Paul said, adding that he has often attended monster truck events and was now excited to bring his son to his first show.
Achilles sat with a smile across his face as he looked down at the pit where each of the monster trucks stood.
“If I get to see a truck flip for the first time this big, I think I’d be pretty happy,” Achilles said with a smile.
For Paul, on the other hand, it’s the unexpected results of monster truck stunts that he enjoys the most about these shows.
“I like to see when they do the flips and maybe when they blow an engine,” Paul said with a laugh.
Tickets for the Hot Wheels Monster Truck Live Glow party can be purchased at Bert Ogden Arena or online at https://www.bertogdenarena.com. Tickets prices start from $20 to $45.
