Five Tons Of Fun & Fireworks,

Ten Years Running

By Shannon Hicks

About 11 years ago Rob McCulloch bought a used vehicle from a friend.

The Newtown resident bought a 1975 Kaiser-Jeep, a five-ton former military personnel carrier painted in camouflage colors and nicknamed, quite appropriately, Jumbo. The vehicle can carry 35 people, and for the last ten years Mr McCulloch has issued an open invitation to as many friends and family members as possible: If you’re around for the Fourth of July fireworks in Danbury, you have a ride in Jumbo, first-come, first-served.

“I bought [the truck] from a friend of mine, Steve Anderson, and that first year someone came up with the idea of ‘Let’s get a bunch of people together and drive down to the Danbury fireworks with it,’” Mr McCulloch said this week. “It started out with about ten people. We went down and we had a blast.”

Last week Mr McCulloch and nearly 20 passengers spent the evening of Tuesday, July 3, with Jumbo parked in its usual position: the grassy area to the east of the airport ramp from I-84 Exit 3. The annual Danbury fireworks display is shot off from Danbury Municipal Airport, within eyesight of Jumbo’s annual location, so Mr McCulloch and his friends have a prime seat for the show.

“Through the years of going down there, people actually have started looking for us. They come over and say Hi, tell us that they’ve seen us for so many years,” said Mr McCulloch who, when he isn’t coordinating runs to fireworks shows, is the owner of Newtown Tree Service.

While the majority who join Mr McCulloch for the annual outing ride in Jumbo, a few others catch up with the group in Danbury. In years past, however, the truck has been filled to capacity.

“For a few years people actually had to make reservations because so many wanted to go,” said Mr McCulloch.

This year, with Independence Day falling in the middle of the week, there was a smaller but nevertheless excited crowd going for the gathering. Maureen and Bill Pendergast of Sandy Hook, who have joined Mr McCulloch for all ten years, were there again, this time with newborn son Jamie.

(Jamie and Maureen actually joined the group for the traditional pre-Tri-Town Tour photo, but then rode in Mrs Pendergast’s vehicle out to Danbury, catching up again with the group. “Yeah no, they didn’t take the baby in the truck this year,” Mr McCulloch said with a laugh.)

The manifests often contain similar names from year to year, while other names show up just once or twice.

“My friend Russell Bennett was in the area, heard about this thing, and got in touch with me just before the ride last week,” said Mr McCulloch. “This is a guy I graduated high school with, we hadn’t seen each other for probably 15 years, and we caught up in time for him to join us. It was wild.”

For the past few years, following a suggestion by Mr Pendergast, the crew has taken a grill with them.

“Now we put on this huge spread of hot dogs and hamburgers, chicken, whatever, and it’s like tailgating,” said Mr McCulloch. “We feed whoever stops by to see us. No one goes away hungry.”

Mr McCulloch said plenty of people make a point of visiting him and his friends each year, just to say hello.

“Folks come over and ask if they can show their kids the truck,” he said, “and of course I let them.”

Last week, he said, a man came out to find Mr McCulloch and showed him a photo of his son that he had taken eight years ago standing next to Jumbo.

“It was great to see that photo,” said Mr McCulloch. “The kid’s 10 now, and his dad had him stand for another photo.”

The outing is an affair for all ages, as evidenced from the wide range of ages seen in photos taken last week and years past. Adults and children find room in the back of the oversize vehicle, with Mr McCulloch climbing behind the wheel and taking his passengers on what he calls The Tri-Town Tour to reach their destination.

It’s a circuitous route, but it allows the vehicle and its passengers to pass at least two VFW posts. The group leaves Newtown via Route 302, continues through Bethel, passing that town’s post on Main Street before winding its way toward White Street in Danbury. Near the intersection of White and Byron Street is Danbury’s VFW. From there Mr McCulloch and his passengers travel out to Main Street Danbury before hitting the interstate for the short run that brings them to the grassy area where they wait for and watch the fireworks.

“It’s a lot of fun. Older gentlemen who have served see the truck and they salute it,” said Mr McCulloch. “Kids come out and wave if they’re playing in their yard, and we usually get a great hoot and holler when we go past Ferris Acres [in Newtown]. Everyone out there waves, every year.

“Everywhere we go, it’s a respected vehicle.”