Parade of pickups hopes to break world record

Like a rush-hour of rumbling engines and shining chrome, an army of trucks is expected to roll into Sherwood Park this weekend.

Organizers hope to gather 1,000 trucks in one place, in an attempt to break a Guinness world record.

If everything goes off without a hitch, it will be the largest parade of pickups ever.

Not only will the family-friendly event give truck lovers a chance to show off their rides, it give the Make-A-Wish Foundation a much-needed financial boost.

"We're going to parade everybody in there, and do our thing, do our final count and then parade everybody out," Bill Armstrong, one of the event organizers, said during a Thursday interview on CBC Radio's Edmonton AM.

"We're hoping for a really good turn out," said Armstrong, a Fort McMurray truck driver and self-proclaimed "Ford man."

"We're hoping to make some kids happy and make some dreams come true," 

The Alberta F150 lovers Facebook group is spearheading the event. With more than 3,400 active members, Armstrong has no doubt they'll earn a spot in the history books.

"The record was set a year and a half ago by Dodge in Arlington, Texas, with 451 trucks," Armstrong said. "And then recently broken in California by a bunch of guys with mixed up pickup trucks, at 638.

"We're going to shoot for the mark and try and get the 639, but we're really hoping for a thousand."

At first it was a F 150 event, but Armstrong said they decided to include all Ford trucks to increase their odds of breaking the record. 

"I am a Ford guy and I've been a Ford guy all my life … but it's not really about the brand, it's really about raising money for Make a Wish.

"As long as it has got a box and is rated as a pickup truck, bring them in there, we want them all."

 Though they've opened the event to trucks of all shapes, sizes and makes, Armstrong admits the afternoon will be dominated by Fords, a truck now infamous as one of the most frequently stolen vehicles in Canada.

But he doesn't have concerns about security.

"Anybody who is silly enough to steal any trucks from this event is going to have an awful time trying to get anywhere with them," Armstrong said with a laugh.

"I'm a member of 30 different Ford groups with about 45,000 in total for members, so you're not getting far with one our F 150s. It's not going to happen."

The event will held Saturday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.at the Bethel Transit Terminal, at 650 Bethel Drive in Sherwood Park. Gates open to the public at 9 a.m.

Registration information can be found here. 

With files from Ariel Fournier