Ugly Pickup Contest - Transcript

[Don Huls, Master of Ceremony:] "How did we start with the International Ugly Pick-up Contest? Well, that's kind of a secret question because if we let it out we think that it might take off across America. But it happened in a smoke-filled room as you may guess with three very fertile minds.

"And we said, gosh everybody out here has their pick-ups named. You know, Black Beauty, Mighty Ford, Old Red, The Junker, Miss Blue, you know. Both male and female names. We said, well heck, let's just have a little pick-up parade. And zing, it took off. And each year the whole community kind of just goes there.

"And then we had to get into this judges thing you know. People wanted to know who's the best."

Well, tell me about your judges this year.

[Huls:] "This year we're going to use retired law enforcement but some people thought they were retired while they were working.

"It wasn't long when the girls got a little bit jealous of what we were doing for fun. They were thinking it was a male macho deal. So they said, how about having a Miss P-U, you know -- as in pick-up, as in hooker? We said, sure you do your thing. And lo and behold we started getting gals showing up. And of course they are so costumed up and they operate under an alias. So it's like we don't know who they are.

"And so those are basically our classes. You know, just plain ugly, you know what that is. That's how it is. Beauty and the Beast, that's an old one that's spiffed. And boy we've had some dandies. Then we have the ranch rig which is you know, kinda hear it comes. Dog in the back usually."

What does it take to be an ugly pick-up?

[Huls:] "More rust than paint. Hundred thousand miles. Ten years in age and older. Some real hard to reach goals you know.

"To me what it really brings out are what I call the Walt Disneys of northwest Nebraska they have such creativity. And we've got a lot of Walt Disneys in northwest Nebraska."