News : Monster trucks, racing school buses fill grandstands Friday

Torqzilla bounces over a line of junk cars at the BC Speedway Friday during Fair in Vinton.

Several monster trucks were on display during Friday night grandstand event.

The Bloomsbury blaster fires a cantaloupe hundreds of feet away,

Larry Quick of Illinois entertains the audience while driving Ghost Ryder,.

Many audience members paid for a ride in the back of this monster truck.

Monster trucks Torqzilla and Bear Foot compete in side-by-side event.

Scott Myers of Newhall entered this orange SUV and trailer in the trailer race.

School bus races were a favorite at the grandstands Friday night.

Cody Huber, driving the short purple bus, won the race, despite driving with two flat tires.

The Benton County Speedway was filled with different sounds than usual Friday evening as B & B Productions brought its show to Vinton.

The event included monster truck demonstrations, school bus races, trailer races and a cannon that shoots cantaloupe.

Some area residents participated in the events, Cody Huber of Blairstown drove the winning school bus, a short purple one. And Scott Myers of Newhall was declared the winner when the audience voted by applause in the contest for the best paint scheme among vehicles pulling trailers. He painted his old SUV and trailer with a NAPA auto parts store theme in bright orange.

The Bloomsbury Blaster cantaloupe cannon from Bloomsbury Farms near Atkins also entertained the audience, firing several cantaloupes high into the air. The cannon also took aim at an old minivan parked near the race track. One cantaloupe went through the empty space that used to be a window; another one lightly bounced off the hood of the vehicle.

Four monster trucks were on display. Trucks named Ghost Ryder, Torqzilla and Bear Foot smashed two rows of cars. Another truck, called Bone Crusher, was fitted with seats in its pickup bed, for audience members to ride around the track.

The event Saturday night at the Fairgrounds grandstands is the demolition derby; with races scheduled for Sunday night.