A trucking industry group is holding a Burt Reynolds tribute festival in honor of the late actor and star of “Smokey and the Bandit” next weekend.
The festival will be held at the Texarkana, Texas Convention Center, in Texarkana, Texas on September 29th and 30th.
The Small Business in Transportation Coalition, a “non-profit transportation industry trade group, which promotes and protects the interests of small businesses in the industry,” is hosting the event, which will feature three of Reynolds’ movies, stand-up comedy, Canadian country band “The Road Hammers,” and even a trucker procession from Texarkana to Atlanta on Interstate 20, mimicking the Bandit’s run in the movie.
James Lamb, President and Spokesman of the SBTC, says that he has reached out to the Burt Reynolds Institute for Film & Theatre for help with the event, and has even contacted Coors in hopes that they will sponsor the event, reported the Texarkana Gazette.
“It’s a natural fit, given Reynolds’ character’s mission in the movie,” Lamb said.
“We’ve got a long way to go and a short time to get there,” he added.
Lamb was involved in a lawsuit back in 2016, during which he was considered an associated defendant in the Fair Trade Commission’s complaint against DOTAuthority.com, claiming that he was involved in a scam by DOTAuthority and several other companies that tricked many small trucking businesses out of their money by posing as affiliates of the US Department of Transportation. The case was settled and the defendants were instructed to pay $900,000. Lamb has since countersued for what he considers a “nuisance case,” and won, excusing Lamb and his companies for paying any penalties.
Anyone looking to help sponsor the event should contact Lamb at 800-215-6704 or visit truckers.com.