This article has been reprinted with permission by Sand Sports Magazine.

By now, just about everyone that’s proud enough to call themselves an off-road enthusiast has either attended the Sand Sports Super Show, or they’ve at least heard of it and have dreams of being there in the near future. In all seriousness, this is one of those must-see, must-do happenings. It ranks right up there on the list with visiting Glamis during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and participating in the wild and crazy excitement. Everyone has to do it at least once, and possibly every year. You could almost say that the Super Show is just like being in Glamis (or your favorite dune location for that matter). However, the main differences are that all of the big manufacturers are gathered right there in one convenient location, which makes it easy to talk with them and ask questions, and you don’t end up going home with a bunch of sand in your shoes.

As one of the major sponsors of this offroad industry-wide event, we’ve been fortunate enough to be at each and every Sand Sports Super Show (SSSS) since its inception. We wouldn’t miss it for the world. This year, the Super Show celebrated its 10th anniversary and, while I wish we could honestly say this one was the biggest and best yet, it too fell victim to the weak economy. Not as bad as you may expect, or as hard hit as some businesses making headlines with losses in the 30 to 40% range. But, both the exhibitor and spectator counts were down slightly compared to figures turned in for the 2007 show. The exhibitor count was still a very respectful 365 (as compared to 420 last year), and there were 45,000+ spectators who passed through the gates during the weekend (we published figures of 55,000 in 2007).