MONROE — Jake Trickel was just three years old when he experienced his first demolition derby, watching his father Nate run alongside Shawn Paulson and Jim Mohns. At that time, the Green County Fair had two shows — one in the afternoon and one at night.

“My first derby that I remember was when I was three years old. I have pictures and I remember the whole thing,” Trickel said. “It was cool going and seeing how many cars were there. There was so much action all the time and the grandstands were packed on both the pit and audience side.”

Trickel began participating in derbies at 14 years old — his first in Pecatonica, Ill. At one time, he ran in six to eight shows a year and spent most of his time in the shop working on his cars. In total, Trickel has run in nearly 70 shows throughout Wisconsin and Illinois and wrecked 50 different cars. 

He’s competed at higher levels, but the Green County Demolition Derby has always had a special place in his heart. In 2023, Trickel participated in the Stock Compact and Mini SUV classes, taking second and first, respectively.

“I’ve run both national and county fair, and I get the same satisfaction from both of them,” Trickel said. “County fairs mean more to me because everybody I’m close to can come here. Nobody is going to travel to Kansas to watch me.”

So when the Green County Demolition Derby began dwindling — going from two shows to just one with fewer and fewer cars — Trickel jumped on board to help bring it back. 

“For a while there, it was going downhill,” Trickel said. “There were only five or six cars in the class. I hated seeing that for Monroe because that was my hometown derby. I don’t want it to go away as long as I can help it.”

To revive his hometown derby, Trickel has assisted promoter and friend Jeremy Gutzmer on advertising, sponsorship and logistics for the 2024 Green County Demolition Derby. 

As the promoter, Gutzmer said his job is to “organize and advertise the event and make sure everyone that comes to compete is on an even playing field; to make decisions that are for the better of the development of the show.”

In an attempt to compete with bigger shows with larger purses and more recognition, Gutzmer made some changes. Last year, there were five classes — Minivan SUV, Stock Compact, Trucks, Street Stock Full-Size and Full-Size Semi Stock. This year, he has combined the Full-Size classes and raised the purse to $4,000. An additional $2,000 will be awarded to the hardest hitter — determined by judges and crowd reaction. There will also be another raffle car, donated by Don Guthrie. 

Between sponsor money, raffle tickets and the purse, Trickel feels the derby is taking a step in the right direction.

“I think we can pretty much say ‘welcome to the best county fair payout show in the stateline area,’ between the purse, sponsors and raffle tickets,” he said. “Thank you all. Because of the community, this show is back on the rise.”