Aaron Combs is a 26 year old that not only has a passion for customizing classic trucks but also to brighten the hearts of children.

Combs became interested in customizing trucks in 1998 - before he graduated from Springfield High in 2001. “I saw this bright green S-10. The truck was lifting up and down. At that point I said, “One-day I will have a truck like that. During that year I had gone to a few shows as a spectator and to see what it was all about. I just liked the quality and style that was put into these vehicles,” he said.

It took him two years to find the vehicle he wanted to customize. In February 2000, he purchased a 1991 Chevy S-10 Blazer. The truck was dark blue. A few months later it was changed to a brighter blue and he added hydraulics. Eventually he painted it bright orange and added many other modifications. “The best thing about those years were the looks on my fellow-students faces,” he said.

Combs has come along way from that first truck and the thrill of showing fellow students how he could drop the truck down and bring it back up again. He began a mini truck club in September 2003.

“These guys belonged to other clubs that were not really going anywhere so that is how we came up with the name “Dropt Out.” This has nothing to do with school as some think when we wear our shirts,” Combs stated. “We started off right away with our club by attending a few shows with our new name.”

The group then established a Web site, which features pictures from the shows, magazine articles and the club vehicles.

“Our very first car and truck show was held in May of 2004 and it was called Dropt-n- Destroyed,” Combs stated. Each year the show grows and the group needs more space. In 2007 the show had registered 273 vehicles from Ohio and the surrounding states of Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Pennsylvania. “We were very pleased about all the vehicles and spectators who came out for the show,” he said.

After numerous magazine articles and pictures Mini Truckin Magazine named the group Ohio’s most enthusiastic “mini truckin club.” Combs blazer was featured in the August 2007 issue of Tailgate Magazine. Combs said the group has traveled to Michigan, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, Arkansas and Mississippi.

The club members have had a great time and made a name for themselves however, it was in 2006 that the members decided to host a Christmas party for all custom car and truck enthusiasts. Maybe the event itself was fun but it had a purpose. The entry for the event was a toy. Those toys were then donated to Children’s Hospital in Akron.

“After seeing how much fun it was and how the staff and children appreciated the toys we decided our fifth annual Dropt n Destroyed (dropt out 5) custom car and truck show would be held to benefit Children’s Hospital,” Combs said.

The event will be held on Sept. 27-28 at Boettler Park, 5300 Massillon Rd., in Green. To enter a car or truck in the event, the fee is $15 plus a $5 to $10 toy to be donated to the hospital or $25 without a toy (extra toys would be purchased). “Spectators are free and are welcome to bring a toy as well,” said Combs.

The show hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Combs has had great success and enjoyment with the customizing and the truck shows. He enjoyed the days of high school and the expressions on the students faces with that customized Blazer, now he gets a thrill with the smiles on the faces of the children at the hospital when the toys are delivered.

He said there were a lot of people to thank for the success of the shows, the club and the help for the hospital. The list included his parents, Becky and Larry Combs, his grandmother, Betty Ross, the club members and the show sponsors, Horizon Audio and Bob Sloan of Sloan Product in Green. 

If you would like more information visit www.droptout.com.