Miller Industries Towing Equipment Inc. will sponsor the 100-year anniversary of the Holmes tow truck, the towing and recovery industry's first tow truck. The celebration will take place in Chattanooga on Saturday, Sept. 10, about 7 p.m. at Ross's Landing near the riverfront, where a 100-Year Tow Truck Parade will end after cruising through downtown.
Miller Industries' celebration will end with a bang including a fireworks spectacular at Ross's Landing commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the tow truck as well as the conclusion of the Tennessee Tow Show, which takes place Sept. 8-10 at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
The Chattanooga community is invited to enjoy the live music, free refreshments, food truck fare and games for the kids.
"Miller Industries' roots run deep in Chattanooga and we are honored to share the centennial celebration of our Holmes brand with our friends and neighbors in the local communities," said Miller Industries' President and Co-CEO Will Miller.
The towing and recovery industry owes its 100-year celebration to Ernest Holmes, who in 1916 in Chattanooga built the first tow truck by attaching a rigging system to a 1913 Cadillac, marking the birth of the towing and recovery industry. Mr. Holmes filed for a patent – the first of about a dozen – for his idea in 1917 and subsequently built the Ernest Holmes Company to market his tow truck.
The Holmes brand is now part of Miller Industries' family of tow truck equipment manufacturers, including Century, Chevron, Vulcan, Boniface and Jige. Today, Miller Industries is the world's largest manufacturer of towing and recovery equipment.
The Tennessee Tow Show, hosted by the towing and recovery industry's publication Tow Times magazine, is entering its fifth year.
Visit Miller Industries' distributors exhibits and displays at the Tennessee Tow Show, open Friday, Sept. 9, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Saturday, Sept. 10, from noon to 4 p.m.
Learn more about Miller Industries at millerind.com. Find out about the Tennessee Tow Show and 100-year events at TennesseeTowShow.com.