Sumner Trucking Company, a trucking-themed gay men’s bar, opened at 1012 Sumner Court in 1980. Sumner Trucking Company was located on the ground floor of 1021 Sumner Court below New Dimensions. Sumner Trucking Company’s interior decor leaned heavily into its trucking theming. The bar’s main dance area contained an “enormous Mac truck with a barely lit interior” located in the middle of the room (supposedly intended to encourage “friendly encounters” between patrons). Nearby, the “flat bed of a truck” doubled as the club’s dance floor. Bar seating, “cozy booths,” and a “small room off the entrance” of the club provided semi-private alternative spaces for patrons to cruise and mingle. A pool table was available in the club’s small side room for those less interested in music and dancing. Sumner Trucking Company also offered variety of inexpensive drinks and buffet-style dinners. Weekly ‘Rest and Relaxation’ specials were offered to local bartenders and managers on Monday evenings, while deeply discounted ‘Super Supper’ dinners were available between Sunday through Thursday evenings. Game nights, offered weekly on Wednesday evenings, provided opportunities for high-scoring patrons to win cash and prizes. Sumner Trucking also hosted themed parties and special events, like the Mr. Sumner Trucking Competition, sporadically throughout the year. Sumner Trucking Company closed temporarily in 1981 before being reopened under new ownership. Sumner Trucking Company closed permanently in late 1982.
Additional information coming soon.
Resources
- “D.I.C.” Action Magazine. December 1981. Page 16.
- “Mr. Sumner Trucking.” Action Magazine. April 1980.
- “New Dimensions.” Action Magazine. June 1981. Page 5.
- “Sumner Trucking Opens.” High Gear. April 1980. Page 18.
- “The New and the Old.” Action Magazine. November 1982. Page 14.