As most local residents know by now, there will be a rally through Skaneateles Friday by truckers protesting regulations proposed by the state.

But how that rally will be carried out and who exactly is leading it still seems to be up in the air.

According to one organizer, Charlie Claburn, the trucks will start and kill their engines near the Thruway Exit 41 in Waterloo, where the participants will enjoy free country music amongst themselves after the rally.

But another self-proclaimed spokesperson has said approximately 300 truckers plan to drive through the village around 11 a.m. and then park outside of the village for a rally right there.

Both agree the rally is necessary to convince the political world that restricting their ability to drive on rural, upstate routes is unfair and hurts the truckers and overall economy.

Claburn is the Northeast regional director of Truckers and Citizens United, the national organization staging the protest. He said residents of Skaneateles and other rural communities have legitimate concerns about the large trucks that drive through their towns from downstate to shorten trips and decrease tolls. The proposed regulations do not affect trucks making deliveries to locations along the restricted roads.

But Claburn said the truckers have become the “middle man” in the argument, and stricter regulations will only hurt them.

This is “a direct assault against my way of life and against our industry,” he said.

Claburn also said the choice to hold the rally on the first day of one of the village's biggest annual events, the Dickens' Christmas celebration, is a coincidence.

The truckers will come from the Thruway on Route 414, to Route 318, and then onto Route 20 through Skaneateles “nice and easy” before heading back to Waterloo. There, they will enjoy free country music by Nashville songwriter Terry Wooley, he said.

But Vincent Gramuglia, who says he is from the Mohawk Valley Truckers and Citizens, has been claiming to be the rally's main organizer. According to him, the truckers plan to pass through Skaneateles twice before parking and holding the concert in the village.

“We want everyone to come down and have a good time and shop,” Gramuglia said Wednesday. “We're going to try and stage it right downtown.”

Gramuglia, who claims to be “running the show,” said he and the organization have nothing against the people of Skaneateles. Their gripe is with the Upstate New York Safety Coalition Task Force, a group of regional residents who rallied the state to enact tighter regulations for long-haul trucks.

But according to Claburn, Gramuglia does not speak for Truckers and Citizens United or the trucking industry. Gramuglia is an “outspoken advocate” who is on board, but is not planning the rally, Claburn said.

The advertisements in local newspapers - which declare “Bah Humbug!” in apparent reference to the Dickens theme of the Skaneateles festival - were paid for and placed by Gramuglia, who supports a lot of trucking organizations, Claburn said.

No matter what happens, Claburn said the rally already appears to be at least somewhat of a success. Since news of the protest surfaced, representatives from the state trucking industry are scheduled to meet with some officials in Albany to discuss concerns over the proposed regulations, he said.

That is an encouraging sign, Claburn continued. He said he hopes politicians can recognize that without a healthy trucking industry, upstate citizens will not be able to receive food, oil, or most other materials.

“Politicians bring words and talk and chaos,” Claburn said. “Human beings deliver hope.”

Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.