This year’s Homecoming was a success thanks to community members, alumni and students too. The car show was no exception. Participants brought classic rides from as far south as Patten, with vehicles dating back to the 1930s. From original owners to grandpa’s ride, all owners took great pride in their rides.
Cordell Smith brought his 1967 Chevrolet Impala SS, popularized by the television series, “Supernatural.” This Impala never made the big screen, but its story is just as interesting.
“My grandfather had a bunch of old cars. Before he died a couple years ago, he made sure to give this one to me,” Cordell said. “At least, when I turn 25 technically. For now, it’s at my grandma’s house and I can work on it when I visit.” Cordell is only 15 years old but did admit, “She lets me drive it in the yard if I mow her lawn.”
Joe Grant and his wife drove their 1966 Plymouth Belvedere II all the way from Patten to be in the car show. Joe feels that the beauty of old cars won’t be matched ever again. That’s why he brought his Plymouth to car shows all summer long. Even the rain couldn’t stop the Grants. Joe joked about the free cleaning. “It’s been babied since I’ve owned it. The wife and I very seldom take it out in the rain. But hey, you gotta wash ‘em sometime, right?”
Mike Marshall drove his 1954 GMC work truck to the Homecoming celebration. This was his truck’s first ever appearance at a car show. The rare, five-window truck has survived a lifetime of work and Mike still uses it regularly. “I probably use it like a truck more than a toy,” he said about the old GMC. “But that’s nothing compared to what they used it for originally. I got it from a paper mill in Portland. Guys would stand on the hood in a warehouse and as they went down the rows, they’d work off it. I had to put a whole new hood on it because the old one was all shoved in,” Mike said.
Every car has a story, the same as people. The survivors, like the old work truck or grandfather’s hotrod, are the stories worth sharing. This is why it’s so important for these car shows to continue: to trade stories and history. Each dent, scratch or rust bubble tells its own tale. Homecoming is much like an alumni car show. The “collectors” group and share history, stories and tricks of the trade. Only, they leak a lot less.
