Saturday was a typical hot, hazy summer afternoon in Pettis County, but for many who attend the Car, Truck and Tractor Show hosted in conjunction with the Smithton Town and Country Fair, the day brought back memories of days gone by, family vacations with the top down and cruising on summer nights in their youth.
“I’ve had it for 40 years now,” Robert “Boomer” Smith said of his 1929 ivory Ford delivery wagon. “But this is the first year I’ve ever taken it on the road.
“I started working on cars since the early ’70s,” he added. “I’ve had the ’29 done for a time but I always keep doing little things to it.”
Both Smith and a number of the men at the event said they didn’t really like saying their vehicles were restored’ but rather customized as there are individual changes and preferences that some chose to make to their vehicles.
Joe Schultz, one of the event organizers, has worked on a number of car customizations in his life. When asked to pick a favorite from among the 25-plus entries, his response was a simple one.
“I love them all,” he said with a laugh. “If it runs and makes noise then I like it.”
When one thinks of cruising, music probably comes to mind and ironically enough, the idea of the car show was conceived to help with Smithton’s Show Choir.
“Being a member of a show choir can cost so much,” Jim Carson, co-organizer for the event, said. “Sometimes one outfit alone can be more than $145.
“That doesn’t count the entry fees and other items,” he added. “So this will help them.”
The event had a $5 per vehicle entry fee. The winners, whose names were not available at press time, were chosen by popular vote of a penny per vote.
“Before 10 (a.m.), which is when they were supposed to start to register, we already had 15 vehicles so we’re really pleased with the response we’ve gotten so far,” Schultz said. “We’re doing this for the kids, when you work with them at the school you really grow to care for them and you want the best for them.”
Both Schultz, who is the head of maintenance at Smithton R-VI Schools, and Carson, who works in the department, explained their desire to help with the event.
Smithton vocal music instructor Cal Bergdorff was grateful for the men’s help and idea.
“When they asked me about it last year I thought it was a great idea,” Bergdorff said. “They really have done all of the work but we are all grateful for what they have done for the students.”
This brings us back to days past.
Smith and Gene Woolery, who entered his 1940 Chevrolet, spent a portion of their morning sitting under the shade of a tent while the aroma of the Fair’s Barbecue Competition filled the air, reminiscing about their younger days and life.
“My parents had an old Chevrolet when I was younger,” Woolery said. “That’s why I wanted this one.
“I’ve done some others since I started working on them around 1995,” he added. “I didn’t start to drive them until about 2001 though.”
Woolery commented that he enjoyed traveling with his wife and grandchildren in his car, at times heading out on the highway to Springfield and the Kansas Speedway.
“I started with cars back when I was a sophomore in high school,” Smith recalled. “I loved the old cars then and cruising around and I still do.”
