Proud owners show off their cars in Sisters

Shiny chrome, proud owners and admiring onlookers filled Main Avenue last Saturday in the first annual "Glory Daze" car show in Sisters.

The show was sponsored by the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce. Jeri Buckmann, events director, said about 100 participants registered on Saturday morning to bring the total participation to 180 cars.

Beauties from yesteryear occupied several blocks on Main Avenue. Hundreds of people of all ages ogled the nostalgic reminders of America's utter dominance of the auto world.

An exception to the Detroit theme was a 1956 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud 1, owned by Judy and Pete Kershaw, who live at Cascade Meadow Ranch. Pete purchased the black beauty in 1980 from a young man who inherited the car from his uncle, the CEO of a large insurance company in Canada.

The sleek four-door sedan didn't need much restoration, just lots of tender loving care and spit polish. Pete remembers one incident when he parked in downtown Sisters. Someone dented the back bumper. Finding a replacement took months. After finally getting it installed, the new one made the front bumper look bad, so Pete had to repeat the process to make them match.

He changes the oil himself, but for more complicated service the car is hauled to Portland. The "all original" vehicle has 126,000 miles on a six-cylinder engine. The posh interior features wood and a popup shelf in the rear seat area that accommodates flowers.

Not surprisingly, the elegant car has been popular for weddings, Pete says. This is the first show for the car.

On the other end of the spectrum is a 1937 Ford that needed top-to-bottom total restoration. The two-door coupe is owned by John and Lee McIntyre, who live on Indian Ford Road. John bought the car in 2002 and finished its rebirth last summer.

Based on just two pictures, John bought the car, had it hauled from Wyoming and invested thousands of hours over the next several years. His brother-in-law's jaw dropped when he saw it, a reaction John received from many when the pre-World-War-II rig arrived in Sisters.

It has a custom paint job. The color is called Brandywine and was done by Sisters resident Dallas Mason.

John displays the car with photos of what it looked like when he made the plunge, along with a sign that says, "One That Henry Ford Didn't Make." Accordingly, the car has a 350 Chevrolet engine and automatic transmission. John says the car is "spirited."

It also has all new running gear, disc brakes and power steering. This is also the first show for the car that John said still needs adjustments.

Another Sisters car entered in the show was an unusual 1952 Buick "Woodie" owned by Betsy and Vern Johnson. Most of the Woodies, made famous by the Beach Boys, are Ford station wagons known for packing surf boards and beach gear. This one was a ranch car, Betsy said.

The all-natural hardwood was painted with green house paint when they purchased the car in the early 1980s. All original, the car now has a deep red paint color called Jaguar. Vern did all the work on the car over a five-year period, including the paint and upholstery. The car has only 91,022 miles on the odometer. It has the Buick straight-8 engine, power steering and a Dynaflow transmission, but no air conditioning.

Vern has been a member of the National Guard since 1969 and is now at Ft. Stewart, Georgia, but is getting ready to return to their home at Junipine Acres.

Six judges awarded prizes in six divisions.

The winners were:

• Best Stock Car -Winner Kristi and Bob Lorsung with a 1935 Studebaker; Honorable Mention went to Del and Louise Swan's 1960 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible.

• Best Engine - Winner Rob Kimball, 1964 Chevelle; Honorable mention, Steve Cornelius, 1968 Chevy Camaro Z28.

• Best Paint Winner - Gil and Judy Schmidt, 1937 Ford Coupe; Honorable mention, Ken Ennor, 1956 Chevy Bel-Air.

• People's Choice - David Childress, 1934 Ford Cabriolet.

• Best Club Participation - Crook County Rodders.

• Best of Show - Winner Stan Chorney, 1934 three- window coupe; Honorable mention was Curt Kallberg, 1956 Corvette and Jack McGilvary, 1956 Corvette.