Sisters welcomes array of classic cars

Folks ready to rev up the weekend strolled down Main Avenue checking out the kaleidoscope of colorful classic cars that rolled into Sisters for the ninth annual Glory Daze Car Show on Saturday. The event was presented by Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD).

Classic car restoration is an art form in its own right, blending science, mechanics, and design.

And from muscle cars to roadsters to rat rods to pickups there was something for everyone's taste. Highly polished engines that sparkled and rainbows of colored paint that shimmered kept enthusiasts busy all day searching for their favorites among the best.

Martin Hansen's "Blue Beast," a 1967 Plymouth Belvedere GTX, had a crowd of folks gathered around to gawk at his blue vintage muscle car with a matching blue interior.

"The original owner must have really loved blue," Hansen said, laughing. "With a 440 engine, this car was considered a gentleman's hot rod."

Hansen has owned the car for 30 years, and while looking for parts for it in 1991 he came across another one just like it in a field up in Washington.

"I now have two '67 Plymouths because the one I bought for parts was too nice to part out, so I rebuilt it for my wife, Marie," he added. "That one is a pale yellow with a white and black interior."

For some folks it was a stroll down memory lane, and for others it was an exciting adventure to behold these unique autos of yesteryear.

For Jack Walsh of Sisters it was all about the sentimental value that his 1935 red Ford pickup held.

"My grandpa had this pickup on his wheat ranch, and I used to drive it around the ranch when I was a teenager, over 50 years ago," Walsh said.

His grandfather, John, bought the truck in 1942 for $250.

"It broke down one day and sat out on the side of the barn for many years. Then in the late '80s I went and picked it up, drove it home and fixed it up."

DJ Chuck Boogie played malt shop sounds of 1950s and '60s rock 'n' roll that could be heard from the stage in Fir Street Park.

Joan Spongeberg, one of the directors of the Central Oregon Chevy Club, paid tribute to her husband, Ray, who passed away in 2015, by showcasing one of his favorite vintage autos, a 1968 Chevy Camaro Rally Sport Super Sport.

"He had such a passion for classic cars," Spongeberg told The Nugget. "We were married nearly 52 years. It was 1992 when we both picked up the Camaro in Portland and it wasn't in good shape. But he restored it and had it professionally painted."

Spongeberg has coordinated the Flashback Car Show in Bend for 25 years.

While classic cars are the main attractions of a classic car show, judges play an important role as well.

And judging coordinator Mick Hunter of Sisters had the help of 11 other experienced people to judge over 20 categories/classes of classic cars.

"Two years ago, when the Chamber (of Commerce) turned the car show over to SPRD, they asked me if I would coordinate the judging of the annual event," Hunter said. "I couldn't turn the Chamber down."

Hunter had his own classic cars in the show over the years and always helped park the cars.

"I talk to people all year long trying to recruit the right persons for judging the show fairly and accurately. The judges that I've recruited have been restoring classics for 40 to 50 years like me. Out of nine of us we have 510 years' experience of working on cars!"

Rich and Marlayne Eliff from Eatonville, Washington showcased their '57 Buick Special Estate Wagon Street Machine.

"We had the wagon painted Estee Lauder Black Cherry, my wife's lipstick color," Eliff said.

"We had two other Buicks, but I was looking for a really special Buick. And I found this car in a tire ad. It's a rare Buick, and we had it shipped out from Connecticut. But when I first got the car home, my wife made me cover it up because it was so ugly," Ellif added. "But I found a shop in Canby that was willing to take on the project of restoring it. I found all the pieces and all the

glass. "

It took 22 months to restore it.

And right after 2 p.m. the Eliff's found out that their rare '57 Buick won Best of Show and Best Paint at Glory Days Car Show in Sisters.