Car show revved up downtown Sisters

Folks ready to rev up the weekend meandered down Main Avenue checking out the kaleidoscope of colorful classic cars that rolled into Sisters for the 2019 Glory Daze Car Show that was held in memory of Mick Hunter and presented by Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD).

Mick Hunter, who passed away on May 21, was a key part of the car show for many years. Hunter’s 1955 Chevy 210 Del Ray was displayed for folks to admire. (See related story, page 24.)

Boise, Idaho resident Michael Hunter, named after his dad, was stationed next to Mick’s vintage vehicle answering questions for car enthusiasts.

“My dad spent his life rebuilding ’55 Chevys and has had this one, named Ralph Jr., for over 15 years,” Michael told The Nugget. “He had names for all his cars. And now I’m caretaker and heir to this great car of his.”

Mick’s granddaughter Brittany Meudt added, “I remember how we traded a Corvette because he had to have this 1955 Chevy when we were in Tacoma, Washington at car show.”

Glory Daze Car Show, in Hunter’s memory, became a family reunion when children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, nieces, and close friends showed up in his behalf.

Michael noted, “He was the pillar of our whole family.”

Shannon Rackowski, event coordinator for SPRD, created a special award, “Mick’s Ride,” as the Best of Show category.

Rackowski said, “Mick has been a part of the car show for years, and he and I had worked together on it for many years. The day he passed he called me and left a message which I will never erase. He told me he couldn’t make the car show meeting because he was in the hospital with some medical problems, but for me to carry on. And in his honor, I am introducing “Mick’s Ride” as Best of Show.”

Smolich Motors from Bend, the main sponsor for the car show, brought new Jeeps for display.

Rackowski noted, “The last few years the younger people asked if there could be Jeeps in the show. So, I went to Bend because my family are Jeep people, to see if they might be interested in the main sponsorship and would they consider bringing new Jeeps to the show, and they did.”

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.

Sisters residents Duane and Debbie Van Cleave, who have been coming to the Glory Daze Car Show for years, brought a different vintage vehicle this year.

Duane noted, “This 1954 red Ford F100 was all original when we got it. I completely stripped it and put it back together myself. Everything on it is mostly all original. Original 239 engine and it’s the first year they made the whitewash. We’ve had it about five years and love to drive it around Sisters.”

The Van Cleaves won the stock category.

Don Cort, 18, from Crooked River Ranch brought his beige 1966 Ford Mustang that he restored at age 15.

“My parents are vintage car owners and my mom had this car and they had gotten me a 1951 Ford pickup,” Cort said. “But I wanted the Mustang. My dad had a Mustang when he was growing up. So, we talked and worked out a deal and traded.”

The Mustang was in poor condition and Cort rebuilt the whole motor and restored the interior, paint and bodywork.

He added, “I’m trying to start my own business, Custom Auto Restoration Service. Plus, I’m in the Marine Corps, the Junior ROTC in Redmond.”

Truly having no boundaries, rat rodding is evolving into a phenomenon that has inspired heavy truck builds that look like something out of a scary movie.

From a real stuffed bear baring his teeth riding shotgun to a rubber hand dangling off the rear fender, Albany resident Matt Rossbac knows how to build a hair-raising rat rod.

“My 1918 Dodge Brothers body sat in the rafters of a barn in Amity, Oregon for about 50 years. It was a lady at my church that had the barn, and her great-granddad had bought the Dodge in Kansas and drove it out here. But she doesn’t recollect how the body got separated from the rest of the car,” Rossbac said laughing. “So, I made a rat rod out of it and collected parts from everywhere.”

He added, “There are dozens of things from the 2015 Mad Max movie “Fury Road” that I added to my rat rod. I got the bear at a swap meet and kids just love to sit in the car with him for a photo.”

The Rat Rod category winner was Matt Rossbac.

There were raffle tickets and items donated by local businesses. Warfighter Outfitters sponsored the T-shirts. Rackowski designed the special “Mick’s Ride” T-shirts.

At 1 p.m. the vintage car owners participated in “Start Your Engines” in memory of Mick Wayne Henderson Hunter.

Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce event coordinator Jeri Buckmann, one of this year’s vintage car judges, remembered how Mick assisted with the very first Glory Daze Car Show.

“He helped me start this whole car show. He poured his heart into making the car show happen and would be humbled by this tribute.”

Sweet Home resident Mike Rice won “Mick’s Ride” Best of Show category for his purple and pink 1955 Chevy Bel Air.

“I’ve had the car for about 25 years and restored it all myself except for the paint,” he said. “My favorite color happens to be purple and I had two of these cars while I was in high school and one was purple.”