Car show helps VFDs
CONNOQUENESSING TWP — More than a thousand cars filled the Butler Farm Show grounds on Saturday as the Rodfathers Motorsports Club hosted its second annual Fall Festival Extravaganza.
The event was a worthy sequel to the highly popular Cruise-a-Palooza hosted by the club in June.
The farm show location brings some noticeable advantages compared to its downtown counterpart, according to David Landis, the vice president of the car club.
“It's a bigger area,” he said. “There's a lot of landlock going on downtown. It's nice out here.”
The extra space is important for the show, which is growing in popularity.
“Every year it gets bigger,” Landis said. “We appreciate the extra space.”
Club members hope the show can become an annual happening.
“It's a big event,” said Dan Cunningham, the publicity director for the club. “We're really happy with this. Hopefully we can have this every year.”
Cunningham said the fall festival raises money for six fire companies.
East Butler, Oneida Valley, Herman, Evans City, West Sunbury, and Lick Hill fire companies combined to raffle off prizes throughout the day. A $20 ticket gave visitors an opportunity to win a prize every 10 minutes for five hours, while helping to collect money for the fire companies.
Prizes ranged from electronic items to a weeklong trip to Walt Disney World.
The fire companies also put on safety demonstrations, including mock crash and Life Flight rescue procedures.
“It's important for the public to understand firefighters invest a lot of money protecting them,” said Rob McLafferty, the chief of the Herman Volunteer Fire Company. “We're also trying to show the different safety features in vehicles and how they are designed to protect you.”
McLafferty was thankful to the Rodfathers for hosting the event, which last year raised more than $12,000 for fire companies.
“We absolutely appreciate the support of the Rodfathers,” he said. “Hopefully this is something we can continue to do for years to come.”
The Herman fire company also displayed a classic vehicle of its own. The station's restored 1937 Seagrave fire engine was at the entrance.
“That's the original truck that started the Herman fire company,” McLafferty said.
Herman firefighters spent thousands of dollars in the 1990s to have the truck restored. Today, the nearly 80-year-old engine still works.
“We drove it out here today,” McLafferty said. “And it still pumps water. It's totally functional.”
While firefighters provided the cause of the day, the draw remains the plethora of classic cars.
Fred and Gail Gesin of Butler showed off their 1931 Chevrolet Independence. The couple bought the car two years ago after seeing it was for sale in a neighbor's yard.“My wife wanted it,” Fred Gesin said. “Her dad had one just like it in the '30s and she liked it a lot.”Gesin said the car is original aside from a fresh coat of paint and a redone interior.He and his wife visit many car shows but think the Rodfathers' event is one of the best.“It's a nice area,” he said. “I think it worked out great and would like to see this become an annual event.”While the Gesin's car had some work done to it, others on display had complete overhauls done by the enthusiasts who dedicate their lives to their craft.Ron Renick of West Sunbury bought his 1962 Chevrolet Corvette in 1973 for $200 from a junk yard.A member of the Rodfathers, Renick took the totaled car home, where it stayed for nearly 37 years.“My wife said that if that thing sits there any longer, she was going to turn it into a flower pot,” Renick joked. “I said I would get to it someday for 37 years, and eventually someday came.”It took 18 months and two repair shops, one of which is run by Renick, to bring the car back to its former glory.“You have to work on a car like that every day,” Renick said. “Chasing down parts was the hardest part.”While it was a lot of hard work, Renick said he finished the job before his self-imposed deadline.“We had it done in time to display at the '62 reunion,” he said, referencing the Carlisle High School class reunion. “That was the goal from the start.”Renick said he also restored a 1959 Corvette after it sat for a number of years.Like the numerous enthusiasts in attendance, Renick said restoring cars was just something he enjoys doing.“I got hooked on Corvettes when I was 15,” he said. “I guess you can say I'm doing what I was destined to do. It's all I've ever done.”
