SPRING MILLS — Faith Alive Fellowship Church, located at 4394 Penns Valley Road near Spring Mills, hosted its second annual car, truck and motorcycle show Aug. 5. Show organizer Autumn Fetterolf said the show is held as a community outreach project by the church youth group.
The entire show was free of charge to show entrants and spectators, and a pavilion on the church grounds held a supply of free food
Youth group members performed the duties of running the event, handling registration, parking, judging and the awarding of trophies. About 65 vehicles, including American muscle cars, antiques, hot rods, pickup trucks and motorcycles, were entered in the show.
A 1955 Ford Crown Victoria two-door hardtop owned by Jim and Barb Dean, of Centre Hall, drew plenty of attention with its two-tone paint job in a bright pink and white.
“The color is called tropical rose, and it was only available that year,” said Jim Dean.
The look of the Crown Victoria’s matching pink and white interior was completed with fuzzy dice hanging from the rearview mirror. The car’s power comes from a 272-cubic-inch V8 engine and an automatic transmission.
Jim Dean said he had a 1955 Ford in his youth, and had often wanted to find another one. He located his current Ford in Colorado 14 years ago through an auto trade publication.
He added an extended rear bumper-type Continental spare tire kit and fender skirts, both period-correct accessories, giving the car a mildly customized look. The vehicle has been entered in many area car shows has garnered many trophies, including Judges’ Choice and second place for best interior at the Faith Alive show.
Another popular trophy winner was Robert and Nancy Letterman’s bright orange and white 1955 Chevrolet Delray sedan. The Chevy’s spotless engine bay contained a heavily chromed big block Chevy V8, and the interior was done in orange and white vinyl.
Kristian Bierly showed a rare Rokon Trail Breaker motorcycle from 1965.
The Rokon is an off-road trail bike featuring a two-wheel drive. A shaft and chain system enables the front wheel to be driven as well as steered. A single cylinder two-stroke engine mounted horizontally to provide high ground clearance powers the unique bike. Its wide wheels use tractor-type tires for incredible traction, and the engine air intake is on a high mounted snorkel, which enables the bike to ford streams almost completely submerged.
The crowd’s favorite motorcycle was a beautifully restored 1947 Indian Chief, shown by Ron Yearick. This cherry red bike featured skirted fenders, a V-twin engine with a foot-operated clutch and a hand-operated gear shifter, which are the opposite of today’s bikes’ controls.
The Faith Alive show also featured a display of model cars on a diorama mimicking a typical downtown car show in 1/25 scale.
