Story by Jon Stalnaker AKA The Studebaker Dude
Last month, they did the grand opening of the makeover of Dewey Street, Sapulpa’s Route 66 main street. The City wanted to parade some vintage cars on the new asphalt after the ribbon-cutting ceremony. They asked me at the last minute for help, so I got on the phone and wrangled a few period-correct vehicles for the Mother Road’s centennial celebration. There are plenty of classic cars and trucks in our community, and others were invited to join in as well.
Leading the parade of classics were several from the Route 66 Museum. The first car was a 1926 Ford Model T. That was perfect, as it is as old as Route 66 is. The museum brought an old Packard, a 50s era shop truck, and a couple of Corvettes. If you are familiar with the old Route 66 television show, you will understand the connection between Corvettes and that show.
Following that were a couple of Studebaker trucks that occasionally grace the streets of Sapulpa, my green truck, and a slick, flat-black custom one that Terry Clark has recently made roadworthy.
Other cars lined up for a couple of blocks, but I didn’t get to see all of them since I was in front. I know there was another Studebaker involved, driven by Jerry Lanigan, who was way back there, and I didn’t get a chance to talk with him. He and I are members of the local Studebaker Chapter, and he is a docent at the Rt 66 Museum. If I had been given more time to assemble a group of cars, we could’ve had more Studebakers.
Speaking of more Studebakers parading down Dewey Street in Sapulpa, I’ve been working for several months to get a bunch of Studebakers to drive the Mother Road from Chicago to Santa Monica, California. The plan is to get as many as we can to travel Rt 66 or at least part of it.
When we first started working on it, I didn’t expect anyone to drive the whole thing. After months of hard work, lost sleep, and prayers, I got a message from a member who lives in Colorado who is willing to lead the whole trip. God is good, and he is now helping to assemble a proper itinerary. We’re still working at it, but I at least know that the group will arrive in Sapulpa on May 14th.
We will spend a good portion of the day here, and I am looking at different things to do and see. They will layover in Miami after driving from Chicago to Kansas, which takes three days. That picture I showed a couple of weeks ago is from the Studebaker Club magazine that just announced this trip to the Studebaker community worldwide. Now that the word is out, we need to tie up the details.
This is a Studebaker Club event and is only open to Studebaker Drivers Club members. However, we will not be the only car club making this trek. We are going to see many car clubs driving through our town. Others will be driving it alone, so the hope is that the inconvenience of last year’s road construction, which hurt many of our downtown businesses, will have a bright side. I just want to let my friends in the Studebaker world see what a great town Sapulpa is.
I don’t just write for the Sapulpa Times; I also write a lot of stories for our Studebaker Club magazine. I like to write about stuff I know, and I know that Sapulpa, Oklahoma, is a great place to live. I can’t wait to show it off on May 14th this year.
There’s a lot to see here, and I am open to ideas from those of you who have lived here much longer than Carlene and me. Exciting news: I just met with Sarah Lehew and Scott Buhnerkempe and have made plans to create a sleepover at the TeePee Drive-In when the Studebakers come through town. This is going to be so much fun. More to come.
