Story by Jon Stalnaker AKA The Studebaker Dude
It’s happening the second Thursday of every month this summer. It’s a fun little event and Michael Jones is a great host. It was only two hours long and although I have not been to many shows since I moved to Sapulpa, I was missing it and my poor Studebakers have been neglected. And that’s not good for them, so I decided to go. I’ve been wanting to try the gourmet hot dogs by Chuck It and the fried pies by Muffin Top Bakery. Carlene sent me out and I figured I could bring her back some goodies. She didn’t want the hot dog but the pies would be a nice treat.
I got there a little early as my experience with car shows have taught me to do that. This was a small informal get together so, it wasn’t that necessary. I wasn’t the first to arrive but I probably would have been had I not had to wait for a long train. Michael was setting up and he helped me park the Studebaker, then sent me inside to get a raffle ticket. Mine was the first one in and I joked that it means it should be the first one out. What are the chances of that? More about that later.
It was fun looking at cars and talking to the “car-minded” once again. I made a couple of new friends, one of which showed me pictures of a new Studebaker truck he’s working on. We are already both friends with Terry Clark who has yet another Studebaker truck that’s almost ready to hit the streets of Sapulpa. I’ve seen one more that is a project that is not at the top of the list to get spruced up so that’s 4 C-Cab Studebaker trucks that I know of in Sapulpa. Woo-hoo.
We were standing in line waiting to get a hot dog when I heard some commotion from the crowd. I looked up and saw something very interesting. It wasn’t an old classic coming in but a brand new vehicle that gets a lot of attention on Facebook. People either love it or hate it, but it is interesting and it’s the first real one I have ever seen. I’ve seen a zillion pictures of them but it was surprisingly bigger than it looks in photographs. After I chowed down that delicious hot dog, I went over to look at it. The fried pies can wait.
It was a Tesla Truck, not a favorite of most car guys. Especially classic car guys that love the sexy curves of the cars from the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. The only curves on the Tesla Truck are on the tires. But, I can play nice, besides, the guy that owned it was proud to show it off. It was interesting to look at, but it didn’t convince me to become a fan.
I walked around and looked at more of the cars and talked old cars to new friends until I remembered that I needed to get those fried pies to take home. Time got away from me and this was the first time I had seen the fried pies booth. I learned my lesson that night. You get the fried pies first because by the time I got back there, they were gone. While I was whining about missing out, Michael offered one out of his box of 10. Like I said earlier, Michael Jones is a great host. (I owe you one, buddy) It was good and next time I get the chance, I’m getting in that line first.
Time flies when you’re having fun and it was now time for the raffle. With help from a youngster from the crowd, the first ticket was called. I don’t know what the chances of it being mine was, but that’s exactly what came out first. I walked over to the table full of t-shirts, ball caps and other goodies. On the bottom of the stockpile of prizes was the best prize and it was mine for the taking. It was an assembled and framed puzzle of cars of the 50s. I wanted it so bad but I didn’t need it and I knew that. I have 2 unassembled jigsaw puzzles just like it and an even bigger framed poster of that same thing hanging in my garage. So why would I want it and why did I have 3 different versions of the same thing? It is because the Studebaker they used in that poster was my car. That picture was taken by a professional photographer who sells these images to people that make calendars and jigsaw puzzles among other things. So, I let someone else have it and he chose it for his dad. I told him to let his dad know that you talked with the guy that owns that yellow Studebaker and it is a Sapulpa car now. I took one of the T-shirts and was proud of myself for not being selfish by taking the coolest prize that I really didn’t need. Sometimes I do the right thing.
Thanks Michael for hosting the event. I had a great time and I’ll have to come back for the next one. Look for me at the head of the line for the fried pies. I’m not about to make that same mistake twice…
