Otterville Mill Classic Car Show marks 20 years
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For Brenda and Donnie Hayes, it’s not just about an old car.
It’s a getaway. It’s a prized possession. It’s a way to create new friendships.
It’s a lifestyle.
The Hayes showed their 1939 Ford Deluxe alongside hundreds of other old car enthusiasts at the 20th Annual Otterville Mill Classic Car Show on June 13.
It was a milestone year for the show, celebrating two decades of bringing vintage cars to the historic mill.
“We typically have between 190 and 225 cars. That’s about full, 225 is about all we can hold,” said organizer Brian Gilmore.
A lot of cars make for a lot of work. Each year, a group of about 10 committee members begins organizing the show as soon as the new year rolls around.
Come June, it’s about praying to the weather gods.
“Twenty years, and we’ve never been rained out,” Gilmore said.
At this year’s show, the Hayes defended a title their 1939 Ford picked up in 2014.
But Donnie said it’s not about the prizes, it’s about the fun he and his wife are having.
“We don’t go to win. We go to show our car off, to meet people, and have a ball.”
They bought the car in the late 90s. After a few years, Donnie decided to get to work on some upgrades.
“In ’97 it was black, tweed interior, aluminum wheels. So in 2001, we changed the colour, wheels, and the interior. We were going to freshen it up,” Donnie said.
“It was a two and a half year project.”
He did lots of the work himself – but he’s not afraid outsource when necessary.
“I only do what I can, and what I can’t, I farm out. But I’m very, very fussy about who touches my car.”
The Hayes love the finished product.
At a car show in Colorado, the 1939 Ford even won the “Sexy Sudan” award – a name they've adopted.
It’s printed on the rear and under the hood. Donnie’s hoping to get personalized license plates that say “Sexxy.”
The car may be nice to look at, but it’s also comfortable. Long trips down south each winter have proven that to the Hayes.
“We leave the last week of October and come back at the end of March. We don’t drive any interstates – take all secondary highways,” Donnie said.
Making the journey in a classic car is great way to make friends, Brenda said.
“One thing you find when you travel in one of these, there’s no shortage of people who stop, cause they all want to know what it is.”
The first year they drove to Texas and stayed in an RV park at a friend’s recommendation.
“We didn’t like it. So the first of February I said ‘let’s get the hell out of here.’ We jumped in the hot rod and drove up the coast,” Donnie said.
“We landed in Orange Beach, Alabama, and we fell in love.”
They’re headed back again this winter, and they’ll take the car to their favourite shows down south, too.
For Brenda and Donnie, that brings the good memories full circle. They were married at a car show in Spokane, Washington.
“Her and I are living life right,” Donnie said.
They’re racking up the miles on that old Ford, and couldn’t be happier.
“We really have a good time. We’re living life to the fullest.”