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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 11, 2019)
R ODS ‘N’ R HODIES | SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 | 3C RODS from page 2C The organization is also looking to get vouchers go give to cab companies, in case someone’s car breaks down and they need a lift somewhere. “We’re hoping this program to be a year-round program, not just part of the car show,” Cargill said. As for the car show itself, they’re already working on making changes. “We’re trying to keep the same feeling of the show, try- ing to keep it going,” Cargill said. “But we’re expanding it,” Os- borne added. More cars will be allowed downtown for the event, and different types of cars as well. “We’re also including Rat Rods to this, looking for may- be 25 to start with so that we can have something different to see,” Cargill said. “They are neat to look at.” The usual staples of the show will remain: the Friday night DJ party at the Pre-Show Stand-Around, the classic car showcase in Old Town Sat- urday and, of course, the car cruise. Instead of an all-week- end event, as it usually was, the festival will end on Saturday night so downtown merchants can still get weekend summer business. “We want to make it so it’s not just a guys’ event,” Os- borne said. Cargill agreed, saying, “More events, more things for families involved. We’re look- ing for any ideas that people have.” The goal is to reinvigorate, and organize, car culture in the region all year round. Plus, “I’m hoping Dee will get her own car,” Cargill said. “I just might,” Osborne said. “One day, a ’68 Charger.” For more information, visit rodsnrhodies.org. This article originally appeared in the Dec. 22, 2018, edition of the Siuslaw News. The Wright family for the right truck L onie Wright Sr. bought a 1937 Dodge Pickup Truck from a friend of his called “Hook” around 1994. Hook and Lonie Sr. had worked on the truck togeth- er after Hook found the truck in a barn without the bed, hood or motor. Hook traded a carburetor rebuild kit and rebuilt a carbure- tor for another truck in exchange for the ‘37 Dodge Truck. Hook needed to sell the pickup, so Lonie Sr. bought it from Hook. Lonie Sr. continued to re- store the truck while he lived in Oakridge, Ore. While it was still in primer, he drove it to Florence and showed it in one of the Rho- dodendron Festival Car Shows and was awarded Second Place for “Best Mopar.” In 1999. he showed the truck in Oakridge Car Show and was awarded “First Place for Best Pre-’48.” Shortly after that in 1999, Lonie Sr. moved from Oakridge to Florence and sold the ‘37 Dodge Pickup. Lonie Wright Jr. would often ask his dad if he had any news on where the Dodge truck might be in hopes of being able to reac- quire it at some point. Then, one day in September 2013, Lonie Sr. called to say the truck was up for sale again and was he interested in buying it. The time just wasn’t right for Lonie Jr. so he had to decline purchasing the truck. A couple days later, Lonie Sr. drove the 1937 Dodge Pickup Truck into Lonie Jr.’s driveway, got out and through Lonie Jr. the keys to the truck. One 1937 Dodge Pickup Truck linked together two generations of owners in the Wright family. He simply said, “Here’s your truck. Let’s go to shows.” The truck has had a lot of chang- es made to it during the time be- tween when Lonie Sr. owned it and now. Lonie Jr. has had the truck for the past six years and has worked on it with the help of his wife Dawnell and their children to put the truck back to the way it was when Lonie Sr. had it. They switched out the V6 for a more powerful V8 Small Block Chevy, 350 transmission, and new inte- rior, returned the headlights and grill to the original style, and put on a new black paint job with red flames on the front. During this period of time, Lonie Sr. had purchased a 1934 Plymouth Coupe and had been restoring it. They would often switch back and forth of the two different vehicles as time would go on. They regularly showed their vehicles together or would go to different shows together. Lonie Jr.’s first award with the 1937 Dodge Pickup Truck was the Wings & Wheels Car Show in July 2017 with “Best Mopar Award.” His second win was in Coquille, Ore., at the 30th annual Rendez- vous Car Show, where he won “People’s Choice Award.” Lonie Jr. said that his biggest win was in 2018 when he received notification that his 1937 Dodge Pickup Truck had been accepted as a participant in the 11th annual Rods ‘N’ Rhodies Car Show, which was an invitational at the time. It was important to him to have the entire family involved in this special show. Rods ‘N’ Rhodies displays over 110 high quality show cars on the streets of Old Town Florence on the second weekend of September. The live DJ music creates a festive environment for the entire family to get involved in during the day. Pinewood Derby Races, dance entertainment, raffle prizes and a closed course cruise of all the show participants is an event in itself to see the beautiful cars roll- ing along making the sounds that hot rods and classics will make. Lonie Jr.’s wife Dawnell, Mom and Lonie Sr. were all present when he was awarded “The Hot Dog Of Hot Rods Award” spon- sored by Bridgeport Market, which was one of the many Mer- chant Awards Sponsors. This win for the entire Wright family would be bittersweet, as Lonie Wright Sr. passed away in February 2019. Rods ‘N’ Rhodies Car Show was the last car show that Lonie Sr. would attend. The Wright Family paid tribute to Lonie Sr. by laying the Rods N Rhodies Invitational Car Show award to rest with Lonie Wright Sr. in his final resting place. Lonie Sr. was known in the car community with his 1934 Plym- outh Coupe. Learn to host a successful garage sale with these tips Many people turn to garage and yard sales to transform their clutter into some extra money. What’s more, they can be an ideal way to connect with neighbors and meet new people. Any money earned is an added bonus. Yard sales may seem straightforward, but there are a few strategies to en- sure such sales go boom rather than bust. Many people host their yard sales on Friday, Sat- urday or Sunday morn- ings, theorizing that this is when the most people will be free to browse their wares. Begin early in the morning so that shoppers will not need to disrupt their schedules much to visit neighborhood sales. To reach the maximum number of shoppers, ad- vertise your sale in var- ious ways. Signs should be bold, simple and easily readable for passing mo- torists. Arrange goods for sale into categories and pay attention to presentation. You may generate more sales if items are easy to see and browsing is made easy. Put items you expect to draw the most attention near the end of the drive- way to entice passers-by. A neat and inviting ap- pearance also may convey that you’ve taken care of your home and your be- longings. It’s tempting to over- price items, but a good rule of thumb is to mark things for one-half to one- third of the original value. Be open to negotia- tion, but try to haggle with a “buy one get one” approach, rather than marking down the price considerably. After all, the goal is to get rid of as many items as possible. Yard sales are popular ways to make money and clear homes of unwanted items. Tires • Brakes Shocks • Alignments 4325 Highway 101, Florence, OR 97439 541-997-7178 Hours- Mon-Fri: 8am-6pm; Saturday: 8am-5pm www.LesSchwab.com Fun What we love most about Florence is the people. You cannot go anywhere in town without running into a smile or a “howdy.” Need a hand? There will be someone available. For a small town there is always something to do or places to go. Ride the dunes, be entertained by many a performance or simply go out to eat and watch life pass by ever so slowly. (With a glass of wine preferably). Perfect? No, of course not. But close!!! And besides, Florence is our town! FLORENCE 8 7 7 . 3 7 4 . 8 3 7 7 | T H R E E R I V E R SC A S I N O . CO M 541.997.8202 shorewoodsl.com 1451 Spruce Street, Florence
