Car show a Lewiston tradition

LEWISTON -- Hundreds of classic cars embellished the streets of downtown Lewiston on Saturday.

Hot August Nights held its 37th annual car show, and the event garnered quite the crowd. Main Street was packed with car enthusiasts from across the region.

Mark Smith drove from Kalispell, Mont., to show off his 2005 Ford Mustang GT.

He bought it in Clarkston in 2008 and used it to commute for about 10 years. He even drives it in the winter. When the trunk is full with 80 pounds of sandbags and its tires are studded, the Mustang is the best all-weather vehicle he’s ever owned.

Smith said it has 355,000 miles, but because he takes good care of it, the car is in exceptional condition.

“I don’t know how long it will last,” Smith said. “It’s extraordinary how well it’s done. I’ve always religiously changed the oil and replaced everything that looks like it will fail. You take good care of things and they’ll last.”

He joked that while the car doesn’t get as much attention, he puts it in to get a great parking spot at shows. Instead, Smith’s friend Mike Roark, of Clarkston, turned many heads with his 1933 Ford Coupe.

Roark said he’s been working on the fiberglass reproduction since 2015 and still isn’t finished. The car has a V8 engine with 700 horsepower, which led to him replacing the 10-gallon fuel tank with one twice the capacity because it kept “eating gas.”

“It’s got some get up and go,” he said.

Working on cars has always been a creative outlet for Roark. He’s been fixing up cars since he was 16, because he said it “just feels great” to create something with his hands.

Ivan and Betty Olsen, of Clarkston, said they’ve been coming to the show for around 20 years. While they didn’t bring any cars, they have a couple at home they’re working on. Ivan hopes he can bring his 1923 Dodge Challenger when it’s finished.

Connie and Paul Smith, of Lewiston, were in a similar boat. They got rid of a lot of cars after retirement, but kept a few favorites. Paul’s 1935 Ford Pickup started running recently after being inoperable for over a decade, but he wasn’t comfortable driving it over yet.

Jay, Amie and their son Evan Scheinost drove their 1972 Chevy Pickup from Santa, Idaho. They’ve been coming to the show for about 10 years. Amie and Jay said they raised their son to love cars and the sound of engines.

Jay said he likes the old cars restored to their original condition, like their pickup. They’ve tried to keep the car as authentic as possible.

Tony Johnson from Viola brought his 1979 Jeep CJ5 Renegade that’s been in the family for 45 years. The vehicle was once his father’s, and Johnson said it will be handed down for generations to come.

“My kids would kill me if I sold it,” Johnson said.

He also owns a 1972 Honda SL125 motorcycle that was in the show, along with a 1931 Ford Model A hot rod he recently drove in the National Lentil Festival Parade in Pullman last weekend.

Christy and Neil Ramey came from Meridian in their 1997 Chevy Silverado. They’ve been working on the truck for about a year. Neil said it was in bad shape when he first bought it. Since then, they’ve restored the car to its original condition, down to its signature red paint.

They’ve been coming to the show for 15 years, Neil said, because they like the nostalgia of old buildings in historic Lewiston. Christy said they first discovered it when bringing their kids to the University of Idaho.

They love to road trip, and Christy said they believe in driving classic cars rather than letting them sit in their garage.

“I’m always telling people to take their cars out,” Neil said. “You’ve paid all this money, so go and enjoy it.”

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.