Saturday April ,9, 2022 at the Sonic Drive-in restaurant in Kinston was the place to be to see some great classic cars, trucks, and even a cross over boat/car. Pete Bridgman, along with multiple others, hosted a car show to raise money for the residents affected by the tornado that hit Marshall County on March 21, 2022.
Bridgeman lives in Kingston south of Hwy 70 and saw first-hand what the damage of the recent tornado inflicted on Marshall County. Bridgeman, having deep roots in Marshall County, said he wanted to help. “I wanted to do something to help [the] residents and boost the morale of Marshall County,” Bridgman said.
Two weeks ago, while at the Sonic Drive-in with Lynn Smith, the two said the idea came out of thin air.
“A car show is a great idea, and I will get to work on it right away,” Bridgeman said. “Normally, an event like this takes eight to ten months to put together, but we put this one together in about a week and it turns out it had more contestants and spectators than most of the more formal ones we have hosted.” According to some of the organizers, there was over 130 contestants and over 30 additional car owners who did not compete in the show. The event included donation tables, a collection truck, and a live DJ.
The crowd was a total blow-out, there were spectators from the west of Bank United to the east of Paradise Donuts on each side of highway 70. This event had an entry fee for each contestant and every cent raised will be donated to tornado victims. The entry fee was not the only avenue of support, there were tangible items of all sorts and many folks made cash donations as well.
Bridgeman stated that he would make sure that every item and every dollar raised would go directly to the folks who suffered from the tornado. Bridgman said he felt the call to assist the ones in need.
‘I felt it was my responsibility to my neighbors to do all I can to serve and help when it is needed and it is just in my heart and blood to help when I can.”
To describe the multitude of show cars would take a month, but anyone who stopped or even drove by could easily see that these people are serious about the cars and it would seem that a person stepped back in time to a classic muscle car time period and the Sonic Drivein was the perfect venue for such. By the great turn-out one might easily say, when Pete Bridgeman does something you can bet it will be great.
Bridgeman said a lot of people supported him in putting this event together and that was easy to see as staff workers seemed to be everywhere. The car show was spectacular, and Bridgeman said this is not the only avenue of help that he is working on.
The recent tornado put a great burden on many folks but anytime you see people helping it seems as though some spirit Oklahoma has shown itself again. The fact that Oklahoma and Indian Territory has seen its fair share doesn’t seem to slow the spirit of recovery and endurance down one bit. Bridgman said he is hum
Bridgman said he is humbled by the amount of people who stepped up to help and all who donated. “We could not have pulled
“We could not have pulled this off without a lot of great people,” Bridgman said. “Especially Lynn and Brenda Smith of the Blast from the Past Car Club in Durant, and Melynda Keeling from the Durant Lions Club.”
Bridgman said that others who helped were John and Glenna Ganster, James Mahoney, Bobby Lowrie, Roy Bridgeman, Jean Neasbitt, Linda and Wayne Davis, and Hollis Jones form the Marshall County Cruisers.
Keith Sterling drove away with Best of Show with his 1941 Willy’s Coupe. Other winners were Jimi Funsher, Best Street Rod with a 1932 Ford Coupe; Barbara Morgan, Best Tri Five with a 1957 Chevy Bel Air; Wade Barris, Best GM with a 1967 GTO; Larry Clifton, Best Ford with a 1956 Ford Fairlane; Ricky Hix, Best Mopar with a 1966 Baracuda; Jody Morgan, Best Street Rod Truck with a 1980 Chevy Step side; Pat Murphy, Best Rat Rod with a Jetcraft BoatCar; Lloyd. Newton, Special Interest with a Pulling Tractor; Justin Ayers, Best Motorcycle with a 2010 Harley Davidson; and Larry Johnson, Best Convertible with a 1960 Chevy Impala. A special shout out went to J.D and Marie McCollah for driving 188 miles one-way to attend the event.
Bridgman said the event garnered over $8,000. There are still shirts available and can be bought at Town and Country.