By By James Crawford
News Editor
Jim Johnson wanted to give Atmore residents something to do after the holidays, so he decided to host a free, open venue car show Saturday at his Johnson Ford Car Dealership in downtown Atmore from 10-2 p.m.
The carshow was the last minute idea of Johnson Ford General Sales Manager Rex Huckabee, who organized the show in just three days.
"It's so hard to find a good time to have one. We got lucky today with the weather and we had a good turnout. Basically, the only advertising we did was through the Advance and in Brewton and Evergreen. Most of the response that we've had came from people we called."
Huckabee said he wanted to do something special for car enthusiasts and plans to continue the event yearly with plans for a larger events sometime around April of next year.
"This was an open invitational car show. Anyone with anything was welcome to come and show off what they had both local and from out of town. Next year, we plan to offer door prizes and maybe do some judging for best car or something," Huckabee said.
As of noon on Saturday, more than two dozen cars of all ages and types had shown up for display and about a dozen vintage trucks, including a 1931 Model "A" Ford, owned by Atmore resident Cecil Stanley, who his wife Dovie Stanley says really enjoys working on old cars.
"He really seems to enjoy it and thank God he hassomething to do besides just sit around," Stanley said. "We have a great time with the Model "A" Club we're in too."
With more than a year into the ground -up restoration, Cecil Stanley said he still has a bit left to do and you can never reach a point where an antique car is finished.
"You can buy anything you want to for it. It just really depends on how much you want to spend," Stanley said.
An onlooker admiring Stanley's Model "A" recalled a time when her own father owned just such a truck.
"My dad used to have one of those and he would drive us all over in it," Emma Andress of Davisville said. "I like the show today. My husband had a 1977 Ford with a big motor in it that I still drive when I need to go down dirt roads."
David Crisp from Pensacola had driven to Atmore to buy a can of paint when he stopped in to take a look.
"I saw some old cars headed this way and knew they had to be going somewhere. As far as the vehicles go, it seems to be a nice turnout. You can still smell the paint on it," said Crisp with a smile, referring to a 1955 Chevrolet BelAire two door vintage car.