Last October they lost their main street auto shop due to an electrical fire. The building went up in flames and along with it David’s 1966 Ford Galaxie Convertible. There was no insurance on the building and so rebuilding on the site is out of the question. That, together with the loss of his dad’s prized classic car, should have been enough to sideline them but it hasn’t, according to Kelley.
“The memorial was for the shop and the classic car that burnt, but what it actually turned out to be was a memorial of who we are as human beings. We work hard, we struggle and grind to build a life we have always dreamed of until life has a new lesson to teach us. That lesson this time was that we don’t need to struggle alone, we’re all in this together. The community on Sunday came out to show us once again how supported each one of us are - regardless of who you are or where you’re going,” he said.
David dreamed up the idea of the car show as a fitting way to share not only his love for classic cars but also to show that “even though there may be ashes laying where so many memories and dreams were built, we still have opportunity to rise above and make the best out of unfortunate circumstance,” Kelley explained.
The invite was simply to people who put their blood, sweat and tears into their restored vehicles, to bring them out and show them off, he said.
“It didn’t matter if it was a lawnmower or an 18-wheel semi – just get out of the house and show off your pride and joy. It was an overwhelming response.”
The two men have a life-long love for restoring old, long-abandoned vehicles, pulling them out of the bush and sloughs to give them new life. In doing so, they enjoy sharing that passion with others and seeing the joy that people get from taking a journey down memory lane.
“Us gear heads, grease monkeys and midnight wrenchers don’t just have gasoline running through our veins - we may just have a loose screw bouncing around up there thinking that we can change the world by bringing history back to life and bringing smiles to people of all ages,” he said. And they did just that with an impromptu cruise past Sunnyside Lodge and Extendicare whose residents were “tickled with ear-to-ear smiles” as history rolled passed them.
Kelley said the response to the car show from car enthusiasts throughout the Lakeland and beyond is proof of people’s need to find their way back to a sense of community and regain focus on what matters after months of pandemic stress. He promises this is just part one of a two-part annual event, with more to come later this year as he plans to stay true to his own philosophy of “life’s short, so do fun stuff.”
