The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
by Dessa Rodeffer, Quill Publisher/Owner
There are always surprises at the Fred Gibb Memorial Car Show you don't want to miss but this year, it has been learned that the second car that followed the Fred Gibb 1969 #1 ZL-1 Camaro off the car carrier back on that cold New Year's Eve has been restored to that original state of arrival and will be here Saturday, August 6th at the 13th Annual Fred Gibb Memorial Car and Open Show for the first time.
What a thrill for those who remember the days of the arrival of the 50 COPO Camaros. They will be able to see what Fred Gibb's No. 1 actually looked like in its dust blue color before it was painted up and stocked for its National races.
There should be a lot of picture taking going on as the #1 original Fred Gibb car now owned by Joe Zrostlik of the Quad Cities lines up by the #2 original owned by Mike and Peggy Flash of Texas.
ALSO, as always, the only original owner of a Fred Gibb 1969 ZL-1 - Kenny Barnhardt of Elgin, Illinois will be here again with his #16 bright orange ZL-1. Barnhardt also owns the bright orange 2002 look-alike Camaro that was specially made by Matt Murphy in Georgia, only it is updated and lots of muscle added under the hood that will put his car up on its back tires in a second.
There will be a lot of stories and fun going on with drawings and games for kids and as well for a wonderful family affair. Perhaps you will find a car or truck even that you had as a teen and can show your children.
Make sure you are there by the Opening Ceremonies of prayer and National Anthem with the flag ceremony done by the Boy Scouts and the Military with some overhead action of the Red Baron flying and parachuters jumping and it is hoped that the National Guard will fly-over at some point during the show.
The limited Special Edition of a Diecast 1969 Fred Gibb ZL-1 exclusive in both Red (as Fred had won Nationals with) and its original Dust Blue made by Performance Years Enterprises will be raffled off in a 50/50 drawing and half of the proceeds will be donated to HONOR FLIGHT in honor of our area's World War II Veterans. This event is being organized by Mike and Penny Boyd of the Vettes for Vets.
Also, again, a 427 Anniversary edition engine will be raffled off at the show.
Nicky Chicago will be here with his beautiful souped up and fancied up Camaros along with the Fred Gibb Prototypes they've made.
One 2010 ZL-1 Camaro is owned by Bob Lionberger of La Harpe complete with a 620 hp engine, another is cosmetically done and owned by Nancy Gibb, Fred's daughter and will be at the show for viewing under one of the big tents.
It is also said that "Little Hoss" owned by Reliable Auto-Carrier's owner out of Detroit, Michigan, will be at the show.
Others are coming with some restored police cars such as Ray Miller of Missouri and Pat Lewis with a Utah State Police Car he had restored.
Saturday's fun starts at 8:00 a.m. with food and drink (no alcohol) on grounds. The special opening ceremony is at 10 a.m. and judging begins at 11 a.m.
Awards and 162 trophies will be given at 3:30 p.m. for the 44 classes.
Special Auction
Behind every fast car is a man that is on a mission to make it even faster.
Behind every man is a woman that is very patient and supports every penny and countless hours spent on that car.
This year the Gibb car show staff wanted to show their support to a very special lady whose family has been involved in car shows from this area. Her name is Jamie (Jackson) Shuda.
Jamie has been diagnosed with breast cancer in Spring of 2011. She is a young mother in her thirties.
Jamie is originally from Blandinsville and she currently lives in Bushnell with her husband and two boys.
In May of this year she had a double mastectomy and will start her chemotherapy and radiation in July.
"She has a very long and stressful road ahead of her. No woman should have to go through something so scary in her life, but when you have your whole life ahead of you and have children that are so dependent on you, it just seems like you can't catch a break," said Jolyn Brown.
The staff at the Car Show would like to help her catch that break. Every year they are asked if the color staff shirts are for sale. Normally, only the white shirts are for sale, but to help the Shuda family out, the staff decided to auction off their colored shirts.
Each of the staff guys in green (color of this year's shirts) will donate their shirt.
They will have them washed and dried by the end of the car show.
The girls and the guys will be supporting breast cancer awareness by wearing pink shirts and wearing awareness bracelets.
Jolyn said, "It is our hope that all who come to the show will also show their support to Jamie by signing a poster for her and your kind comments. We are hoping that she will be well enough to be there."
According to Jolyn & Fred Gibb Show Staff, "Our goal is to show her that we are all behind Jamie and her family one hundred percent."
MARK YOUR CALENDAR TO COME
According to two of the Fred Gibb car show organizers-Bob Lionberger and Kenny Brown- everyone is invited to come and enjoy a time with the family and friends and to welcome others to La Harpe.
Bring a car to enter or a truck or motorcycle, even a semi. In the 44 classes, you may be one of the lucky ones receiving a trophy.
Some states that have pre-registered cars are Florida, California, Texas, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia, Wisconsin, as well as Iowa and Illinois.
For information, check the www.FredGibb.com website.