Cool Summer Nights car show draws classic fleet to Trout Creek

Like all of the owners in the field of polished classic cars, Connie Leech could not resist. 

Standing next to her spotless copper colored 1969 VW, Leech’s eye caught a minute imperfection. 

In a heartbeat, she was removing a barely noticeable smudge on the chrome surface of the driver’s side front fender light. 

And as was the case with the owners of the approximately 75 cars who lined a tree-shaded area of Trout Creek Park, details and detailing were obviously  high priority. 

“This is my second car show,” she said. “I won a trophy last time and am hoping for more of the same.”

The Annual Cool Summer Nights Car Show and swap meet this year was held for the first time in Trout Creek Park after several years at the Lakeside Motel and Resort. 

“We are expecting up to 75 cars this year, which is more than the previous site could accommodate,” said an event spokesman. “It was good at Lakeside with the shaded back lawn and the river right there, but this space has more room for cars and vendors.  And, it’s got a lot of trees for good shade also.”

That sentiment was widespread among the car owners and a steady flow of car lovers who stopped to check out the meticulously maintained fleet of classic cars from the 1930s to present. 

Steve Perkins, a Thompson Falls class car owner, was also busy dusting and bug removal from his entry, a turquoise, 1968 Impala. 

“We got this car, which is my wife’s car, in Alaska,” Perkins said while putting the final shine on his ride. “We drive this car around a lot, and it gets little bugs on it.  It’s not perfect, but it is a great car.”

The Impala, with a fastback type rear window, featured a beautiful white interior with turquoise stripes, a product of his wife’s design and work, Perkins said. 

“This is our third year coming to this show,” said Tim Clawson, from rural eastern Montana. “My wife and I have been fans of cars like these for years and we really like this show.  It was a good move to expand the area and attract more cars.”

Vern Buchanan, who moved to Trout Creek three years ago after living most of his life in Washington, entered his 1966 Nova. 

“This car has always been one of my favorites”, he said. “I like it because it was made the same year I graduated from high school.” 

Buchanan said the Chevy is mostly original, although the engine has been “souped up”. 

“There has been some work on the engine,” he said. “It orginally

    Trout Creek resident Vern Buchanan proudly displays his 1966 Chevy Nova at this year's annual Car Show at Trout Creek Park this past Saturday. (Chuck Bandel/VP-MI)
  

    Thompson Falls resident Steve Perkins puts the finishing shine on his 1969 Chevy Impala prior to the start of this year's Cool Summer Nights Car Show in Trout Creek. (Chuck Bandel/VP-MI)
  

had a 327 cubic inch engine, which had a lot of power.”

Buchanan smiled when asked if he smoked the tires when he was younger. 

“Yeah, I guess we all did that and many probably still do,” he said. “At my age I’ve kind of grown out of that phase, but it was always fun.”