While it wasn’t the only car show taking place in Lewis County this past weekend, the fifth annual Adna Car Show was the only one held over two days with an overnight campout and multiple concerts.
The show was held in the field west of Adna High School on Friday and Saturday across the street from the Adna Grocery Store. It was organized by Uncle Jim’s Smokehouse of Adna in partnership with Transmissions Unlimited of Centralia.
Following payment for permits and other associated car show costs, all proceeds from the show will go toward scholarships for Adna High School students, according to Uncle Jim’s Smokehouse and Adna Grocery owner Jim Smith.
“Last year, in total, we raised about $33,000. After expenses, we gave the kids $29,300,” Smith said of the donation to the Adna Scholarship Fund. “Some of the kids got four grand a piece in scholarship money.”
He added 13 Adna High School students volunteered to help with the car show, and they will be receiving scholarship funds. A total of 138 cars officially registered for the car show.
James Quick added Transmissions Unlimited has been sponsoring the Adna Car Show since its initial launch during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We did this four years ago when they said we couldn’t and have been doing it since,” Quick said.
Bands who put on live performances included Pat Murphy and the Straightshot Band, The Big Dogs Band and The Backfire Band. Additionally, over 20 local food and artisan vendors were on hand for car show attendees.
Smith and Quick are already planning next year’s Adna Car Show. Quick also thanked Barb and Frank Mason for allowing the car show to be held on their property.
“Next year’s will be bigger and better,” Smith added.
The cars that caught The Chronicle’s eyes included a lowrider 1964 Chevrolet Impala SS and a 1965 Plymouth Barracuda.
The candy-brandy wine ‘Cuda
Originally produced from 1964 to 1974, collectors often go after the third and final generation of Plymouth Barracudas from the last four years of production due to the iconic muscle car’s bodywork and stylings.
The first generation, produced until 1966, had another iconic body feature that isn’t seen often today — the car’s massive and almost bubble-like rear window.
Produced by Pittsburgh Plate Glass and Chrysler designers, the large rear window had a surface area of 14.4 square feet and was the largest rear window installed on a production car at the time, according to Mighty Mopars.
It was this rear window on LaDonna Hansen’s 1965 Plymouth Barracuda that caught The Chronicle’s eye on Saturday. While LaDonna wasn’t at the show when The Chronicle visited, her husband, Ron, was able to share a little bit about his wife’s classic muscle car.
Painted in a color called “candy-brandy wine,” Ron said the Chehalis couple purchased the car five years ago in partially restored condition.
“I farmed out what I couldn’t do, and did the rest of it myself, the interior and upholstery work, some of the trim, the wheels and the axles and that sort of thing,” Ron said.
He had to take it to a body shop though as the car, which he found on Bainbridge Island, had a lot of rust damage.
“Other than the paint, it’s pretty much original,” Ron added.
Adna’s own lowrider Impala SS
Produced just one year before LaDonna’s Barracuda, Joe Mendez of Adna’s 1964 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport is far from original.
First produced in 1957, Impalas have been made on and off by Chevrolet from 1957 to 1985, 1994 to 1996 and 1999 to 2020. Mendez’s Impala is a third generation, produced from 1961 to 1964, and it was in 1961 when the Super Sport option was debuted as well.
Mendez purchased the car in Oregon from a collector during the COVID-19 pandemic who was looking to sell it. Already owning and driving a custom 1993 Chevrolet 1500 lowrider as his daily driver, he decided to give the Impala the lowrider treatment as well.
“I did everything on the body and on the frame,” Mendez said. “It took me six months to get it together, just to get it running and painted and everything. Then I did the interior slowly, suspension and hydraulics, all that stuff.”
While he uses his truck as his daily driver, now he has the Impala to take out on the nicer days and to show off at car shows.
Mendez also helped with the preparation of the Adna Car Show and was also responsible for designing this year’s Adna Car Show shirt.
