Snow Shoe hosts fall festival and car show

SNOW SHOE — Snow Shoe Park was filled with vehicles and vendors during the annual Snow Shoe Fall Festival and Car Show on Sept. 16.

The event featured a car, truck and motorcycle show, craft and flea market vendors, food stands and live music. About 40 vendors were on hand, while the car show highlighted 80 cars, trucks and motorcycles.

A steady stream of spectators viewed the vehicles throughout the day. One grabbing a lot of attention was a 1959 Chevrolet El Camino pickup owned by Frank Swartz, of Ginter, Clearfield County.

Swartz found the El Camino in California in 1976, and spent a year restoring it to its original condition. He replaced the original six-cylinder engine with a period-correct 283-cubic-inch V8, then repainted the truck in its original red-and-white color scheme.

El Caminos were introduced in 1959 and produced until the mid-1980s. They featured the style and comfort of a car with the utility of a pickup truck.

An unusual hot rod shown was a 1928 Chevy Phaeton, an open touring car sometimes called a “tub.” Ed Reidell, of Cary, Ill., showed his, done up in rat-rod style with its body in gray primer and devoid of chrome. A Chevy 350-cubic-inch V8 powers the tub, hooked to an automatic transmission. Reidell’s was modernized with disk brakes and a high-mounted third brake light for added safety.

In a separate area of the park were 15 big rig trucks on display. These examples of over-the-road trucks were decked out in gleaming chrome and spotless paint jobs, reflecting the pride of their owners, who make their livings driving them.

The trucks’ front ends were open, revealing the huge turbocharged diesel engines that move them and their trailers down the highways of America. Barb Mitchell, who helped register the trucks in the show, said this is the third year for the heavy truck category.

Among the vendors was Bobby Gummo, of Bellefonte, who makes large wood carvings with chainsaws.

Gummo began carving bears and other items with saws about a year ago. He had bought a carved bear from another artist and his dog chewed one of the bear’s legs, causing some damage. Gummo carved a new leg and grafted it onto the carving.

“It looked pretty good, so I thought maybe I could make my own carvings,” he said. He has been very successful in his work, and will be featured at the Bellefonte Victorian Christmas event in December.

Selling home baked goods were Terri Kuhlman, a cheerleader at Bald Eagle High School, and her mother, Melissa. Terri Kuhlman has earned a spot in the National Cheerleaders Association All-American Cheerleading Team. She plans to participate in the Varsity SpiritSpectacular event to be held in Disney World in November. She currently is raising funds for the trip.