Route 63 Car & Bike Show – 40 years of classics

By Editor | July 10, 2024 |

Photo by Shari Harris
Jim Stevens’ 1957 Chevy pickup won Best of Show at this year’s Route 63 Car & Bike Show. The win held a special meaning for Stevens, as he and his father, Wally Stevens had started work on the truck before the elder Stevens passed away.

Photo by Shari Harris
David Scarbrough and daughter Zelma won the Chief of Police trophy with his 1986 C10 Chevy truck.

Photo by Shari Harris
Mayor Keith Cantrell, far right, is shown with Gail and Brian Vance and their 2022 Ford Shelby GT500, which won the Mayor’s Choice trophy this year.

By Shari Harris

Publisher

The 40th Annual Route 63 Car & Bike Show was held Saturday at the Old City Park in Licking. This year’s show saw 89 entries line up for a day of friendly competition and fun in the shade of the park.

All entries received a t-shirt and dash plaque, and this year, everyone took home a trophy, with entries ranked as third place, second place or first place, and with three special trophy winners – Best of Show, Mayor’s Choice, and the Chief of Police. This year’s judges were Mike Creech, Shayden Hoylman and David Black.

Photo by Shari Harris
From left, Mike Creech, David Black and Shayden Hoylman were this year’s show judges.

A 1957 Chevy pickup, owned by Jim Stevens, was the Best of Show this year. Mayor Keith Cantrell chose a 2022 Ford Shelby GT500 for his trophy, and the Chief of Police trophy was awarded to David Scarbrough’s 1986 C10 Chevy truck.

Tommy Gale was all wrapped up in 50/50 tickets, and it paid off when he won the $134 prize.

Silent auction items were bid upon throughout the morning and early afternoon, before the car club fundraiser wrapped up and the highest bidders claimed their items. Door prizes for entrants were also drawn for during the show, adding to the day’s fun.

DJ Lew and Rambling Rick kept the Road Show music playing classics, with their tunes matching the generations of many of the cars in the show.

Car enthusiasts enjoyed seeing the variety of old and new, vintage and customized, according to each owner’s preference. The day lent itself to giving the owners something back for all the work they put into their prize autos, when seeing the enjoyment on the faces of others.

Photo by Shari Harris
Lynn Decker, right, shared stories of his early years in Licking, while he and companion Pat Keaton were at this year’s car show.

Some shared stories of past vehicles, like 91-year-old Lynn Decker, who grew up in Licking. He recalled buying his first car at the age of 15, a 1935 Plymouth Coupe. He went to Kansas to work during the wheat harvest and lied about his age when he returned so he could get a license and a car. Returning to Kansas the next year, he was able to buy a 1941 Ford from Wilfred Crow’s partner, Hutcheson, when he came back to Licking, but he kept the Plymouth also. After his third year working the wheat harvest, he purchased a third vehicle, a 1948 Chevrolet Fleetline car. He recalls he was the only student at Licking High School to have a car.

His next vehicle was a 1955 Ford Coupe, but that came after a few life events, like joining the Navy, and meeting and marrying Helen, with whom he celebrated 69 years of marriage prior to her passing.

Decker’s memories of Licking seem foreign today, as he recalls a time before Harry S Truman was president, when Truman would visit Licking to hunt with his dad. He remembers the future president playing dominoes at the hotel on Main Street in Licking.

Certainly many more memories were shared throughout the day as people reminisced about cars of the past, shared about their prize autos at the show, or perhaps dreamed about having one of their own.