Family pickup, new treasure part of Soap Lake Hog Run
Lynne Lynch/Columbia Basin HeraldDanny LaPorte of Soap LakeÊandÊBob Givens of Duvall, Wash.Êlook at a 1947 Chevrolet convertible on Saturday during the Soap Lake Hog Run & Feed.
Classic vehicles on display during weekend
SOAP LAKE - Some families were brought together by classic vehicles during Soap Lake's Hog Run & Feed on Saturday.
Randy Hovland of Ephrata brought a 1970s-era Chevrolet pickup to the show. He entered the three-quarter ton pickup in his two daughters' names, Jayme, 13, and Haley, 10.
The pickup once belonged to Hovland's grandfather, Emery Riggs, who also attended the event.
"I turned it over to his dad and his dad handed it over to him," Riggs said.
Riggs had the original bill of sale on hand, which shows the purchase price of $4,370.
Hovland said he removed the sidesteps, CB antennae whips and mud flaps to make the pickup stock.
The seats are original, although the sun and sweat tends to age them, Riggs said.
Other classic cars with different stories were also at the event, including Ed and Kay Mattson's teal 1947 Chevrolet convertible. The Mattsons' car won its class last year, said Ed Mattson of Ephrata.
He said his wife bought the car from friends in Western Washington. The trailer and 1958 Dodge Lancer hubcaps with a black and white checker print were added later, he said.
John Bakker of Entiat brought his 1949 Ford pickup to the show. He used a fake black rat and skull as props underneath the hood.
Bakker said he found the pickup in an airplane hangar near Brewster and traded one of his vehicles for it.
The pickup didn't have a gas tank or wiring. So he wired his new find from scratch, he explained.
"It was a project someone started and gave up on," Bakker said. The front end looks like a Studebaker and someone added taillights from a 1950 Cadillac, he added.
"It's the working on them that's my enjoyment," Bakker said.
Mike Arvan, one of the event coordinators, said 45 people entered to show their vehicles in 15 categories.
On Friday night, about 150 people showed up to see Soap Lake's Dean Alexander start his top fuel dragster, Arvan said.
Alexander uses nitromethane fuel for the dragster. The vehicle can go from 0 to 100 miles per hour in 0.8 seconds.
"When it was fired up, it made the ground shake," Arvan said. "It was very, very loud. A lot of people hadn't seen a top fuel dragster fired up."
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