Dean Callahan prepares his Elizabeth

ROYAL CITY - Elizabeth will be all dressed up for the first time since 1991, and she will participate in the SummerFest Grand Parade on Saturday, July 13.

Elizabeth is Dean Callahan's favorite truck, a 1953 Kenworth tractor. It has sat idly since 1991. Callahan painted her and polished her recently and took her to the Yakima Antique Truck Show for a test run.

"She's a real trooper after 20 years of neglect," Dean's wife Nancy said. "She cranked right into action after receiving a couple of new batteries. She blew several dozen dead birds out of the exhaust pipes and made it down to the shop for a new coat of paint and some heavy duty polishing on the chrome."

There were more than 800 trucks at Yakima from all over the United States and Canada. No two were alike as far a paint jobs, chrome, accessories, modifications, etc. Elizabeth got her share of attention.

Other trucks on display included a General Motors Futureliner, which was designed in 1939 by General Motors engineers and inspired by the worlds fairs of that time. Twelve were built, and eight survive.

"It's still futuristic by today's standards," Nancy said. "It was probably the most unique and valuable truck there, although there were show trucks everywhere that caught the eye."

Elizabeth has been Deans' favorite truck since he bought. It was red when he worked it. He changed the color to blue for the Yakima show and SummerFest.

"He was talked into going to the show by friends and had approximately three weeks to get her in top condition," Nancy said.

Elizabeth sat in an open shed with no roof since 1995. The last time she had been driven was 1991.