FSB Car Show cruised into town for 16th time

The people have spoken, and they said the same things as last year.

The 16th annual First State Bank Car Show was held in Malta last Saturday and the People's Choice Award for Best Car went to Laurel's Phil and Mindy Cramer and their canary yellow and black, 1970 Ford Torino Cobra 429 for the second year in a row.

"This is for this year," Cramer explained the trophy to his son. "The people like our car as much as we do."

For those not familiar with Phil and Mindy's story with the car, the vehicle was in Phil's family for years while he was a youth, but was sold out of the family in the early 200o's. It would be 13-years later (after searching high and low for the car) that the vehicle was tracked down and purchased by the Cramers.

"I found it in Yakima, Wash., about three years ago," Phil told the PCN last year. "It was in the middle of restoration when I bought it back and this is the first time it has been out of the garage."

Mindy (originally from Malta, maiden name Shores) and Phil were elated to be able to return to Malta and Phillips County for the second year in a row.

"This was my first show ever last year," Phil said. "I went on to do four more shows and won Best in Show in Park City."

Phil said he will continue to bring the car back to Malta each year and he couldn't be happier that people are as excited about his car as he is.

"The people in Phillips County are great," he said. "I mean that from the bottom of my heart. And we are going to continue to enter this car here and in other shows."

The Cramer's vehicle was one of the total of 98 entered this year (up by 20 from last year) at the Car Show on Saturday as the hot rods lined Malta's downtown streets on a day which also featured freestyle motocross jumpers (who did their best to entertain the crowds while dealing with massive wind swirls), vendors and food. The Top Six Cars at this year's show (voted on by local gear-heads) was Jerry Biese and his 1970 GTO; Gary and Jeanne Ward's 1970 Dodge Challenger; Tim Hickman's 2001 Chevy Corvette; Malta's Dylan Bergos and his 1963 Pontiac Tempest; Willy Ditto and his 1972 Oldsmobile W30 44Z; and Phil and Mindy Cramer (their second trophy of the day for the couple combined with the People's Choice award.) This year's Darryl Seeley award for Best Truck went to Colten Pruitt of Glasgow and his 1971 GMC; the Longest Distance Award went to Russ Schneidmiller from Calgary, Alberta, and making a return to this year's Car Show after a brief absence were awards for People's Choice Tractor, won by Malta's James Waters; and People's Choice Best Motorcycle which went to Malta's Justin Carnahan.

First State Bank's Terry Skones, who is one of a dozen bank employees who make the car show a success each year, said she was very happy with the turnout at this year's show and how the day had gone.

"It's been a great day," she said. "It is warm and a little breezy. There were a lot of people from out of town this year and it has just been a great day."