Saturday @ Western

By 12:30 p.m., the sun was straight overhead, glinting off the sparkling roof-tops of more than 40 cars lined up and down Monmouth Avenue, from Werner University Center to the Oregon Military Academy. Exhibitors relaxed in lawn chairs or chatted with other car owners. Students and community members strolled up and down the street or enjoyed the free barbecue, while listening to the music pumping from the DJ's amplifiers located in Hamersly's courtyard--all part of the Business and Economic (B & E) Club's 8th annual Car Show. The event took place between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and included an assortment of prizes and a wide-range of cars, ranging from classics to modern sports cars. The Car Show was also sponsored by Capitol Toyota, Fred Meyer, Multicultural Student Union (MSU) and Student Activities Board (SAB). With car registrations completed for individuals as far away as Portland, Event Coordinator Noah Cheek, senior, said that he and the 15 active members of the B & E Club planned in advance to accommodate up to 200 guests. "We have done an excellent job of planning ahead and learning from past successes and failures," Cheek said. "We feel confident that our efforts paid off and created an exciting day that offered entertainment for everyone to enjoy." Terry and Sue Thompson of Albany, Ore., who go to an average of 12 shows a year, said this was the sixth or seventh Car Show they have attended at Western. Mr. Thompson graduated in 1974, "when it was still the Oregon College of Education." The Thompsons brought two cars to the show: a '66 Mustang and an '85 Corvette; however, they also have several other classics in their collection. Mr. Thompson said they ended up with the Mustang because Sue had wanted one for her first car. But since some of the earlier models had bench seats in the front, her father nixed the idea for fear of what the boys would be doing. Eventually, Mr. Thompson said, a Mustang owner moved into a rental house they owned. Mr. Thompson told him if he ever wanted to sell the car, he would be interested in buying it. "We traded four months rent for the car," Mr. Thompson said. Dennis Tiernan of Dallas, Ore., said he has brought his '68 Ford Pick-up to Western's Car Show for the last five years. He used to teach at the Police Academy, formerly housed on campus. "I like being able to touch base with folks in the community that I haven't seen in a year or more," he said when asked why he adds Western to his list of the 10-12 car shows he attends during the summer months. Other exhibitors, including Galen Allen of Dayton, Christie Hamilton of McMinnville and Norm Haskins of Salem, attended this year's Car Show for the first time. "I was born and raised in Salem and thought this show would be more homey," said Haskins. Allen was also happy with the show. "It was very well organized," he said. Mirla Navarro, president of the B & E club, said putting on the Car Show takes "a lot of dedication and a lot of business skills. Everything you learn in class, you apply to this event." According to B & E club members, advertising played a big part in improving the turn-out for this year's event, up from around five cars last year. Cheek attributed this year's success - both in terms of the Car Show and the B & E club as a whole - to the group's increased experience and knowledge of business and planning. "I feel that we have a large amount of B&E Club members that have event planning and programming experience," Cheek said. "I think that the club has lacked this experience in years past. The very first point of business for the club this year was establishing a date for the Car Show during Fall term. Initializing this date allowed us to then plan backwards and assure that all of our bases were covered." Cheek said the club aims to "gain knowledge of the business world outside of the classroom setting." In the past, the club has contributed to several events both on and off campus, including several guest speakers, partnerships with local schools and DECA clubs and a trip to Portland where club members received the opportunity to meet with businesses and gain real-world knowledge about their practices.