Auto and motorcycle show set for OTC

By Steve Koehler

Close your eyes and think back to those days when gas was under a buck and you cruised the streets in your gleaming ’67 GTO or a flashy’68 Mustang convertible.

Those were the days and Saturday, car lovers can relive those days with the annual Auto and Motorcycle Show at OTC.

The event will start at 9 a.m. in the parking lot south of the Industry Transportation and Technology Center on the OTC campus. The awards presentation will begin at 2 p.m.

Admission is free and there is a fee for those who want to enter a car or motorcycle. There will also be food, live music and door prizes.

The money goes to the OTC students who are in the college’s chapter of Skills USA.

Skills USA is a student organization that allows students to use what they learn in the shops and classrooms in competition with other students.

Competitions are held locally as well as on a state, national and international level in a variety of categories including auto collision and heating and air conditioning.

The car show has been going on for about 20 years and attracts about 100 entries a year, said Terry Pridgeon, an instructor in the auto collision repair department at OTC, who coordinates the event.

“Mainly, we get a lot of restored muscle cars and hot rods, Mustangs and Corvettes,” he said.

Awards will be given in a number of categories including Best of Show, Best Engine, Best Interior along with a President’s, Vice President’s and Dean’s choice.

There will be classes for students and alumni. Pridgeon said a number of students enter cars. Students also serve as judges.

“We train them to look at this stuff. They should know what they’re looking at,” he said.

And while you’re checking out the cool cars, you can check out the college, too.

OTC will be conducting an open house Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Information Commons Atrium. The event is designed for members of the community to learn more about opportunities provided by the college.

Information will also be provided on some of the many resources offered, including financial aid options, the Speckman Tutoring and Learning Center, disability support services, and career employment services.

In addition, tours of the college’s technical and general education facilities will be available, and will be led by faculty and staff.

Steve Koehler is corrdinator of publications at Ozarks Technical Community College.