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Bitterrodders bring smiles to valley in more ways than one

Posted: Jul 29, 2012 4:15 PM by Dennis Bragg - KPAX News
Updated: Jul 29, 2012 8:07 PM


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STEVENSVILLE- Once again this year, hundreds of people had a chance to remember, and dream as a group of collector car owners in the Bitterroot made one of the bright spots during the annual Daly Days celebration.

But for the Bitterrodders Car Club it's not just about the chrome, it's also about raising thousands of dollars in cash to help the community.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Bitterrodders Car Club, enthusiasts from all over the valley who get together and share their love for "old fashioned iron."

"Be with people and talk about things, you know, cars and stuff, things you had forgotten about when you were a kid," club member Wes Young told us.

"A car club is at its basis a bunch of car enthusiasts, guys and girls both, that just have a love of collector cars," club head Geoffrey Wise added.

But like so many car clubs across the country now days, this group's appreciation extends to lots of different cars. At their gatherings you'll see everything from rare classics like a Studebaker to the always-popular "Tri-Five" Chevys and hot pickups.

"Just having the Model A Club, or the Pre-64 Club, whatever, that's for someone else. We're all inclusive. In fact, my wife just bought a Datsun and we cruise with that. So anything is welcome," Wise explained.

And underneath the surface there's more than a love of horsepower going on, it's also a love of community according to Young.

"It started out doing bake sales and other things to raise a little bit of money to give away at Christmas time for a needy family. And then a few years later, Daly Days they came and ask us to bring cars. It started out with 15, 20 cars and now its up to 60 and 70 cars."

And there in lies the secret, converting that joint appreciation of the classics into a classic case of giving back.

"Well it's about giving back to our community. The Mildenberger Show is really for children's charity. And this year it was for Emma's House and therapeutic riding," Young said.

"We're just a bunch of softies at heart. You know we're just guys and gals that love our hobby and love our community. And America was founded on that kind of thing. The freedom to build these cars only exists here in America. And in America we give back to each other. We take care of each other," Wise concluded.

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