Light rain put a damper on the third annual Emmanuel Reformed Church Car Show held at 202 E. Morris Street, Morrison, IL, on Saturday, June 7, 2014. Exhibitors had prepared their treasured vehicles, and they shone under the overcast sky, before getting a second rinse from Mother Nature.
As judging was to begin at 4:30 p.m., there was a plethora of styles, if not entries. A wide range of period cars and trucks, a motorcycle, and a 1953 John Deere 60 tractor were parked along E. Morris Street. Thirty awards were alloted for presentation at 7:00, along with six “Best Of’s.”
Canned goods were collected from exhibitors and visitors to benefit the Morrison Friends Food Pantry. Donations also were received on behalf of car enthusiast Ron Weimer, to help him purchase a new wheechair.
As a special draw, Kenny VenHuizen of Morrison crafted ten gallons of his scrumptious vanilla ice cream on the spot, using a portable, hit-and-miss engine. He also crafted the tractor he had parked for display only. He installed a Chevy 350 V-8 engine into that!
Inside the church hall, the Youth Group sold sandwich meals, ice cream, and treats at a food booth. All proceeds will fund their Moore, OK, mission trip from Saturday, June 14, through Saturday, June 21. Adults Hilary McDearmon, Jamie Rodriguez, Abby Temple, and Ashley Tichler will travel with 33 teens by charter bus, to assist victims of a May 2013 tornado.
Rodriguez, shown in the back row, center, organized the Oklahoma trip after a successful–but grueling–misison trip to Jamaica in 2013. Brush and debris had to be cleared before construction work began. He described carrying and laying concrete blocks as the one unpleasant task all participants remembered. Cement was transported down a hill to be hand-mixed by the crew. There was but one local mason involved in the labor, but he worked with a vengence. The Emmanuel group took him to Ocho Rios and Dunn’s River Falls, as a tribute.
In the fall of 2013, Rodriguez met 28-year-old Nick Cocalis, co-founder of Next Step Ministries of Madison, WI, and his staff. Cocalis bought Rodriguez a bithday dinner and they discussed a number of mission opportunities. Jamie chose Moore for their next adventure.
This organization funds youth mission building materials from June through early August. Two Texas groups will attend with the Emmanuel Church members. NSM will pay for supplies on the upcoming trip, so local participants can build sheds and storage garages, Rodriguez stated. Youth pay a fee to attend, which covers meals. They will stay at South Park Baptist Church at no cost.