Families take part in 2009 Oran Chamber of Commerce Car Show

ORAN, Mo. -- The king has lost his crown, but the "Muffler Rack-Off" title will remain in the same family. Danny Shy of Oran saw his two-year reign as "Rack-Off King" come to an end at the hands of his wife, Marla Shy, at the 2009 Oran Chamber of Commerce Car Show on Saturday at Tilles Memorial City Park.

In each of the past two years, Danny won the muffler rack-off competition, in which contestants have 15 seconds to rev their engines as loudly as possible.

"I've not blown up an engine yet. Knock on wood," Shy said with a laugh, though he added that Marla likes to remind him that engines always have the potential to go up in flames in these contests. Marla competed in the rack-off contest for the first time this year. Danny did win the tire burn-out competition for the first time.

Danny Shy was one of 200 automobile owners entered in the car show, which was created in 1996 after a brainstorming session at a chamber of commerce meeting. Chamber president Ed Evans suggested the idea for the car show and continues to work as the chairman of the annual event.

In its first year, the car show hosted 41 vehicles. It now averages 160 contestants annually. On Saturday, vehicles came from Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Tennessee, and from as far away as 325 miles.

Danny Shy of Oran, Mo., stands next to his 1967 Chevrolet C10 pickup with which he won last year's Rack-Off Contest at the Oran car show. (Fred Lynch)

Danny Shy, a mechanic at Plaza Tire in Jackson, Marla and their three sons all participated in this year's car show. Each entered a vehicle. For Shy, cars and trucks have always been a family matter. He began helping in the garage with his uncles when he was 12 years old.

Like Shy, Jordie Dennis, 21, of Oran started to work with cars because a member of his family was in the business. His father, Pete, is a mechanic at Coad Chevrolet in Cape Girardeau. The family owned a 1982 Chevrolet pickup for years until 2000.

"[My dad] sold it because he didn't have room to store it and he wanted a family vehicle," Dennis said.

That was not the last the Dennis family would see of their truck. Dennis, looking to work on a new project with his father, tracked the pickup through its Vehicle Identification Number and bought it back from its Indiana owner last August. The father-and-son team refurbished the truck, which now features an oak hardwood floor in the bed.

"This is our first show," Dennis said. "We just finished it two weeks ago."

There were 48 show classes with three trophies given in each class based on judging from members of the Mid-America Association of Car Clubs. Additional categories included awards for best paint, best engine and the Ralph Evans Memorial Trophy in honor of Evans' father. This year's Chamber's Choice award was awarded in memory of Alexis Cummins, 14, and Austin Todt, 16, both of Oran, who were killed in a car wreck May 31.

"It's a small way to pay our respects," Evans said.

Winners from the 2009 car show were: best paint, Jimmie Hudson of Bell City, Mo.; best engine, Jerry and Brenda James of Sikeston, Mo.; Chamber's Choice, Jerry and Brenda James; Ralph Evans Memorial Trophy, Eric McCall of Glenallen, Mo.; best-of-show motorcycle, Jay Russler; best-of-show car, Jerry and Brenda James; best-of-show truck, Clyde and Trish Shafer of Metropolis, Ill.

astephens@semissourian.com

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