15th Annual Car Show this weekend

One of the more busy weekends in Phillips County gets underway on Saturday, starting with a color run through the streets and trails of Malta and ending with the final day of Phillips County Motor Sport's (PCMS) first race of the season. Pinched in between those events is the crown jewel of the weekend, the 15th Annual First State Bank Car Show on Saturday afternoon.

Because much of the town is under construction due to the current water project, event planners weren't sure where the show would be held this year, but Malta City Officials worked with the construction crews and made sure that the car show would be the same place as it always is on South 1st Street East. Cars will be lined up on either side of the street starting at First State Bank, all the way down to Darla's 3 Sisters on the corner and then down on past Valley Drug and $pare Change on South First Ave East.

"We are very appreciative that the City has made this work for us," said First State Bank Secretary and Treasurer, and Car Show planner, Terry Skones. "I know how hard it is with the street work."

Registration for the car show entrants starts at 9 a.m. (and is open until noon) and the show starts at 11 a.m. and runs until 2 p.m. After the cars are judged, awards for Top Six, longest distance traveled to the event and the Darryl Seeley Award for Best Truck will be given out.

The awards will be announced and distributed at 2 p.m. and from there, drivers are encouraged to head to the PCMS's Hi-Line Drag Strip for the Test and Tune.

Skones said there will be many vendor stands set up for the day's events and the always popular Kiwanis burgers and fries (the group will meet Friday night to scrub and cut 100 pounds of potatoes) and DalRena's where hand-dipped corn dogs and other delectable snacks can be purchased.

The Darryl Seeley Memorial Award will once again honor the best truck or tractor. Seeley, the award's namesake, is a former loan officer at First State Bank who passed away from cancer. His widow, Patty, helps determine the winner of the award based on which tractor or truck she feel's Darryl would have liked best. The 2016 winner of the Darryl Seeley Memorial Award was awarded to Jess Murphy and his 1951 Chevy ¾ Ton Truck.

The biggest award of the day is one which the public decides upon; The People's Choice Award. Malta's Buddy Walsh and his 1969 Plymouth GTX 440 have won the award with the car that has been in the family for the last 50 years and famously brought each of his sons from the hospital back to Phillips County following their births.

"Half of the enjoyment of having a car restored is getting the chance to let other people see the car," Walsh told the PCN last year. "This is quite an honor."

Last year's show saw a total of 94 vehicles entered, and trophy winners included Royann Johnston and her 1965 Mustang, Barry Bergos and his 1967 Camaro, Charlie Rummel and his 1957 Studebaker, Laird Clifton and his 1978 Chevy truck and Allan Graf and his 2011 Mustang and former Malta resident Jon Bourassa who won the Furthest Distance Award in his blue and white 1955 Bel Air two-door sedan that was originally purchased in Malta (Bourassa currently lives in Palmer, Alaska.)