Tennessee Trash Car Show: Tradition of turning junkers into show cars continues in Brownsvill

From Jackson Sun:  Tennessee Trash Car Show: Tradition of turning junkers into show cars continues in Brownsville

For 33 years, the Tennessee Trash Car Show in Brownsville has celebrated the art of finding, restoring and showing off classic cars. / Submitted photo

More than 30 years ago, three antique car enthusiasts decided to form a club to grow something they loved: Finding a junker with promise. Today, the Tennessee Trash Car Show in Brownsville is celebrating 33 years of finding, restoring and showing off classic cars, said Tim Sills of Brownsville.
“We just take what somebody might throw away and make show cars out of them,” he said. “Some of our cars have been in magazines, won awards, and some of us go on to work with national magazines.”
The car show will begin at noon Oct. 21 at the Elma Ross Public Library, at 100 Boyd Ave. in Brownsville.
“The show is one of only a handful in the area that has been held consistently for over 30 years,” said Sonia Outlaw-Clark, director of the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center in Brownsville.
The Trash Car Club began in 1978 when Sills, David Duke and Jim Mayer began fixing up old cars and traveling to area shows across the country, Outlaw-Clark said.
They eventually decided they should organize their own car show and held the first Tennessee Trash Car Show in 1979. They took their name from the classic Tennessee tourism commercial asking people to not litter. Sills said they were taking “trash” cars and turning them into treasures.
“While the actual ‘club’ no longer exists, former members and a few newcomers continue the tradition that raises money for Haywood County charities,” Outlaw-Clark said. “The Multiple Disabilities Class has been the beneficiary of the show’s proceeds for most of the 33 years.”
The car show has donated money to several charities over the years, but most recently they’ve been raising money for the Haywood Multiple Disabilities Class, which is a class for students up to a certain age. It’s part of the Haywood County School System, Sills said.
“We’ve been able to furnish them with money to buy computers,” he said. “We’ve helped them buy hot tubs for physical therapy and other things they need.”
Recently, the car show has been held in conjunction with the annual Hatchie Fall Fest during the third weekend of October. Participants are asked to register between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Oct. 21. Entry fees are $25 per car, and that fee includes an event T-shirt, Outlaw-Clark said.