By Quinton R. Arthur
LANSING, Ill. (September 16, 2021) – LACE partnered with Phillips Chevrolet to host a car show. The event happened to fall on September 11, a day that will be etched in the hearts and minds of many Americans forever.
The event was the culmination of the summer car shows done on Ridge Road that LACE organizes and puts on with sponsorship from Phillips Chevrolet. Saturday’s car show featured vehicles from many decades, with various prizes being awarded, such as best modified, best in show, most creative, and others.
September 11
A special presentation was given by the Honor Guard and Boy Scouts to remind many of what transpired on September 11, 2001. Since the event fell on a significant date, many attendees took time to recognize what the day means to them.
Jake Gourley, Member of LACE’s board of directors and Principal at TF South, recognizes the event as a way to bring the community of Lansing together, and the day as a way to bring America together.
“When September 11th happened, it was the Pearl Harbor of our generation where everyone knows where they were when it happened,” says Gourley. “This day gives us space and opportunity on an event that unified the country.”
Cars and commemoration
Mark Cage, winner of Best in Class for both Modified Truck and Stock Truck, enjoyed attending the event. Mark has been working on cars and trucks since the age of 19, after being influenced from attending car shows with his father when he was younger.
One of Cage’s favorite cars is his Chevy Blazer, the winner of Best In Class for Stock Trucks. The truck was one of the first Tahoe cars manufactured. Cage modified the truck to memorialize the events of 9/11.
“The smoky flames on my hood are symbolic of the smoke from the towers,” said Cage.
Kevin Cottrell, owner of a 1974 Corvette Stingray, has owned the vehicle since the tenth year anniversary of 9/11. For Cottrell, as a first responder, the corresponding dates are no coincidence to him.
“I appreciate all the hard work that the members of the armed forces do to keep us free. It allows us to do things like this, restoring old cars,” says Cottrell.
Twenty years later, many still memorialize the tragic events that happened on 9/11, and last Saturday, people came together to do so as a community.
Phillips Chevrolet is located at 17730 Torrence Avenue in Lansing.
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