BROOKINGS The 31st Annual Brookings Car Show put on by the Brookings Car Club will wrap up as planned with its Show-N-Shine on Sunday afternoon in Pioneer Park.
This year, however, it might end with some out-of-towners, from around the country and Canada, dropping in to see the locals show off their quality automobiles. These visitors members of the Dodge Brothers Club might be bringing a few of their own vintage quality motor cars, some dating back a century, for the locals to look at.
The visitors will be in Brookings for the 36th Annual International Dodge Brothers Club Meet, going from Sunday (June 9) through Saturday (June 15). This years meet is being chaired by Brookings residents Ed and Deanne Weninger.
Information sent to DB Club members invites them to participate in the BC Clubs Show & Shine Come As You Are. The information further explained: No pre-registration is needed to participate in the event. No judging. Sign up at Pioneer park on June 9th from 9:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
The show starts at noon and goes until 5 p.m. You can leave with your vehicle at any time. The Dodge Brothers Meet does not start until the evening of Sunday, June 9th.
A lot like last year
This years BCC events begin Saturday with three garage tours set up by lifetime BC Club member Mark Foster. They meet downtown about 9 Oclock Saturday morning, explained BC Club President Chris Gross. They go to each garage and spend about half an hour to 45 minutes at each one and allow about 15 minutes travel between each garage. That should wrap up about noon.
Then well have our informal Show-N-Shine near Nicks Hamburger Shop.
While the Sunday Show-N-Shine in Pioneer Park, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. is a quasi-organized event, it remains low key: Come and park, was the word from BC Club President Chris Gross. Were not organizing in groups and classes anymore.
Gross also noted that when the DB Club members are in and out of Brookings, the BC Club will have a trouble truck ready to respond if needed. They would bring up the end of the caravan. A pickup with tools, oil and anti-freeze. If anything major happens, they could call a tow truck.
Pair of scholarships awarded
One ongoing goal of the BC Club has been the promotion of the automobile industry, dealerships and maintenance. Gross noted that this year the Club awarded two $500 scholarships to high school graduates pursuing further education in automotive technology.
Brookings High School graduate Blake Herrig, 18, was awarded one of those scholarships and he will attend Lake Area Technical College in Watertown and study automotive technology, a two-year program. Hell bring to his studies some already gained hands-on skills from a year doing his present work at Brookings Auto Mall: Oil changes, balancing tires, tire repairs and helping the other technicians when they need it.
I really like cars, Herrig said. But I didnt know, what I wanted to do, if I wanted to work on them or not. And then Mr. (Rick) Grisley (automotive instructor) at the high school, he has a good class, I took it. It just went from there. I really enjoyed that class.
As to his entry into the automotive field, Herrig admits that he had a food-service job: I didnt want to work at that anymore. I was searching around and I placed an application for a job and they didnt really get back to me all.
About a year ago, his grandmother helped him get his foot in the door at the Auto Mall: She knows the owners and set him up for an interview. He got the job. Additionally, the owners helped Herrig get a Build Dakota Scholarship: The state pays for half the cost of his studies and the Auto Mall owners, with whom he partnered, pay the other half.
As long as I stay in the state for three years, its all good, Herrig added. The Build Dakota Scholarship Fund requires that technical college graduates are employed in South Dakota in their area of training for three years.
Hell move to Watertown and live there during the school year. Come summer, hell return to work at the Auto Mall. Hell graduate from the program in 2026 and is guaranteed a job there.
Contact John Kubal at [email protected].
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