Rumble from the north
Jim Morse’s custom purple 1950 Mercury Monterey, “Elvira,” seems to flash a smile Saturday during the fourth annual Thunder in the Bay car extravaganza in Bayview. Morse, of Hayden, spent 10 years working on this beauty, which many people admired as they strolled through the show. DEVIN HEILMAN/Press
DEVIN HEILMAN/Press Tana Hoyem took a break from her vendor booth at Bayview's Thunder in the Bay to check out the more than 100 vintage and custom vehicles being shown in the heart of town. Here she examines a sleek cream and orange 1970 Volkswagen Beetle.
DEVIN HEILMAN/Press The fourth annual Thunder in the Bay car show in Bayview, as seen from the deck of Boileau's Buttonhook Inn, included two days of showing, cruising, live music, vendors and fun. About 700 people came through Saturday to enjoy the hometown event.
By DEVIN HEILMAN
Staff Writer
BAYVIEW — Friends Stacy Eugenio and Tana Hoyem took a break from their vendor booths Saturday to wander through the vehicles on display during Thunder in the Bay.
“It’s my first car show ever," Eugenio said. "I love it."
“I think it’s awesome and I love the music," Hoyem said, bobbing her head as the Smash Hit Carnival band rocked the nearby stage. "That's the best part — music, music, music."
The ladies snapped photos and admired the different entries, especially delighting over a stunning purple 1950 Mercury Monterey belonging to Hayden resident Jim Morse.
Morse spent 10 years building "Elvira" out of a junker Monterey that needed some love.
"It was a parts car and it was in bad shape," he said. "It was pretty rough when I got it."
More than 40 modifications and a chopped top later, his Monterey is deep purple and chrome, accented with skulls and insured for a hefty $70,000.
"It has a classic look, but I kind of made a bad boy car out of it," Morse said with a grin. "It’s all old school, and I’m old school. It’s done the way they used to be done."
More than 100 custom, vintage, chopped and restored cars, trucks, bikes and rods were parked in the center of Bayview for all to enjoy during the fourth annual Thunder in the Bay car show.
Entries varied from Chevys, Fords and Dodges to Triumph Spitfires, Porsches and Packard Super 8s, and people traveled from places in Canada, Montana and Washington to join in the fun.
"For participants, it's all about having an opportunity to show off their vehicles and be with like-minded enthusiasts," said Andrea Featherston, event consultant and co-organizer. "The visitors, some of these people have never been to car shows before. It's a very unique Inland Northwest entity."
The two-day car-centric event was complemented by a Friday night car cruise, live music, vendors, a Saturday evening sightseeing boat cruise on Lake Pend Oreille, giveaways and an awards ceremony. Categories included a people’s choice, best in show, best paint, best late model, best muscle, best truck, best stock, best modified and “best of” awards for motorcycles, rods, antiques and different decades.
Featherston said Thunder in the Bay has grown by about 20 percent from last year and is now the third largest car show in the Gem State.
“It’s huge," she said. "It brings a great deal of awareness to the pride of the community and the entrepreneurism of the businesses and really underscores the values.
"An event like this is very important to the community," she continued. "Bayview has a lot to offer and the people are really interesting."