BOZEMAN, Mont. — The cars may be the attraction, but the memories they spark are what make Hillcrest Senior Living’s annual car show special.
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The event brought classic-car owners, residents and visitors together in Bozeman for an afternoon of vintage vehicles, live music and stories stretching back decades.
Don McAndrew is one of the car enthusiasts who came out for the event.
“Would you consider yourself a car enthusiast?” McAndrew was asked.
“I am getting old but yeah!”
His license plate reads “CALL ME,” a nod to a story from when he was a freshman in college.
McAndrew recalled meeting a woman and asking for her phone number. Neither had a pencil or paper, so she used her nail file to scratch the number into the metal inside the car he owned at the time.
“I asked if I could have her phone number, and neither of us had a pencil and a paper, so she took her nail file on the top bowl on the inside on the metal she scratched her phone number,” McAndrew said.
The story is just one example of the memories tied to the cars on display at the Hillcrest Senior Living car show, which has been a tradition for more than a decade.
For Gary Shanafelt, the event is about giving those memories back to the residents.
“I think it's good for the residents; that's what we do it for!” Shanafelt said.
Shanafelt showed off restoration photos of his pride and joy, a 1957 Chevrolet pickup painted sunshine yellow.
The truck was also a hit with Hillcrest residents, some of whom recognized it from their own family histories.
“There’s residents here who say, ‘Oh yeah, my dad loved one. My grandpa had one,’” Shanafelt said.
One person at Hillcrest said the show was nostalgic, pointing to Shanafelt’s Chevy as his favorite.
“That yellow one because I used to have a '62 Chevy,” he said.
Hillcrest Marketing Manager Linda Jo Simkins said those personal connections are exactly what the event is meant to create.
“It brings back so many memories for them. I’ve had them crawl in the backs of cars saying, ‘I used to have this as a teenager,’” Simkins said.
While the memories are the main event, attendees also had the chance to win prizes, including a cooler with a six-pack of Coors Light and a camping rocking chair.
Bruce, who brought his own eye-catching Comet to the show, said spending the day with the residents is what makes the event worthwhile.
“Oh, it's just a fun outing! And I know a couple of them too!” he said.
For Hillcrest residents and the car owners who return each year, the show offers a chance to admire classic rides while sharing the stories and memories that come along with them.
