Sparks Participants Pack River Ranch
Participants in the annual Sparks in the Ozarks car show packed River Ranch Resort in Noel for the event hosted by Definite Obsessions Car Club.
Richard Bruner of Definite Obsessions said there were entrants from Northwest Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi and Tennessee, and that only included the Definite Obsessions members. People from many other states displayed their vehicles on Saturday, he noted. Following the car show was a drag session on Main Street, in which car owners would drag either the frame of their vehicle or steel or titanium blocks to produce sparks.
Chad Cullison, AKA “Benden Rollpan,” of Denver, Colo., had a set of titanium blocks affixed to the frame of his 1993 Toyota pickup truck. He said he drags titanium rather than steel because titanium produces a brighter spark and is “a real crowd-pleaser.”
He said he and his friends love returning to Noel.
“We love the city. We love the venue,” he said.
Harley Dampier of Elkland, Mo., entered a 1995 GMC Sierra that he built from the frame up.
“It’s on air ride and has suicide doors. It has a ’65 Impala dash. It’s a 406 small-block Chevy engine. I could go on for days and days,” he said.
He said he has too much invested in the vehicle to do any dragging.
“I’ll get out there and peel the
tires on it, but as far as laying it down and dragging it, no,” he said.
Dampier has been in the show before.
“I try to come every chance I get. This is the first time this one’s been at this show. It’s a really good show. The guys who put it on are really good guys,” he said.
Ariel Farris of Lebanon, Mo., said she planned to drag the frame of her 1999 Chevy S10 during the drag session. It was her fifth year to attend Sparks in the Ozarks.
“I love it down here. It’s beautiful,” she said.
George Paul of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., strolled the venue with friends. He said it was his second year to attend.
“It’s definitely fun to come out to. Relaxed feel and camaraderie. The town is perfect. When you want to relax and get away, it’s definitely the place to be at. Atmosphere is awesome.”
Joe “Radar” Adler of Bentonville and Dono Power of Benton sat side by side next to their trucks. Adler entered a 1987 Toyota extra cab longbed, while Power entered a 1993 Mazda. Neither of them were going to be in the drag session.
Adler said he has been coming to Sparks in the Ozarks since No. 6 — this year was No. 11. His club is the Seductive Minis.
“I love the show. We’ve been mini-trucking since the mid ’80s. Our club’s been around since 1979.”
Power added: “This is great. They ought to have more of these scattered around. It’s just hard to find a place.”