Above at left, vehicles of all makes and models from various decades line all four sides of the Sully square for the 2nd Annual Fire Department Smoke Eater Car Show on Saturday, Sept. 13. Above at right, Doyle Ver Ploeg and his 1967 Plymouth GTX won the 2025 Popular Vote on Saturday.
Cars and pickups of all makes, models, and years filled all four sides of the Sully square for the second Annual Sully Fire Department Smoke Eater Car Show on Saturday, Sept. 13. Vintage fire trucks and even a lawn mower were also on display for automobile enthusiasts of all ages to view. Out of 123 entries, the crowd favorite votes were tallied, and the popular vote award was presented to Doyle Ver Ploeg of rural Lynnville with his 1967 Plymouth GTX. The Kid’s Favorite Award was presented to Owen Rozendaal of Sully with his John Deere Lawn Mower.
An emotional moment of the day included EMS award winner pick of Katie Dolejsi’s 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner, a car formerly owned by her dad, the late Mike Bushnell of Pella. Mike was no stranger to emergency situations, contributing 20 years of service to the Pella Ambulance crew and 15 years of service to Eddyville Raceway Park. Mike was Volunteer EMT Corey Van Kooten’s mentor and EMT trainer. He left an impact and built lasting friendships wherever he went, which was evident with many of the Sully Fire Department personnel at Saturday’s event, an event Mike would have thoroughly enjoyed.
Car owners, community members, and more enjoyed wandering around the square checking out cars, listening to music and commentary by Jeff Vander Molen, and partaking in a freewill donation lunch of grilled brat burgers, hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad, and chips. All lunch goers received a free cookie coupon to La Rose Marie Bakery. Kids of all ages had fun in the fire station bounce house and playing at the park. A 50/50 raffle, door prizes, and awards concluded the fundraising event.
The Furthest Traveled Award went to Joe Dolejsi from Denver, CO, who was passing through on his move to the east coast. The Oldest Vehicle Award went to Paul Koenig of Colfax with his 1923 Ford Touring T. The Mayor’s Pick Award went to Tiffany Beuty of Melcher with her purple 2023 Dodge Challenger R/T. The Law Enforcement’s Pick Award went to Gary Sanger of Urbandale with his 1957 Chevy Belair. The Fire Chief’s Pick Award went to David Kruse of Lovilia and his 1955 Chevy 3100 Pickup. The Pilot’s Pick Award went to Craig Fawcett with his F-100 Ford Pickup. And the oldest vintage firetruck award went to Lynnville Fire Department with their 1929 Chevrolet firetruck.
Proceeds from the event will finish the payment for the side-by-side that has been partially funded with Jasper Community Grant money. The additional funds raised were able to also finish the payment of battery packs for the Jaws of Life equipment the department also has received partial grant money for. A big thanks to and from the 21 volunteers on the Sully Fire Department for another successful event.
“We are very impressed with the community support that surrounds this show. Being able to have it on Sully’s beautiful square, surrounded by local businesses makes this event very relaxed with a great atmosphere,” said Sully Fire Chief Tony Van Wyk. “The numbers were a little lower than we had hoped for this year, but we will continue to look for things to add to keep growing this event. We appreciate every single person that came out to support us.”
Mark your calendars, plans are already being made for the Third Annual SFD Smoke Eater Car Show on September 12, 2026.
