1955 Chevy 210 Takes Best of Show as Lillian Methodist Men’s Club Names 22nd Annual Car Show Winners
Jimmy Boone's 1955 Chevy 210 won Best of Show and Dennis Stracener's 1964 Chevelle SS took Pastor's Choice at the Lillian Methodist Men's Club's 22nd annual Best of Decades Car Show. Here is the full list of winners.
LILLIAN, Ala. — A 1955 Chevrolet 210 owned by Jimmy Boone drove away with Best of Show honors at the Lillian Methodist Men’s Club’s 22nd annual Best of Decades Car Show, an event that filled the pecan grove at U.S. Highway 98 and Perdido Street with classic cars, pickups and imports from almost every era of the automobile.
The show, held Saturday, Oct. 24, drew vehicles ranging from a 1930 Ford Model A to a 2026 Dodge, and the men’s club has now released the full list of winners in its specialty categories and decade-by-decade judging.
The Pastor’s Choice award went to Dennis Stracener for his 1964 Chevelle SS.
Specialty award winners
Beyond Best of Show and Pastor’s Choice, judges handed out nine more specialty awards. Gary and Becky Pennington’s 1969 Chevy Camaro SS convertible won Best Engine. Jennifer Vanderhoof’s 1968 Ford Mustang, which goes by the name “Jolene,” took Best Interior, and Rex Beach’s 1968 Chevy Camaro earned Best Paint.
Wesley Booker’s 1974 GMC won Best Truck, and Diana Wyant’s 1966 Plymouth Satellite was named Best Mopar. John Shelters’ 1967 Chevy El Camino won Best GM, Jim Smothers’ 1956 Ford Thunderbird won Best Ford, Steve Hartley’s 1930 Ford Model A was named Most Unusual and Miranda Adamson’s 2016 Scion GT86 took Best Import.
- Best of Show: 1955 Chevy 210, Jimmy Boone
- Pastor’s Choice: 1964 Chevelle SS, Dennis Stracener
- Best Engine: 1969 Chevy Camaro SS Convertible, Gary and Becky Pennington
- Best Interior: 1968 Ford Mustang “Jolene,” Jennifer Vanderhoof
- Best Paint: 1968 Chevy Camaro, Rex Beach
- Best Truck: 1974 GMC, Wesley Booker
- Best Mopar: 1966 Plymouth Satellite, Diana Wyant
- Best GM: 1967 Chevy El Camino, John Shelters
- Best Ford: 1956 Ford Thunderbird, Jim Smothers
- Most Unusual: 1930 Ford Model A, Steve Hartley
- Best Import: 2016 Scion GT86, Miranda Adamson
How the Best of Decades format works
The show takes its name from the way it is judged. Instead of putting every entry into one field, the club groups vehicles by the decade in which they were built and awards trophies to the top three in each group. That lets a Depression-era coupe, a 1960s muscle car and a late-model sports car each compete against vehicles of their own generation. Imports are judged in a separate division.
When South AL News previewed the show in October, the club’s published award list included Best of Show, Pastor’s Choice, Best GM, Best Ford, Best Truck, Best Interior, Best Engine, Best Paint and Most Unusual. The final results also included Best Mopar and Best Import honors.
Top three by decade
Pre-1940
- 1932 Ford Coupe, Dean Wyant
- 1936 Chevy Master Coupe, James Reidy
- 1932 Chevy Sedan, David Westwood
1940s
- 1948 Buick Roadmaster, Laird Miller
- 1941 Chevy Truck, Carl Godwin
- 1948 Chevy Truck, Jimmy Martin
1950s
- 1957 Chevy Nomad, Stephen Kaplas
- 1956 Chevy 210, Rick Wilson
- 1956 Ford F100 Truck, Michael Vargas
1960s
- 1966 Chevy II Nova, Lois Stricker
- 1969 Charger, Ken Vargas
- 1964 Ford Fairlane, Carl Vargas
1970s
- 1970 Pontiac GTO, Tony Stout
- 1975 Corvette, Dave Parra
- 1972 Ford LTD Convertible (owner not listed in the results)
1980s
- 1987 Ford Bronco, Jeff Langley
- 1982 C10 Pickup, Jason Gentry
- 1985 Chevy El Camino, David Bergsland
1990s
- 1994 Camaro, Lenny Leigh
- 1994 Chevy 1500 Truck, Donal Featherly
- 1997 Pontiac Trans Am, Michael Perry
2000-2009
- 2002 Camaro 35th Anniversary, Chuck Jaynes
- 2001 Pontiac Trans Am, Gary Lenth
- Chevy Convertible, Thomas O’Neil (listed in the results as a 2020 model)
2010-2026
- 2015 Corvette, Rick Hagendorfer
- 2022 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, David Schipper
- 2026 Dodge Direct Connect 650, Howard Gann
Imports
- 1965 Austin Healey 3000, John and Denise Blanks
- 1965 Austin Healey Sebring 5000, Dave Bauer
- 2014 VW Beetle, Sam and Jason Whelan
A closer look at the winners
Boone’s Best of Show winner comes from one of the most collected periods in American car culture. The 1955, 1956 and 1957 Chevrolets, known among enthusiasts as the “Tri-Five” cars, were sold in three main trim levels: the entry-level 150, the midrange 210 and the top-of-the-line Bel Air. The cars remain a staple at shows across the country, and the 1950s field in Lillian reflected that, with a 1957 Chevy Nomad wagon and a 1956 Chevy 210 taking the top two spots in that decade.
Smothers’ Best Ford winner, a 1956 Thunderbird, is from the first generation of Ford’s personal luxury car, which debuted for the 1955 model year as a two-seater. Hartley’s Most Unusual winner, a 1930 Model A, belongs to the generation of Fords that replaced the long-running Model T at the end of the 1920s.
Muscle cars were well represented among the specialty winners. Stracener’s 1964 Chevelle SS, the Penningtons’ 1969 Camaro SS convertible and Beach’s 1968 Camaro all come from the late-1960s horsepower era, as does Vanderhoof’s 1968 Mustang, “Jolene.” The 1969 Dodge Charger and 1970 Pontiac GTO that placed in the decade categories come from the same period.
The import division showed the show’s range: two 1965 Austin-Healeys, a classic British sports car marque, took the top two spots, while a 2014 Volkswagen Beetle placed third. Adamson’s 2016 Scion GT86, a modern rear-wheel-drive sports coupe, won the separate Best Import specialty award.
A men’s club tradition in its 22nd year
The car show is a fundraiser and fellowship event for the Lillian Methodist Men’s Club. Along with the judging, the day included music, a trash ‘n treasure sale, a 50-50 raffle, door prizes, barbecue and a spark plug toss, a lighthearted contest in which participants pitch spark plugs at a target, much like a game of horseshoes or washers.
Twenty-two years in, the show has become a fixture of the fall car show calendar in south Baldwin County. October and November are a busy stretch for car enthusiasts along the Gulf Coast, as cooler weather makes it easier to spend a day walking rows of vintage vehicles. Other shows in the area this fall include the Foley car show on Nov. 7 honoring Bob Bunton and collecting toys for Toys for Tots, and the Robertsdale Car Show and Chili Cook-Off on Nov. 14, which raises money for the Robertsdale Golden Bear Band.
About Lillian
Lillian is an unincorporated community in southeastern Baldwin County on the western shore of Perdido Bay. U.S. 98 runs through the community and crosses the bay into Florida over the Lillian Bridge, making Lillian a gateway between Baldwin County and the Pensacola area. The church’s pecan grove, at 12770 S. Perdido St., sits just off the highway, an easy drive for car owners from Foley, Elberta, Orange Beach and northwest Florida.
Car owners interested in entering next year’s show can watch for updates on the church’s website, lillianmc.org, where the club posted the flyer and registration form for this year’s show.
