Utah Valley University Auto Expo & Swap Meet
Darrel L. Hammon
On Saturday, May 17, 2014, I attended the Utah Valley University Auto Expo & Swap Meet held out at Thanksgiving Point’s Electric Park. Now, I
have been to a few small car shows, but this one was extraordinary.
According
to the literature, “The Utah Valley University Auto Expo & Swap Meet is one
of the largest car shows in Utah.” It was truly amazing. One of the benefits of
the Expo was to help fund scholarships for the UVU automotive students.
I
arrived around 1:30 p.m., and it was going strong. I started my descent into the Expo by walking through the swap meet. From fenders to wheels to engines to car bodies to windshields to muffler tail pipes to a whole host of varied car parts, I had no idea what they were, the place was absolutely packed.
Once
inside the actual Auto Expo, I was literally “gaga” over the number and variety
of cars. Honestly, I hadn’t heard of some of them before. The brochure said
approximately 700 cars had been scheduled to show off their stuff. I suspect
there were even more than that.
I
walked slowly though many rows of cars, slowly taking in the amazing cars and gawking
at the many colors—bright reds, oranges, greens, deep blacks and purples, a few
yellow ones here and there--shapes, years, and varieties.
Most of the owners stayed close to their cars, either relaxing
beneath canopies or taking in the sun in captain chairs. All were friendly
and waved as you walked by. Many, though, busily told their stories to people
who had stopped to admire the brightly painted cars.
Soon, I
moseyed over UVU’s V.I.P. tent where I grabbed a delicious dessert prepared by
the UVU Culinary Arts students. A couple was sitting in the back of the pavilion.
I walked back and asked if I could sit with them. They welcomed me with
open arms and introduced themselves as Erik and Judy Jensen from West Jordan
although they were originally from New Jersey. They were wonderful!
Within
just a few minutes, they unfolded their incredible story to me. They were high
school sweethearts, married, and then lived in New Jersey. Not too long after
they were married, they decided they were going to take a trip to across
country. They saved their money, took a leave of absence from their work, and
headed west on a five-week trip. They wanted to see everything, which they
almost did.
They confessed
to me that when they arrived in the west, took in Utah, Yellowstone Park, and Jackson
Hole, they absolutely fell in love. They decided then and there, they were
returning. They spent the entire trip back to New Jersey, planning on how they
were going to pack up and move to Utah. Unfortunately,
they couldn’t just pick up and leave. They had obligations and needed the
necessary cash to make the giant move across country.It took them just a few years to
gather up the money to move out west. Erik came first and obtained a job. He
asked the company to give him a week so he could go back to get his family. Once
he had his family, he would return to work. He did just that: He drove back to
New Jersey, picked up his belongings and his family, and drove back to Utah.
When he arrived, he discovered the company had given the job to someone else,
thinking he really wasn’t going to return from the east. That didn’t deter the
Jensen family. They both found new jobs and didn’t look back although their
family thought they were crazy to move out to Utah. Erik told me that they
would never live in the east again. They just love this part of the world.
I literally could have talked to them all day and listened to their many stories. They make it a point to see the country. I suspect they know more about Utah and its many wonders than most Utah natives. I encouraged them to write a blog about all of their excursions
I asked them if I could see their car. Of course, like all car owners, they wanted to show off their “baby.” They walked with me to where they parked their 2007 Shelby, an absolutely gorgeous black beast.
Even Carroll Shelby, the owner and designer of the Shelby,
signed Judy’s driver’s side visor. “No one touches that,” said Judy as she
gingerly showed me the visor and then carefully put it back in place.
Soon,
though, it was time for me to say goodbye to Erik and Judy. Thank you, Erik and
Judy, for taking time to talk to me and tell me your story. You have lots of
stories to tell, and I look forward to hearing more.
I then walked around the Expo and
admired many more of the over 700 cars present.
I even saw Batman and the
Batmobile.
Some even climbed trees to get a closer view.
Overall,
it was a wonderful show! I salute all those who had anything to do with the
Utah Valley University Auto Expo & Swap Meet, especially the UVU Career and Technical crowd. Job well done!
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