LEARNING TO LIVE AFTER DEATH...............SORT OF: 2010 Car Show

FIRST ANNUAL TYLER SHIPMAN MEMORIAL CAR SHOW

It began with a terminally ill boy, a dream, and the generosity of strangers. The First Annual Tyler Shipman Memorial Car Show was held July 24 in Frazee, MN, coinciding with the town’s annual Turkey Days festival and the Frazee all school reunion. When my son posted on Penock’s Fiero Forum that he needed help with a few parts for his car, we never imagined it would blossom into what it did. He was fortunate enough to see his baby restored and was able to drive and enjoy this before he passed away on February 14, 2010. These acts of kindness, these events of paying it forward, not only impacted our son, but the rest of our family as well. We were more than a little surprised when the idea first was brought up for a memorial car show in Tyler’s name. To see it actually come to fruition was something that I cannot put into words. It helped us have a good thing to look forward to, a way to honor and remember or son, and a way we feel will keep his memory alive in years to come. It was a tool in our grieving process and has allowed us to become a part of a community of people we will be honored to call friends for the rest of our lives. We continually hear from members of the Fiero community how inspiring Tyler was to them. While I agree my son was more than awesome, what they don’t realize is Tyler’s Toy wasn’t just about Tyler. Tyler’s Toy is a symbol of how good people can make a difference. Tyler’s Toy is a symbol of hope, selflessness, and the everyday heroes who are all around us. The Tyler Shipman Memorial Car Show is just an extension of that, keeping the dream alive and the message of hope awake for everyone associated with it.

Camp Shipman opened up its gates on Friday July 23. Twenty some Fieros and their drivers and passengers made their way from all corners of the United States to rally points near Minneapolis/St. Paul to make their way to Frazee. The trip was not without its obstacles to include some roadside breakdowns (starters and melted screwdrivers, water pumps, fog lights falling off, locked up calipers, and broken ball joints to name a few). In true Fiero Fanatatic fashion and their “no car is left behind” attitude, there were a few roadside repairs. I have never met a Fiero owner who didn’t have some spare parts and a few wrenches in their trunk. There were a few wrong turns and going off the grid along with a police escort. No one said traveling with a Fiero caravan was easy. In the end, our family and friends watched in awe as our yard was filled with around 30 Fieros at last count. You have to think Tyler was smiling down on that and many of us saw a few rainbows that day and wondered if that wasn’t Tyler showing us his approval.

We had met some of the people who came to our house when they were here for Tyler’s car restoration, but we didn’t really “know” anyone as we hadn’t yet had the opportunity to be in a truly social situation. I have to say that everyone I have encountered in our Fiero journey have been the least pretentious group of people I have ever met. There isn’t a Fiero owner who doesn’t love their car, the bad and the good. It isn’t about who has the fastest, the best, the worst Fiero. Everyone appreciates these cars in all stages of their repair and can find something good to say about each one. I have to wonder what came first, the chicken or the egg? Are the people who own Fieros and are part of this community all good-natured kind people or do they become kind and good-natured after they buy their Fieros? We finally got to meet Andy and his wife, which was definitely one of the highlights of our weekend. A terrific edition to the memorial garden I started for Tyler this summer was a sign post with arrows showing the different towns and mileage traveled to get to our house. The furthest travelers hailed from Florida (John), Pennsylvania (Andy and Stephanie), and Russia (Olga). There were people here from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, North Dakota and more. Danyel from Canada who had planned on attending had to back out due to a family situation, but was here in spirit. He had our resident favorite teacher Mary Olsen pick up some beer for everyone and delivered a message via you tube for us to hear. We hope to see him next year in the Black Widow. A very touching guest personally was meeting Mattwa from PFF and his mom. His mom drove him to our house for this car show. Matt is around the same age as Tyler, so seeing this mom jump in her car and drive to a complete stranger’s house was something I will never forget. Since the car show, Matt’s mom has acquired her own Fiero. Next year I fully expect to see them both show up with their Fieros.

Friday night was spent eating lots of turkey, salads, cookies, etc., and getting rained on. The rain didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s time. We had an estimated 200 people filter through our house that night, with many friends and family coming to meet our Fiero friends. A few brave souls decided to camp in our back yard even though the weather was not the best. I am told next year we are to have the “no snoring” section for campers, so we are mapping out the camping spots already and looking at hiring some noxious nasal noise police to strictly enforce these new boundaries.

The day of the car show dawned hot and muggy and the heat didn’t let up. We all got our cars to Frazee and hung out in town the whole day. The total number of cars present was 102, with about 47 of those being Fieros. There has always been a car show associated with Turkey Days, but the entries usually number in the 15 car range. It has never been associated with any car club, cause, or special purpose. This year was a record breaking year and we hope it will only continue to grow. There were trophies donated by local businesses, to include our very own Shipman’s Tree Service, and $1600 raised for Roger Marris Cancer Institute for cancer research. There were a total of 12 trophies given out, 9 of which were given to Fieros. Tyler’s Toy won the People’s Choice award and Best in Show. Carter proudly accepted these trophies. Another of note was the “Tyler Shipman” award given to Pete Grosz (Stars and Stripes).

Saturday night was an informal campfire night full of lots of laughter and a little practical joking. Saturday was the famous snipe hunt. My middle son Carter is a little stick of dynamite. Tyler and Cassie have always been more laid back and a little on the shy side. Not so Carter. He can work a room better than any seasoned politician. He has a story to tell for every situation and is not afraid to give as good as he gets. That being said, he was conned into hunting for snipes, complete with tales of this mystical beast and flash lights. When he found out he was being conned, the game was on. I think he is probably planning some diabolic retaliation for next year as I write this. Shawn better watch out! We even had a little shoe melting incident on the campfire ring by Stuart. I guess those Texans just can’t handle these cold Minnesota nights!

The last day of the weekend festivities on Sunday ended with the Fieros which were still here starting out the Turkey Day parade led by Tyler’s Toy and the 86 Fiero SE Tyler bought his sister Cassie. It was something to see and fortunately our favorite reporter - Boyd - was there to document it. My favorite part of the parade was right toward the end of our Fiero run when the mini Fiero go-cart couldn’t make it up a hill. Carter jumped out and pushed it the rest of the way.

I would call the entire weekend a great success and we are already looking forward to next year, to include opening up Camp Shipman a day early on Thursday. We hope everyone here this year and more will make the journey back to our small town and join us for what will surely be a terrific time, although I would get your reservations in early if you are looking for the non-snoring spots. I have officially picked up Tyler’s torch and joined the madness and purchased my very own fixer upper Fiero. I am finding out how easily this can become an obsession.

In the last year, my sister-in-law lost her mother to cancer, my brother-in-law lost his father, I lost my grandpa to cancer, we lost our son Tyler to cancer, the Smiths of Frazee lost their wife and mother to cancer, and I know of 2 other women who were diagnosed with breast cancer. This car show was not about cancer. I know that cancer didn’t beat Tyler…not once. He knew he was dying but decided to live despite this fact. In the end, he told me he was ready to go and then he did. In my heart, again Tyler made the choice. This weekend was not about cancer. It was about hope. The donations made to cancer research will help lead us to a cure. I wish for a day no mother knows how it feels to have her son die from cancer, no father, no brother, no sister, no friend. Thank you my Fiero friends for making this special weekend happen and joining us to celebrate our boy’s life and our hope for a cure.

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