CLEARFIELD -- In 1980, Brent Sanders bought a beat-up, 16-year-old Ford Mustang for $700, a hunting rifle and a .22 pistol.
"You should have seen the look on the face of the lady at the Motor Vehicles Department when she asked what I paid for it," Sanders said. "She decided to just put down the $700 and leave the rest off."
After restoring the 1964 1/2 Mustang, the vehicle's first model, Sanders painted the car pink because "everyone else had a red one." A few years later, Sanders gave in and repainted his car red.
Sanders, 59, not only still drives his Mustang to work every day and to Hogle Zoo with two car seats in the back for his grandchildren, but he also displays the classic car at various car shows.
"People enjoy looking at it," said Sanders, of Layton. "I know every nut and bolt of it."
Sanders' Mustang was one of several classic and antique cars at Friday's car show and carnival hosted by Rocky Mountain Care Center and Chancellor Gardens assisted living center. The two centers closed 1500 East, the road separating them, and had the classic cars park along the street. At the end of the street was a Tumble Bus, a former yellow school bus that has been turned into a indoor playground.
When the kids were not sliding out of the back of the bus and the adults were not admiring the cars, they all enjoyed hot dogs, drinks and other snacks.
"It's a way to bring everybody together," said Madeline McDonald, patient resource manager at Rocky Mountain Care. "The residents and their families look forward to this every year."
The event started out as a small car show and snacks for the residents of Rocky Mountain Care and their families. Now in its seventh year, everyone involved looks forward to the car show as a time when they can look at the old hot rods and reminisce about younger days.
"I used to have a 1964 Galaxie 500 hardtop, but I got too old to take care of it," Jim Mitchell, 75, said with a smile. "Yep, I sure do miss my car."
Mitchell, a resident at Rocky Mountain Care, said he used to go to all the car shows to enjoy looking around.
Mitchell's aunt, Betty Abrams, 89, is also staying at Rocky Mountain Care. While she might not be as excited about seeing the cars as her nephew, she does like the carnival atmosphere.
"It's fun to see the people having a good time with the music and the food," Abrams said.
Having people enjoy themselves while visiting with loved ones is the main purpose of the car show, and a reason why the event has grown each year.
"It's an opportunity for our residents and their families to take advantage of something we take for granted," said Jeff Fletcher, administrator at Rocky Mountain Care. "Plus, it's a different kind of visit for them than the normal visit of sitting inside in a room."
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