Great Bend’s car lovers gathered Saturday for their final Shine and Show of the year, and unveiled “Project X.”
For the past two months, volunteers had been meeting secretly to finish a vintage car restoration for Heather McCord Dombroski, who was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year. The car sat hidden behind a trailer in the 10th Street Dillons parking lot. Shortly after 2 p.m., the trailer pulled away to expose the secret project.
“It love it!” Dombroski said, as she recognized her 1965 Ford Mustang, now a show car with glossy black paint and a new convertible top. “I don’t even know who all to thank at this point.”
Dombroski, a member of the local Vintage Wheels car club, knew some friends had been working on her car. But she did not know the extent of their restoration, or that “Project X” referred to her.
“I got this car a couple of Christmases ago,” she said. The car had uninspiring “Smurf blue” paint and needed a new top, interior, engine, transmission, and a lot more.
Last February, after being diagnosed with cancer, Dombroski decided to get serious about restoring the car. To pass the time during her chemotherapy she would go online, searching for parts.
Eventually, the expense of dealing with her illness came ahead of her hobby. She parked the car at her parents’ house on Memorial weekend.
“It disappeared a few weeks ago,” Dombroski said.
Fellow car enthusiasts knew Dombroski and what she was going through. Daryl Hertel from the Mid-America Mopar Club described the genesis of Project X: “She was diagnosed with cancer, and the money that was supposed to go for the car had to go elsewhere,” he said. Friends worked nights and weekends finishing the job. All of the businesses and individuals who provided parts, labor or both were listed on two posters at Saturday’s car show.
Mid-American Mopar sponsors monthly “Shine and Show” events at various locations, inviting anyone to show their vehicles. Vintage Wheels and the Sunflower Rod and Custom Association are regular participants. For the final show of the season on Saturday, more than 75 cars, trucks and motorcycles were on display — along with a whole lot of friendship.