Holt Arena welcomes back Chrome in the Dome
The 12th annual Chrome in the Dome car event kicked off in Holt Arena in Pocatello on Friday.
The show draws in car enthusiasts from all over and is an event many look forward to.
A ’57 Bel Air, a ’37 Plymouth Delivery, a ’59 Dodgem bumper car and an array of motorcycles. Those are just a few of the 150 cars and about 25 bikes on display at the 2018 Chrome in the Dome.
From early 1900 models to modern day mustangs, organizers say the show has a little something for everyone.
“It’s pretty well known,” said Brock Gunter, an automotive instructor at Idaho State University. “People from all over not only bring their cars but just come down to see the show.”
The show is a fundraiser put on by ISU’s automotive and auto body students to raise money for things like going to competitions.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Theron Fiscus, owner of a ’37 Plymouth Delivery. “We meet a lot of neat people at these shows. Some of the greatest people in the country are car owners.”
Car enthusiasts don’t just come to look and be seen – they also come to listen because each car has a special story.
“My brother started this project quite a few years ago and he got cancer and passed away so I bought the car from his wife and finished it – something he never got to do,” Fiscus said.
“I bought it Oct. 26, 1967, about 10 days after I got out of Vietnam,” Dave Johnson said of his ’68 Chevy Camaro. “It had 8.4 miles on it and it’s got over 280,000 on it now. Eighty percent of it is about original. It’s got the original chrome, original headlights, original spare in the trunk. It’s unrestored. I was only going to keep it about three years and here it is – it’s over 50 years and I still have it.”
Johnson said the great thing about owning classic cars is they are unique.
“The newer cars all look the same,” he said. “But these cars, not only do they come with history, they all are styled different.”
For the car owners, these are treasures. And for some, like Johnson, they might even be considered a first love.
“Sometimes these kind of become like a girlfriend,” he laughed. “If I didn’t have the ‘1 OWNER’ license plate, I think my plate would read, ‘First Wife.'”
Chrome in the Dome continues Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The winners for each category will be announced and given a unique trophy. The trophies are made the automotive students all year round, according to Gunter.
