By NATE KING
Salina Post
Calling all car fanatics and enthusiasts — Dennis Gage, TV host of "My Classic Car," will be in Salina Feb. 25 at The Garage. His special visit is no coincidence. Gage will be in Salina to celebrate The Garage's first anniversary at the upcoming Buckled in Blue event.
During the celebration, one lucky winner will go home with a 1966 Ford Thunderbird.
Matthew Miller-Wells, director of education at The Garage, 134 S. Fourth St., said the 1966 Ford Thunderbird was donated by the Lynn Brown estate in 2016.
"The car has been sitting around and we never really knew quite what exactly to do with it. There wasn't an exhibit in mind and no one really wanted it as a company car," Miller-Wells said. "So we said this is a great opportunity to let patrons experience what was known as America's ultimate luxury automobile."
Miller-Wells told Salina Post that the 1966 Ford Thunderbird is set up like a fighter jet. When the driver sits inside, the steering column swings out of the way. The gauges on the dash even look like aviation gauges.
"There are lights and switches that look like you're sitting in a cockpit. You know, yoke controls and all of your buttons," Miller-Wells said. "I've had the opportunity to drive the car around a little bit since Sankeys Automotive here in town helped us kind of resuscitate it, look it over to make sure it's safe for driving. And it is perhaps the nicest road boat I have ever had the pleasure of driving."
Buckled in Blue event flyer. Photos courtesy, The Garage Automotive Museum
Ticket package information
$100 – one event ticket
Includes admission, one raffle ticket, Hickory Hut BBQ, unlimited Budweiser, Bud Light, or root beer, commemorative mug, meet and greet with Dennis Gage
$400 – four event tickets
Includes sponsor logo on event agenda and social media
$1,000 – 10 event tickets
Includes sponsor logo on signage at the museum, event agenda and social media.
Michelle Peck, executive director for The Garage, said that in its first year, The Garage has seen nearly 25,000 guests.
"What is really fantastic about that number is our records also indicate that a third of our guests are from outside of Salina. This automotive attraction is bringing people to our community to relive the past and drive the future," Peck said.
More about Dennis Gage from The Garage
Dennis Gage
Gage grew up on a small family farm in northwestern Illinois. He started tinkering with cars early on. He also played guitar and trumpet in a variety of rock, folk, and school bands. He went to North Central College in Naperville, Ill., where he majored in both chemistry and physics. His undergraduate research in quantum physics received an American Chemical Society award. He continued his automotive interest and, through the course of his college years, owned a number of muscle and sports cars. He also kept up his music, playing in local coffee houses.
Gage accepted a position as a product development scientist at The Procter Gamble Company in Cincinnati. There he either worked on, or created, most of PGs food products in the store including Pringles, with which he bears a striking resemblance to the handlebar mustachioed character on the can. Gage holds a number of patents on PG products. Once again having some disposable income, Gage got back to playing with classic cars.