On September 23, 2023, Lurch made a repeat appearance at the prestigious Ironstone Winery Concours D'Elegance car show in Murphys CA. The first photo below shows Lurch in the lineup of the vintage commercial vehicle area. The second photo shows a group of 4H kids enjoying Lurch (he liked them too!).
A local TV reporter (R. Chris Stevenson) created a video about the show and I was interviewed towards the end of the video (see photo number 3). Lurch and I appear at around the 20 minute mark in the video. Here's a link to that video on YouTube:
2023 Ironstone Concours D'Elegance overviewWhile standing in line for lunch at the show, I met Robert Moncada, the President of a local foundation that supports the Calaveras County Fair and the annual Frog Jumping Jubilee (of Mark Twain fame). He told me about a 1924 Canopy Express that the foundation owned and used for parades, the county fair, and special events. Hmmmmmm. They have a new, insulated steel building where they park it, and they have a mechanic that specializes in antique vehicles to take care of it. Double hmmmmmmmm.
To make a long story short, I've been trying to find a new home for Lurch for the past few months and I just found it.
On Saturday, December 9th, 2023, I donated Lurch (and all his accessories - including the 8 foot plywood cows!) to the Friends of the Calaveras County Fair foundation. That day, my son Josh and I delivered him to the Calaveras Couny Fairgrounds, which will be his new home.
- Photo number four is the entrance sign to the fairgrounds.
- Photo number five shows Lurch on the trailer with his new 'garage' in the background.
- Photo number six shows me (on the left) with Robert Moncada going for a test drive. He thought Lurch had power steering because it was much easier to steer than their '24 Canopy Express. Lurch probably wanted to make a good first impression. ;-)
- Photo number seven shows us in the building with Lurch's cattle cage and other accessories unloaded. The cows seem happy to not be hiding under a tarp in my driveway like they have been for the last 20+ years!
The other vehicles that the foundation owns are now Lurch's garage buds.
- Photo number eight is of a demolition derby car.
- Photo number nine is the 1924 Canopy Express (It has a flat head engine (Model T F**d?) and the body is from an unknown manufacturer. The radiator shell has a Star emblem on it, so maybe someone merged two vehicles into one. Dunno (and they are not sure either).
- Photo number ten shows their golf cart with an interesting hood ornament. Lurch fits right in!
The foundation has already scheduled Lurch to be at a special event in a couple of weeks. ;-)
So, a new chapter in Lurch's life has begun and I'll be following his adventures from afar. I'll definitely go to the next Calaveras County Fair to see him in his new environment. The dates are May 16-19, 2024. For more information, go to
frogtown.orgI think he'll be a great addition to the Calaveras County community and everyone there seems to be very excited to have him there.
With happiness and little sadness as a lifetime milestone goes by, Dean
