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More than 200 car were registered for Sunday’s show in Boardman Park
BOARDMAN
More than 200 car enthusiasts came to Boardman Park on Sunday for the Mahoning Valley Olde Car Club’s 38th annual car show and flea market. They showed off their shining symbols of times past and raised money for Abbey Lipinsky, a 14-year-old Boardman girl who is battling a rare childhood cancer called clear cell sarcoma.
A portion of the money raised by the car club’s annual “Cars in the Park” traditionally benefits a young person with financial help for medical and other costs associated with his or her illness.
Abbey, this year’s beneficiary, was tutored at home for her freshman year at Boardman High School because of her illness. But while she is still undergoing chemotherapy at Children’s Hospital at Cleveland Clinic, Abbey is looking forward to attending classes at school this year.
Abbey, who will be 15 Aug. 21, is the daughter of Debbie Lipinsky and the late Michael Lipinsky, who died six months before Abbey was diagnosed in July 2014 when a large tumor was found in her abdomen. Her brothers are Andrew, 12, and Erik, 10.
Her tumor was removed in August 2014, but she was not immediately able to undergo chemotherapy because she had lost a lot of weight. Since then, she has undergone many rounds of chemotherapy.
An otherwise normal teen, Abbey likes hanging out with her friends and is thinking about driving, her mother said.
“She has a good sense of humor, like all my kids do,” said Debbie, a 1989 graduate of Austintown Fitch High School and a part-time employee in Youngstown’s finance department.
“Taking care of Abbey, I don’t get to work as much as I should, but people are very understanding and helpful. Friends and family and the people at school know the situation and come forward and help in all kinds of ways,” she said.
For instance, “Andrew and Erik are involved in sports; and when something happens to Abbey people take care of the boys so I don’t have to worry. I’m very grateful to them, and to the car club for making Abbey this year’s beneficiary,” Debbie said.
Car shows are great ways to socialize with people with similar interests, said Mahoning County Olde Car Club member Wayne Sitler of Columbiana.
But another reason for participating is that “we always help someone like Abbey,” said Sitler, who brought his 1939 Ford half-ton pickup with a flat head V-8, known as a commercial car, when it was built.
Sitler, 79, retired owner of Sitler Construction, bought the pickup in 2003 and took two years to restore it to the point where it won first prize in its classification Sunday.
“I did everything except the paint job, which was done by Bob Darney of Columbiana. It’s all authentic except I replaced the pine bed with walnut,” he said.
Joe and Amy “Stattler” Vittorio of Boardman displayed their 1949 Ford custom two-door, which is authentic except for a visor make-up mirror and seat belts that his wife insisted on.
Vittorio, a graduate of The Rayen School, said he bought the ’ 49 Ford, which has a V-8 flat head engine, “because it is the same age as I am, 67.”
The top winners at Sunday’s car show were Terry Babyak of Massillon whose 1967 Oldsmobile 442 was judged “authentic” Best of Show; and Dick Banick of Burton, whose 1971 Ford Torino was named “modified” Best of Show.
People who wish to donate to the Lipinsky Family may do so at any Home Savings & Loan branch under the account named Debra Lipinsky or mail a check, with Debra Lipinsky on the memo line, to any Home Savings for deposit.