25th annual car show held at Wichita State

Sam+Wagners+1971+GMC+pickup+truck+was+spotted+during+the+25th+Annual+Show+N+Shine+Car+Show+on+Sept.+22+in+Lot+1+at+Wichita+State.

Easton Thompson

Sam Wagner’s 1971 GMC pickup truck was spotted during the 25th Annual “Show N Shine Car Show” on Sept. 22 in Lot 1 at Wichita State.

Souped-up cars, trucks, and bikes filled lots outside Koch Arena Sunday at an annual car show held on Wichita State’s campus.

The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 has hosted the annual “Show-N-Shine” show for 25 years at WSU, and the event helps support the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

The yearly event features a raffle and donations to support children with critical illness. Make-a-Wish branches in Kansas and Missouri help grant around 430 wishes per year.

This year’s show received about 75 entries. That number has grown since just half a dozen cars in the show’s early years, event organizers said. Donations made Sunday ranged from $100 to $7,500.

Organizers said they host the show at WSU to engage and improve the community around the university.

One attendee was Pat Babcock, who said he brought his modified Honda Veloster 13 from Salina to show it off and enjoy a day in the community. He also came to spread the word about his own upcoming car show.

Asked why he likes to attend car shows, Babcock said he enjoys “the fun of everyone hanging out.”

Monty Myrtle of Wichita won first place in the motorcycle contest with his 2008 Yamaha Warrior, which is put together entirely from assorted parts, other than the stock engine.

Easton Thompson
Monty Myrtle’s 2008 Yamaha Warrior resides in Lot 1 during the 25th Annual “Show N Shine Car Show” on Sept. 22 at Wichita State. Myrtle said that the bike has been taken with him to 29 different countries and the only original part on the bike is the engine. Everything else has been added or changed over time.

Myrtle, who has traveled around the world as part of his job with the National Science Foundation, built his cycle with mostly Soviet-era parts while living in Moscow. He has visited more than 29 different countries on his bike, he said, racking up 85,000 miles on it.

The Wichita Police Department helps coordinate the annual car show, and officers were present with some machinery of their own — two armored vehicles. One was donated by a private individual and another was given to the department through a government surplus.