NPCC raffle pickup to tour Southwest Nebraska

The 2021 North Platte Community College raffle pickup will travel to Southwest Nebraska next week.  

Curtis will be the first stop for the burnt orange 1955 Chevy stepside short box. The pickup will be at Herrick Auto and Marine, one mile east on U.S. Highway 23, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 3. It will round out the day at the Yellow Rose Lounge in Curtis, 116 Center Ave., from 5-8 p.m.

The Chevy will remain in Curtis Aug. 4. It will be on display at Herrick Auto and Marine from 9 a.m. to noon; Western Nebraska Bank, 301 Center Ave., from 1-4 p.m. and the Yellow Rose from 5-8 p.m.

On Aug. 6, the pickup will be at the Trenton Dam Show from 5-9 p.m. at Swanson Reservoir.

The public will have the opportunity to purchase tickets for the vehicle at all locations.

Pickup highlights

The Chevy is the 16th raffle vehicle produced by the college’s Transportation Division. It was restored by students in the Automotive Technology and Auto Body Technology programs.

The students disassembled it – essentially reducing it down to a shell. They then sandblasted the body and frame to bare metal.

From there, they embarked on the long and challenging process of transforming the vehicle into a work of art. The project required them to study and merge traditional and modern engineering and technology and provided them with real-world experience.

The pickup features a 6.0-liter V8 engine, 4L80E performance transmission, four-wheel disc brakes, power steering, air conditioning, cruise control and custom bed.

Upcoming appearances 

The pickup is touring the state throughout the summer, making appearances at car shows, parades and cruise night events. A schedule is posted at mpcc.edu/community/npcc-classic-car-projects/car-raffle. 

A total of 10,000 raffle tickets will be offered at a cost of $10 each. Proceeds will be used for scholarships for students in the college’s transportation programs and to help offset the cost of producing the next raffle car project.

Tickets are sold everywhere the vehicle is displayed and at the welcome centers of Mid-Plains Community College campuses in McCook, North Platte, Broken Bow, Imperial, Ogallala and Valentine.

Additionally, a number of businesses, organizations and individuals have offered to sell tickets. In North Platte, those include: Don’s Motor Company, Cohagen Battery Store, Levander’s Body Shop, Grandma’s Memories Antiques and Collectibles, Isabelle’s Auction House, A.J. Janas, Pat Smith, Jody’s Auto Sales, Janssen Buick GMC, Modern Tire Pros, Larry’s Barber and Style Shop and LKQ Corporation.

The Yellow Rose Lounge and Herrick Auto and Marine, in Curtis; Top Notch Auto and Towing and Moe’s Graphics, in Gothenburg; Kent Silvester, in Imperial, and Neil Noel, in Beaver City also have tickets.  

The drawing for the pickup will be at 2 p.m. Sept. 11 during the annual Colonel Cody’s Cruise Show and Shine in Memorial Park in North Platte.