Some Old Cars Just Run, But This One Takes Prize

For someone who contends that her car looks as if it wouldn’t go around the block, Ginni Withers of Fountain Valley did all right. She drove it across the country.

What’s more, her 1906 Mitchell, which averaged 25 miles to the gallon, was the oldest of 85 cars to cross the finish line in the recent Great American Race, a feat that brought her first prize of $25,000 in the oldest car category. She is still awaiting results to learn where she placed overall.

The race started in California and ended in New York City. Only 85 of the 105 cars entered finished.

A 1906 Cadillac gave her competition for a time, she said, “but it finally faltered and dropped out of the race.”

Her husband, Newt Withers, driving a 1934 Packard, placed 16th overall in the 10-day, 3,400-mile timed race and won $1,000. First prize was $100,000, won by a Washington driver in a 1915 Dodge. Each driver paid a $5,000 entry fee.

“We pulled off a lot of miracles to finish the race,” said Ginni, who was given the race name of Jennifer Goodheart and had her car decorated in passionate pink hearts. “My fan tore through the radiator at one point, but we were able to repair it.”

Finishing in New York and driving down Broadway “just gave me a thrill, but people all over the country were great.”

She said small towns “would have their whole population out watching us, and some would give us homemade pies. It was almost like turning back the clock.”

The Mitchell, a 40th birthday present from her husband (and now worth “about $30,000” since being restored), was towed back by their motor home, which contained a machine shop to service both cars during the race.

What’s next? “Next year’s race,” she replied.

“When we went back to the bus,” recounted assistant band director Chris Merino of Santa Ana, “I started to shake all over. We had met the Pope.”

The Pope’s visit wasn’t a scheduled part of the Mater Dei High School band’s self-financed, 17-day European concert tour, which just ended, but Merino said the Pope spent 15 minutes talking and shaking hands with the 57 students after they played in St. Peter’s Square.

“It happened so fast that when it was all over and we started to think about it, we all felt wiped out,” Merino said. “We couldn’t believe we met the Pope.”

As mementos, the band gave the Pope a class ring and band director Michael Corrigan’s baton.

Amber, a 217-pound pig raised by Stacey Hattan, 15, of Fullerton, won grand prize at the Orange County Fair hog show, and 246-pound Copper, raised by Andrew Gayton, 13, of La Habra was judged reserve champion. What’s a reserve champion? “That’s sort of like second place in a beauty contest,” said a show spokeswoman.

When sickness strikes any of the five baby bald eagles he is raising, David Garcelon has a major problem getting them help --or getting them anywhere, for that matter.

For instance, his latest trip to the bird doctor to treat a broken wing meant rising at 6 a.m. to pack the bird in a flight cage, driving 30 minutes by Jeep from the interior of Catalina Island to catch an 8 a.m. flight from the island airport, flying to Long Beach Airport, then waiting for a ride to Fountain Valley to see avian specialist Dr. Walter J. Rosskopf.

Then he had to repeat the process going back.

Although he has some funds from wildlife support groups to raise the majestic birds, most of the cost of getting back and forth is paid out of Garcelon’s pocket.

Here was the plan: Friends of John Reeves would stop their pick-up basketball game at the Santa Ana YMCA the moment Reeves made a basket--sort of like when a professional player reaches a scoring milestone. Then they would wish him a happy 65th birthday and make a big deal over giving him a friendship trophy. After all, despite his age, Reeves plays basketball with them twice a week.

Unfortunately, Reeves didn’t score a point. They gave it to him after the game.