A wedding chapel on wheels

CHICAGO — As far as the Rev. Darrell Best knows, he has the fastest church in Illinois.

His 1942 firetruck is by no means a Ferrari, but it is equipped as a fully functioning chapel.

“I’ve had it up to 55 mph,” Best said. “It gets a lot of attention on the highway.”

Mechanics from the Country Music Television show “Trick My Truck” did the conversion after Best’s family wrote to the program last year. The chapel has stained-glass windows, a pipe organ, an altar and two wooden pews.

Couples recently paid $100 to get married in the tiny church at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. “It fits me, the bride, the groom, the best man and the maid of honor,” said Best, of Shelbyville, Ill. “It gets a little crowded, but it works.”

Best said he wanted to give people without a church a chance for a special service. And for $2 per mile, plus a $200 fee, he’ll drive the church anywhere.

The truck suits “the kind of people who don’t want a traditional wedding,” he said.

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kjanssen@tribune.com