A motor show for Moton
Published 7:35 am Thursday, July 20, 2017
Glento Allen, of Prospect, brought his specialty of conducting car shows to Farmville on Saturday, orchestrating a successful car and truck show for the Moton Family Challenge at the Firemen’s Sports Arena.
The family challenge was founded in 2010 and helps to raise money for the ongoing programming of the Robert Russa Moton Museum and for Moton’s scholarship fund.
To view more photos of the Moton Family Challenge event, click here.
“There are different families that participate in the Moton Family Challenge, and Mr. Allen is one of the captains,” said Megan Clark, who also participates with the challenge.
She said those raising funds include people who have connections to the Moton Museum through their families being affected by Prince Edward County closing its public schools from 1959 to 1964.
“The different family captains are the point person(s) either for their family members or for coming up with some type of a fundraiser for the Moton Museum,” she said. “And the donation is made in honor of that family or in memory of a certain family member that you have.”
Clark noted that anybody who knows Glento Allen knows that he is known for his annual car show.
With his next show September 16, “it will be 17 years of conducting a car show in Prospect,” he said.
“So trying to bring something that’s unique to the Moton Museum and the Moton Family Challenge and different ways to raise money, they thought that Mr. Allen would be great to do a car show and have the first annual Moton Car Show for the family challenge,” Clark said.
Allen said while an earlier start to the advertising campaign for the event had been desired, he was pleased by the turnout.
“We’ve still got a pretty decent-sized crowd,” he said.
He noted that 19 vehicles had registered by the latter half of the event, including two trucks. The show ran 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
With vehicles divided into appropriate classes, Allen helped to judge which vehicles would win awards at the show.
While one vehicle owner came from Richmond, “most of the guys here today are local, from Charlotte County, Prince Edward, pretty much,” he said.
Joy Speakes, who chairs and helped found the Moton Family Challenge, was pleased with the show and that the weather cooperated to help make it a success.
“I think it’s going good for the first time,” she said. Noting the number of vehicles present, she added that “next year, probably when we do it, starting earlier, we will have even more.”
She praised the efforts of Allen, noting, “He’s doing a good job.”