THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2015

AMERICAN PRESS

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Story by Warren Arceneaux

warceneaux@americanpress.com

Photos by Rick Hickman

rhickman@americanpress.com
Classic cars and trucks will be the
featured attraction at the annual Midnight Fantasies Antique Classic Auto
Show, to be held Friday-Saturday at
Burton Coliseum.
The show, traditionally open to all
makes and models, will feature models
30 years and older this year.
We have transitioned the show
from an open show to a pre-1985 show,
organizer Roger Miller said. We are
doing any year Corvette, Camaro, Mustang, Challenger and Charger because
they made those back in that era. Now
the show is more of an antique, classic,
muscle car show. There will be lots of
cars that people dont get to see every
day. We have a lot of different cars coming, $200,000 cars coming. We have Kyle
Buschs 2007 NASCAR coming.
The show has grown over the past
two decades.
The first year we started at a
motel on Broad Street, Miller said.
I never thought we would be here 24
years later. Everything

Its
Oldies to be featured
at annual Midnight Fantasies
Antique Classic Auto Show
fades in and out. Cars have gone in and
out, but they are in hard right now and
this time I think they will stay popular.
From the 20s to the 70s, those cars are
unique. People would rather look at the
classics, that is how it will always
be.
Among the featured
attractions will
be Roland
Corbellos

award-winning 1939 Plymouth sedan.

I have been driving it for 21 years,
Corbello said. I built it from scratch. It
was in a two-foot pond when I bought it. I
restored it from the ground up. I worked
on it for four years. It is a hot rod, not an
original.
The car has been a passion project for
Corbello.
I enjoyed working on it as a hobby, he
said. I like that this one is so unique. They
made 62,000 in 1939 and I bet there are not
more than 200 left. The way I modified
it, there are none like it. Everything
has been changed. The rear end is a
Ford, the engine and transmission is
a Cheverolet truck. The frame is a
Camaro, it is all custom built. I
have been showing it for 17-18
years. People love the gorilla painting on the
back, it has a King
Kong theme. The
older

crowd and kids love it the most.

I mostly show it to enjoy it
now. I have already won many
awards with it so I have pushed
the competition to the side.
The car isnt the only one built
by Corbello, but it is his favorite.
I am building a 1967 Chevelle
SS now, he said. I am about 70
percent finished with that one, but
I like the Plymouth the most. I have
built six cars and it is my favorite.
My dad helped me build it and it has
his name, Alfred, inside the interior.
We worked on it for two years until
he passed away. He was a master
mechanic, jack of all trades. He liked
the originals. He had a 1933 Ford when
he was young and he talked about that
coupe all the time.
Corbello knew he had something
to talk about before even finishing the
Plymouth.
When I was about three-fourths of
the way done, I knew I had something
neat and unique, he said. Some people
think it is ugly, but I think the older and
the fatter, the cooler it looks.
The show will feature more than 300
antique, classic and muscle cars coming from as far as California. There
will also be food, vendors, music, a
swap meet and more at the event.
Show hours are 5-10 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m.-8 p.m. on Saturday.
Admission is $10 each day, and
kids 10 and under get in free. A
portion of the proceeds will go to
Colors for a Cause, a local non-profit charity organization that raises
funds to help Louisiana families as
their child battles cancer.
For vendor and car entry information, contact Miller at 263-0655.

Gallery brings hope to sickle cell sufferers

By Mary Newport

mnewport@americanpress.com
They all suffer with a lot of
pain, said Dana Lewis of her three
children. They take at least four
pills a day. They have to have checkups to make sure theyre healthy,
their blood is at the right count, are
they eating right, are they drinking enough water. It messes with
their growth, how fast they mature.
Theyre always cold.

Danas children have sickle cell,

a disease that causes abnormalities of the red blood cells, which
can lead to episodes of severe pain,
swelling of the limbs, infections,
damage to vital organs and vision
problems.
For Aalaysha, 14, Elijah, 13,
and Ardrienne, 12, it also comes
with a range of related difficulties,
like Elijahs asthma or all three
childrens frequent absences from
school.

They miss a lot of days of

school and have to catch up, Lewis
said. This year the teachers understood. Its just making sure people understand, its not something
you catch, its something thats not
going to go away, its for life.
Lewis does what she can to raise
awareness about sickle cell disease,
but starting Friday, shes going to
have some help. Southwest Louisiana Sickle Cell Anemia Inc., a
nonprofit group devoted to improv-

Left: Sickle cell anemia

is a hereditary blood
disorder characterized
by abnormal, rigid,
sickle-like shaped red
blood cells. The disease
is associated with a
number of acute and
chronic health problems
such as severe infections,
attacks of severe pain and
stroke, and there is an
increased risk of death.
Right: Photographs that will be on
display at the Black Heritage Gallery
were provided by Walter Jean and Fred
Stevenson, among others.
Special to the American Press

ing life for sickle cell sufferers

and their families, has partnered
with the Black Heritage Gallery
to display the Shoots for a Cure
art exhibit, featuring portraits of
individuals and families affected by
sickle cell disease.
Gallery curator Stella Miller said
she was traveling when she got the
idea, and it was met with enthusiasm when she returned.

See GALLERY, B2

B1