Patriotic horsepower: American Legion Post 72 supported at OremFest Car Show
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- American Legion Post 72 Commander Rodney Gardner salutes next to his cars at the OremFest Car Show on Monday, June 2, 2025, at Scera Park.
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- Jeff Niven poses with his 1930 Standard Tudor Sedan at the OremFest Car Show on Monday, June 2, 2025, at Scera Park.
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- A car is shown at the OremFest Car Show on Monday, June 2, 2025, at Scera Park.
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- A car is shown at the OremFest Car Show on Monday, June 2, 2025, at Scera Park.
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- A car is shown at the OremFest Car Show on Monday, June 2, 2025, at Scera Park.
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- A car is shown at the OremFest Car Show on Monday, June 2, 2025, at Scera Park.
A blend of horsepower and patriotism kicked off OremFest at Scera Park on Monday night.
Thousands of people made their way through the park to admire a record number of vehicles on display at the city’s annual car show. Everything from vintage sedans to shiny new sports cars were shown off — and all the proceeds went directly to fund Orem’s American Legion Post 72.
“This is by far the most people we’ve ever had attend,” Orem spokesperson Pete Wolfley said. “The weather was great, the cause was awesome, and the community responded. It was great to see so many people there. We prepared 3,000 hot dogs and gave them all out.”
The car show is the American Legion Post’s key fundraising event to help the organization carry out its annual responsibilities. The veterans group holds programs for the city on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, performs flag ceremonies at schools and retirement homes, attends military funerals and provides aid to veterans in need.
It’s also currently raising $4,000 to build a Gold Star Monument in Orem’s City Center.
“We do a lot of good,” Post 72 Commander Rodney Gardner said.
Gardner promoted the cause Monday by bringing two of his vehicles; a 1929 Ford Roadster Model A pickup, equipped with its original four-cylinder engine, and a 1980 Shay Model A, which is a replica of a 1929 Roadster Model A.
“For about a three-year period, Shea built 5,000 of these, and that’s all,” Gardner said.
Another local car enthusiast, Jeff Niven, brought his 1930 Standard Tudor Sedan, a car he bought because it was the same model of car his late father had driven.
He said the car isn’t necessarily a rarity — 619,000 were manufactured between 1930 and 1931 — but it was a popular car because it can fit a family of five and keeps the kids safely enclosed with no back seat doors.
“A four-cylinder flat head, pretty big pistons, carried five pieces,” Niven said. “Maximum speed was 63 miles an hour on level ground.”
Many other car show enthusiasts helped to bolster the event with their vintage rides.
With record attendance kicking off the week at the car show, OremFest will continue to run through the weekend. Pickleball and golf tournaments will be held at 8 a.m. Wednesday at Hillcrest Park and Sleepy Ridge Golf Course, respectively.
A carnival runs all Thursday through Saturday at City Center Park, Orem’s Got Talent is 7 p.m. Friday at City Center Stage and the grand parade is at 7 p.m. on 800 East and Center Street.
“We like to say that summer doesn’t begin until OremFest,” Wolfley said. “And so that’s kind of the whole idea is we just got out of school. Memorial Day has passed. All right, let’s kick off the summer with a great celebration.”
