Thompson Valley senior Adrian Vargas has known since he was 12 that he wanted a now-vintage Pontiac Firebird, so he almost couldn’t believe his eyes when he finally spotted his dream car.
“My dad took me to lunch, and while we were driving down the interstate, out of nowhere, a dealership had the Firebird — my car — out on the podium,” Vargas recalled. “I said, ‘You need to stop right now. We’re going to look at that.’”
They ended up purchasing the 2002 model, which had just 70,000 miles on it. In the year since, Vargas has been fine-tuning the Firebird in Thompson Valley’s automotive class, replacing a blown radiator and repairing a rumbling exhaust.
Now, after polishing and detailing the car in recent weeks, he is preparing to display it at the inaugural Thompson School District car show Saturday at the Forge Event Center, 815 14th St. SW.
“I’m excited — it’s a great way for teens to be able to say ‘I have a decent car that I want to show off,’” Vargas said. “I wish they had done it sooner.”
The upcoming car show was proposed by automotive teacher David De Santiago, who is finishing his third year leading the Thompson School District’s automotive program. Open to both student and community entries, the event will raise money for the district’s automotive and ProStart culinary arts programs.
So far, nearly 30 car enthusiasts have signed up to participate, including five current students from De Santiago’s classes and several former students.
“One of my Automotive 2 students will probably walk away with an award,” De Santiago said. “He has a Chevy Blazer all decked out, with everything.”
Vargas was assisting fellow senior Aidan Hasbrook during De Santiago’s Thursday class, helping replace worn belts on Hasbrook’s 1984 Dodge Ram pickup ahead of next weekend’s car show. A self-proclaimed fan of the “classics,” Hasbrook also owns a rare 1985 Honda Civic wagon project car, which isn’t exactly in show condition just yet.
“It needs a lot more work than this one,” he said, gesturing to the truck. “I barely had to do much for this.”
As De Santiago watched the two seniors leaning over the truck’s engine bay Thursday afternoon, he said that kind of collaboration has become a defining feature of his classroom. Elsewhere in the shop, students clustered around a vehicle on a hydraulic lift, swapping tools and troubleshooting repairs together.
“At the beginning of the year, you wouldn’t see this,” De Santiago said as students moved between projects offering advice and assistance. “Everybody that’s here pretty much helps each other out.”
Not every student in the program plans to bring a vehicle to the show. Some will instead help operate the event, assisting with hospitality, answering questions and helping guests navigate the venue.
“We’re going to talk to people about cars,” said automotive student Taylor Lundin. “We want to make sure everyone’s okay, keep people hydrated and run to grab something if they need it.”
The car show will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Forge Event Center. Admission is free, and food and beverages will be available for purchase during the event, along with hoodies and T-shirts featuring the automotive program’s logo.
De Santiago said the show is still accepting sponsors and vehicle entries from community members interested in participating.
For Vargas and his classmates, however, the biggest draw is the opportunity to share something they have spent months — and in some cases years — building, repairing and personalizing.
“If you’re a student and you have a car you really want to show off, or even just a car you think is cool, invite people out,” Hasbrook said.
For more information, visit Thompson Valley’s Facebook page or contact De Santiago at david.desantiago@tsd.org.
