Ticket sales begin June 13 for NPCC raffle pickup

Students in North Platte Community College's Automotive Technology and Auto Body Technology programs gather around this year's raffle pickup, a 1955 Chevy. Tickets for the pickup will go on sale June 13.

Tickets for the 2021 North Platte Community College raffle pickup, a burnt orange 1955 Chevy stepside short box, go on sale June 13. 

They will be sold everywhere the vehicle is displayed, at all Mid-Plains Community College campuses and at various area businesses. 

The pickup will make its first public appearance at the NEBRASKAland Days Antique Car Show and Parade from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 18 in Memorial Park in North Platte.

Pickup highlights 

The Chevy is the 16th raffle vehicle produced by the college's Transportation Division. It was restored by students in the Automotive Technology and Auto Body Technology programs. 

The students disassembled it – essentially reducing it down to a shell. They then sandblasted the body and frame to bare metal. 

From there, they embarked on the long and challenging process of transforming the vehicle into a work of art. The project required them to study and merge traditional and modern engineering and technology and provided them with real-world experience. 

The pickup features a 6.0-liter V8 engine, 4L80E performance transmission, four-wheel disc brakes, power steering, air conditioning, cruise control and custom bed.

Upcoming appearances 

The pickup will tour the state throughout the summer, making appearances at car shows, parades and cruise night events. A schedule will be posted at mpcc.edu/community/npcc-classic-car-projects/car-raffle. 

A total of 10,000 raffle tickets will be offered at a cost of $10 each. Proceeds will be used for scholarships for students in the college's transportation programs and to help offset the cost of producing the next raffle car project. 

A number of businesses, organizations and individuals have offered to sell tickets. In North Platte, those include: Don's Motor Company, Cohagen Battery Store, Levander's Body Shop, Grandma's Memories Antiques and Collectibles, Isabelle's Auction House, A.J. Janas, Pat Smith, Jody's Auto Sales and LKQ Corporation. 

The Yellow Rose Lounge and Herrick Auto and Marine, in Curtis; Top Notch Auto and Towing and Moe's Graphics, in Gothenburg; Kent Silvester, in Imperial, and Neil Noel, in Beaver City, will also have tickets.    

Additionally, tickets will be available at the welcome centers of MPCC campuses in McCook, North Platte, Broken Bow, Imperial, Ogallala and Valentine. 

The drawing for the 1955 Chevy pickup will be at 2 p.m. Sept. 11 during the annual Colonel Cody's Cruise Show and Shine in Memorial Park.