This is part of an occasional series by the Sanpete Country Travel and Utah Heritage Highway 89 Alliance on the people and places along U.S. Highway 89.

Sanpete County Parades to Feature Hotrod, Antique Cars, Ugly Trucks

On Friday, May 13, there will be an antique car and a hotrod car parade in Manti at 7 p.m. It is part of the annual Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s Rat Fink Reunion, which honors the life of renowned artist/car designer Ed Roth. Roth was famous for designing and building hotrod cars and for creating the cartoon characters the Beatnik Bandit and “Rat Fink” in the 1960s.

The parade will feature both hotrod and antique cars. Roth was known for building one-of-a-kind show cars and is famous for his “plaster and fiberglass” creation method. His original “Tweety Bird” Rat Fink car is currently being restored after being in storage for more than 30 years.

Roth died in Manti on April 4, 2001, at the age of 69. His wife, Ilene Roth, decided she needed to find a way for people who loved and respected her late husband and his work to honor his memory. She came up with the idea for the reunion and it is now an annual event. This year it is being held May 12-14.

People interested in being in the May 13 parade should meet in the parking lot of Kent’s Market in Ephraim at 6:30 p.m. More information about Roth’s cars can be found at the website www.mrgasser.com.

On Saturday, May 14, Mt. Pleasant City will host an “Ugly Truck” parade at noon down Main Street. The parade is part of the annual Rhubarb Festival, which literally honors the rhubarb, and Soap Box Derby races, which will be held following the parade.

The parade features, well, ugly trucks. Past entries have included beat-up and rusted-out trucks, trucks that are more than 50 years old, vehicles with weird paint jobs and even those with funny wheels. The only requirement is the truck must be able to make it down Main Street by its own devices.

Past parade participants have said that truck owners often take pride in the dents, marks and other “battle wounds” on their trucks because they are memories of where it has been and what’s been done with it. Ugly Truck contests have gained in popularity over the years and are now featured events throughout the United States and Canada on their own or as part of other festivals and fairs.

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