COUNTY LIFE
Build the dream – Bowie graduate creating custom truck for SEMA sho
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Conner Earp will be heading off to automotive tech college in just a few weeks, but this recent Bowie High School graduate also is putting the finishing touches on his $30,000-plus custom-built pickup he plans to show in one of the world’s largest auto shows this fall in Las Vegas.
The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) hosts its trade-only event Oct. 31-Nov. 3 drawing more than 70,000 quality domestic and international buyers each year bringing together manufacturers and buyers in every segment of the automotive industry. It’s a pretty big leap for this young man, but when this dream of building custom trucks was sparked he took the initiative to find out how he could get going.
The son of Bradley and Misty Earp, the family lives outside Vashti in an old farmhouse complete with chickens, dogs, turkeys and ducks, plus a large shop for Conner to bring his vision to life. His little brothers Nathan, nine, and River, seven, also are running around to help out and cheer on their big brother.
Born in Decatur, the 18-year-old grew up in Bowie where he attended school playing baseball and taking part in ag projects. He graduated in May and mid-summer he and the family visited Laramie, WY where he will be attending WYO Tech this year. WyoTech, formerly known as Wyoming Technical Institute, is a for-profit, technical college founded in 1966. It provides training programs that prepare students for careers as technicians in the automotive and diesel industry.
Earp says the visit and tour to the school only confirmed his desire to specialize in fabrication and welding. He leaves for school on Sept. 28 to begin a six-month core program. Earp is looking at performance, suspension and chasis fabrication. The full program can be up to two and a half years.
Read the full story in your weekend Bowie News.
Make plans to come out and honor Bowie High School state tennis champions Heidi and Willow Siebert on Wednesday afternoon.
Members of the Nocona City Council will meet for a regular meeting at 5 p.m. on May 12 in council chambers.
A public hearing on an ordinance annexing adjacent and contiguous territory to the city will be offered. This relates to two small tracts of land at the front and back of the Tales ‘N’ Trails Museum property. It does not involve providing any services, but clarifies the property in the museum’s tract. Any action would follow in the regular agenda.
Mayor and council reports on items of community interest follow along with public comments.
Items slated for the agenda include the following: Discuss bid to mow and weed-eat the Nocona Cemetery; discuss bids to furnish a 180,000-200,000 gallon capacity tank for potable water; three requests from the Nocona Economic Development Corporation – Type A and B boards funding a grant for signage at the American Legion at $2,300, both boards fund a grant for Tales ‘N’ Trails to enclose the east win of the barn for $18,000 and both boards to grant the Chisholm Trail Art Association $2,000 to support the Art of the Song Music Festival Art Show.
Other council topics will be consider repair of the water found at Enid Justin City Park; discuss public nuisance code violations; hear request from David Yowell to purchase water for the Nocona Hills Golf Course; discuss appraised value, setting price and conditions for sealed bids on 19.5 acres of city-owned land adjacent to the Nocona Hills Golf Course; discuss slide on upstream water side of dam and discuss changes to rental agreement for H.J. Justin Community Room.
The majority of these items will be considered for action during the regular agenda following the workshop agenda.
Present for the Bowie Community Development proclamation for National Travel and Tourism Week May 3-9 made by Mayor Gaylynn Burris were volunteers and staff: Matthew Hunt, Cindy Roller, Brittany Barnes, Sylvia Henning, Mildred McCraw, and Joe Barnhill. Community Development focus is on beautification and tourism for the City of Bowie. The group focuses on tourism through its many festival and events, welcoming people to the community. (News photo by Barbara Green)
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