HILLSBORO, Ohio — From Cuyahoga Falls to Sardinia, to his hometown of Hillsboro, Max Sprague loves nothing more than taking his 1968 Plymouth Fury III out on the road to show off.
“We lovingly call this the big banana,” he said.
He’s helped host car shows across Ohio for nearly eight years as the founder of the Ohio Car Shows and Cruise Ins group on Facebook, which has now grown to just under 72,000 members.
“It really took off during the pandemic,” he said.
In the beginning, it was a way for Sprague to organize weekly shows to raise money for Relay for Life, but as more people joined, he met more car enthusiasts and had more opportunities to support worthy causes across the state, including Shriner’s Hospital, Veterans Organizations and even small, local causes like his area fire department.
“How blessed am I to be able to help charities and have my passion, cars and motorcycles involved?” he said.
That’s why after two tornadoes touched down in Highland County in March, Sprague said he had to find a way to give back.
“It came up the street right behind me, leapt over my house and came down in my backyard,” he said.
Yet, once the storm settled, the only damage to his home was a few loose pieces of siding. Some of his neighbors, however, were not so lucky.
The Fairview Church of Christ off of Highway 50 took the brunt of the tornado’s damage: Losing its roof. According to the pastor, the church will be able to rebuild and plans to continue its ministry in the meantime, thanks to the generosity of other local congregations. He said they were fortunate most of the damage was limited to the church’s exterior.
Sprague, who does not attend Fairview Church of Christ, got in touch with the pastor as well to offer his services, getting his blessing to set up a benefit car show for the roof repair.
“Later I heard about the church,” Sprague said. “God has been taken away from so many places in our present times and to see one of his houses fall down just killed me.”
The show will take place on May 27, Memorial Day Weekend, in the parking lot of Star Cinemas in Hillsboro. Sprague is working to bring in car enthusiasts from across the state and is working with local businesses to set up silent auctions and other potential fundraising opportunities.
He hopes it’s enough to speed up the church’s recovery process and ensure their mission can continue to move forward.
“The car community is generous and loving in ways that people don’t even know,” he said.