Tri-City Ledger -

Brewton resident Glenn Freeman retired from the Brewton paper mill in 2019 after 61 years and at 80 years old he continues one of his passions of organizing car shows and will be on hand this Saturday, March 6, with a show at the 5th Annual Collard Green Festival in Evergreen.

Held at the Evergreen Regional Airport, the festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a collard green cook off, steak cook off, cow patty bingo, corn hole tournament, plenty of food and crafts and the car show. There will also be train rides and a petty zoo for the children.

The car show will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Registration will be held from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. with a $25 entry fee. Top 10 pays $50 and the Mayor's Choice wins $100. The awards ceremony will be held at 2 p.m.

Freeman said no preregistration is required, just show up with your car.

"I've had a thousand people ask me when it starts," Freeman said. "I said it starts when you get there, so just show up."

He said he plans on being there at 7:30 a.m. Saturday.

"I'm a one-man operation but I will have some help," he said.

Over the years, Freeman has helped organize car shows for the Alabama Blueberry Festival in Brewton, the Lions Club Show in Brewton, Railroad Junction Day in Flomaton, Sawmill Day in Century and beyond.

"It's a compliment when someone calls and asks me to help put on a car show," Freeman said. "I really enjoy it."

He said he bought his first 'hotrod' in 2005 and took it to the Lions Club Show in Brewton.

"I've been involved ever since," he said. "I had always been a car nut and had been to a couple of shows and decided I wanted a car."

He bought that first car, a 1932 Ford street rod, from someone in north Georgia and has had it ever since.

He said one of the best things about car shows is getting together with friends who take their cars to different shows and then meeting new friends during the day.

"I never could afford to do what I wanted to do, but I had enough money to get involved in cars," Freeman said. "And I became a car nut. I'll keep being one until I can't."

Other events times

People entering the collard green cook off need to turn in their greens for judging at 11 a.m. Winners will be announced at 12 noon and trophies will be given for first, second and third place.

The winner of the steak cook off goes on to the World Steak Championship. On Saturday, $2,400 in prize money will be given away.

Registration for the corn hole tournament begins at 11 a.m. and the tournament begins at noon. Registration is $40 per team for beginners and $50 for competitive teams.

For more information, contact the Evergreen Chamber of Commerce at 251-578-1707.