Hamms finish one-two-three
At this year's Marion County Fair, just one last name made it into the top three finishers of the demolition derby.
Hamm.
For the first time ever, three members of the Hamm family took first, second, and third place at the county demo derby. All three have been a part of demo derby for quite awhile, but they've never made one-two-three like this.
It was definitely a family affair Saturday night.
The father of the family, Lonnie Hamm, took third place. His son Jesse took second, and his other son Jason took first.
The demo derby gene appears to run in the family — Lonnie has been at it for more than 25 years, while Jason has been involved for 10 years and Jesse for four.
Although the family competes in two main demo derbies each year — the Marion County Fair and the McPherson County Fair — the process continues all year long.
"You're always looking for cars throughout the year," Jesse said. "Cars are getting so hard to find now."
That's because there are fewer of the full-size older models that demo derby participants prefer, he said. His family likes models made in the mid-1960s and mid-'70s.
It usually takes six to eight days of solid work to get a car ready for the demo derby, Jesse said. That's working on the car every day after work and all day long on the weekends.
How do the Hamms get their cars ready? They strip out the inside, get ride of any glass, move the gas tank and battery inside, and install a toggle switch to start the car with — just to name a few items.
Jesse, Jason, and Lonnie enjoy getting together to work on their cars — it's fun for them to work together in the shop, Jesse said.
But he really loves to get the fans excited at the demo derby.
"We want to get people up in the bleachers, standing and cheering," he said.
