Springfield's Pharaohs Car Club aims to brighten city with classic cars, community support

Nicki Woods was 14 years old when she began working on her first classic car. Her father built her a 1977 Trans Am and she spent an entire summer break block sanding its exterior.

"While all my friends were at the pool, I was out there hand sanding that thing," Woods recalled. "I got down to one little spot on the door and he comes out and he's like, 'Well, you almost have it done. I'm going to help you with that last piece.' And he goes inside, gets an electric sander and sands if off in moments and I'm like, 'Where's that been this whole time?' and he's like, 'You're going to appreciate it.' I think I did. I spent all summer messing with that car."

Woods and her father, Jerry Mayberry, are two of 104 members who make up the Pharaohs Car Club of Springfield Missouri, a local chapter of the Pharaohs Car Club that was established in Modesto, California, in 1948. General Kent Williams said the Springfield chapter was the first to franchise out from the Modesto one around 2019.

The Pharaohs Car Club is commonly associated with the 1973 drama, "American Graffiti," which explores early rock-and-roll and cruising culture in California during the 1960s. In the film, which is directed by George Lucas, one of the main characters, Curt (Richard Dreyfuss), is coerced into joining The Pharaohs, a "car cult" known for its blood initiations and daring pranks. But this depiction of the long-lasting car club isn't an accurate one.

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"Our general motto is Pharaohs is more than just sitting behind your car, and what we mean by that is we use our love of cars to go out and make our community a better place to live," Williams said. "Yes, we're car people. The first thing we do right here is show these, but we take that love of the automobile and restoration and go out to community events."

Though the Pharaohs are most popularly known for their car shows and neighborhood cruises, the club also raises money for and volunteers with area organizations. Most recently, club members helped package 300 food bags for Convoy of Hope. Next week, members will help clean up 1 mile of Kearney Street, which the club maintains through Adopt-A-Highway.

Since its establishment around 2019, the Pharaohs Car Club of Springfield Missouri has donated nearly $30,000 to local organizations, including the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks, Missouri Department of Agriculture, Safe to Sleep, Women in Need, Wreaths for Warriors, FosterAdopt Connect, Court Appointed Special Advocates, Ozarks Food Harvest and Whispering Willows. Williams said this year, the chapter will be working with Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ozarks and Habitat for Humanity, too.

As for the national organization, Williams said its creation in 1948 was rooted in the return of soldiers from World War II.

"Pilots — as well as all veterans — in particular, the story goes came home, wanted something to tinker on because (they) were always tinkering on (their) airplanes and started on cars," Williams said. "That particular group were known as Kings of the Skyway, Kings of the Sky, Pharaohs of the Sky, so the name Pharaohs came from that, meaning sky. It just built from there." Nationwide, the organization is made up of around 20,000 members, Williams added.

One of Williams' favorite aspects of the car club is its sense of family. When a prospective member joins the club, so does his or her spouse. Speaking to the News-Leader at the Birthplace of Route 66 Roadside Park on Wednesday, member Richard Stokes was joined by his wife, Barbara. The two wore matching black button-up Pharaohs shirts, each bearing the club's logo and their first names.

Stokes' vehicle, a black, white and red 1930 Ford Model A, sports a black and white Pharaoh drag plate on its front. Considered an "old school" feature, a drag plate is smaller than a license plate and traditionally displayed the name and emblem of the car club that the driver belonged to. The plate was secured by chains and was meant to drag on the ground — hence its name, Williams said. When a new member joins the Pharaohs Car Club of Springfield Missouri, the member receives a drag plate.

Today, Woods drives a silver and black 1972 K5 Blazer. She said one of her favorite parts of owning a classic car is when she is stopped at the gas station or in a parking lot by folks who have stories of their own experiences with classic cars.

"It's a great icebreaker," she said with a smile.

Club hosts regular car cruises along Kearney Street

Starting in April, through the fall, the club hosts an unofficial car cruise along Kearney Street every second Saturday of the month. Williams said anyone is welcome to join in on the cruise and usually, parking lots along the street are full of bystanders and become informal car shows.

Longtime Springfield residents like Stokes remember when the city of Springfield implemented a ban on car cruising in the city. Established in 1993, the ban was later lifted in 2017. Going back even further, Stokes remembers cruising through downtown Springfield, around Park Central Square in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Today, cruising is mostly limited to Kearney Street.

How do you join the Pharaohs Car Club of Springfield Missouri?

Joining the club is quite simple. Prospective members should contact Williams by email at [email protected] or phone at 417-655-7000. There is a one-time membership fee of $75. Even if a member moves and joins another chapter, this fee will cover the member.

Where to see the Pharaohs Car Club next

One of the car club's next public appearances is as the host club of the 41st annual NSRA Mid-America Street Rod Nationals from May 24-26 at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds.

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield Pharaohs Car Club aims to better community with philanthropy