Posted: 6/18/03

When Elvis was king

Jessica Foster
Staff Writer

Before Mark Sandmon showed his dad a classified ad for a candy apple red 1957 Chevy, the Forest Lake man never really yearned to call such a classic cruiser his own.

ìThe truth of the matter is I never liked the í57 Chevy,î Rod Sandmon, Forest Lake, said.

But for whatever reason, he went and checked it out.

ìRed is my favorite color and the kid backed it out of the garage and I knew I was caught,î he said.

It was eight years ago when the Forest Lake man bought the car of his sonís dreams.

Of course, he did always love the 1950s, always loved the KingóElvis Presley.

And a car which garnered a trophy in the first car show Rod and his wife, Gwen Sandmon entered it inóis decked out in chrome, has a flashy new 1950s style interior, saddle shoes in the back window, dice hanging from the rear view mirror and not a divot or dent on the exterioróneeds a grand place to park.

Maybe that explains his garage, affectionately known as the í57 Diner.

The í57 Diner hardly is a typical garage.

It displays more than 2000 pieces of 1950s memorabilia collected by Rod and Gwen Sandmon over the years at garage sales and flea markets.

ìIím just a character,î Sandmon said. ìI just have to come up with the wildest ideas.î

Walking into the diner, it takes a while to soak things in:

The Elvis tunes permeating the space, the shiny floor which seems to scream ìdance on me,î the pistachio pudding-green circa 1950s jukebox, the malt machine, menus from truck stops, cafes and diners on Route 66, a certificate from Best Western when the Sandmons slept in the same bed the King slept in Clinton, OK, neon lights, a clock with the Kingís hips shaking to the time, saddle shoes, roller skates, Route 66 road signs and images of James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis himself.

In the corner, a stage with a live mike provides a venue for the 50s enthusiasts creative outlet.

ìI didnít have any í50s memorabilia until we bought the car. Then I thought, Elvis has got to be the theme,î he said.

While the í57 Chevy does get parked in the diner, it is more than an average garage.

ìMy wife and I come out here, put a pizza in and itís just complete relaxation,î Sandmon said.

Gwen, also, loves the 50s and from time to time can be seen sporting a poodle skirt and saddle shoes.

ìWe have done this together,î he said. ìThis is a project, a collection and an interest that from the beginning weíve done together.î

Last weekend, the couple celebrated the completion of the í57 Diner by inviting friends and neighbors over for some fun and fellowship.

ìThey canít believe it. Iíve just had so many people that want to see this,î Sandmon said of the garage. ìPeople are just astounded.î

He started working on the garage a year ago. Working in construction, he was able to do most of the work himself, with the help of his sons Mark and Travis. The exterior is painted red, white and blue and displays American flags.

Glass blocks glow and mirrors and a faux row of windows detail the side.

ìBecause I made it, I could custom make it as I go,î he said.

Sometimes, that meant ripping up something he had just done and redoing it because it didnít fit his vision of perfection.

Working a full time job, he saved his nights and Saturdays to work on his dream.

It is a dream which will be shared by family and friends.

ìOur typical deal is weíre here on Friday nights,î he said. ìAnybody can just stop over.î

The King and I

To bring the Elvis theme to car shows, an Elvis dummy sat in the Chevyís back seat.

ìI thought it would be neat to have an Elvis,î Sandmon explained. ìSo my sister made a body and I bought a cheap jumpsuit.î

Then Sandmon took on the persona of the king.

ìFrom there I got a custom jumpsuit,î he said.

Before all was said and done he shelled out $800 for the black and white jumpsuit with gold detailing and a flashy belt buckle and another $800 for Elvis-style spectacles.

It has become a regular thing to see Sandmon in the Forest Lake Fourth of July Parade. Heíll be doing it againóthis year for Five Star Financial of Columbus Township.

A musician by avocation, he sings Elvis songs (his favorite is ìAre You Lonesome Tonight?î) and country western (a little bit of Hank Williams).

Sandmon always told himself when he hit 60, he would start impersonating the King, voice and all.

With the big birthday right around the corner, the man of another decade has been practicing such songs as ìGood Luck Charm.î

As for the swinging hips, that will take some practice, he says.

ìIím not quite as loose, but Iíll get more comfortable,î he explained.

Inspired by what he saw in Las Vegas, Sandmon, an ordained minister, said he is willing to marry and remarry couples in the í57 Diner or the place of their choosing.

ìYou come to me or Iíll come to your chapel,î he said.

Route 66

The famous Route 66, which extends from Chicago to Santa Monica is a stretch of road immortalized by music, movies and memories.

Rod and Gwen drove the 2448 miles of the Mother Road last year, all the way in the í57 Chevy.

ìI got all the way to California before I had to add a quart of oil,î Sandmon boasted.

Having a classic cruiser, he said, shouldnít be all car shows and chamois polishing. Instead, it is about being in the driverís seat and feeling the road beneath the tires.

ìIt was just great fun on Route 66,î he said.

The Sandmonís traveled with another couple óalso in a classic caróthrough the diners, stopped at roadside gift shops and made friends with strangers, slept in old motels.

The pace, it was slow. While the journey from Illinois to California was 12 days, they were on the road and enjoying the scenery for more than three weeks.

Malt shop, too

This is not the first such building for the Sandmonís. When the couple lived in Lino Lakes, they had a malt shop. It wasnít a business, just a place for friends to stop by.

They would invite couples over from churchócouples who didnít usually socialize with one another.

The malt shop, it brought them together.

ìItís our own fun thing. Itís not a business, we entertain. We feel this was a part of our ministry. To this day, they just remember the night we had.î

Though he was but a young teenager when his Chevy rolled off the production floor, the 1950s is a decade Sandmon and his wife remember fondly.

ìThe 50s era was a peaceful, relaxed era, our thought is to give people the memories of happy times, to give people a smile on their face and a memory of the 50s era,î he said.

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