Model T 'Henry' of Martindale turns 100

MARTINDALE — In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Martindale's Model T "Henry," residents celebrated on Main Street on Saturday, May 18, with several Model Ts on display.

"[Before the Model T,] there was no transportation," said Joe Pinnelli, one of the event organizers. "They were making cars, but they were not making a car for us. So, this car put America on wheels."

The Model T event was organized by Pinnelli and Carlton Carl, both appreciators of vintage cars. Pinnelli has "known" Henry all his life.

"Henry lived on a farm over near Bryan, Texas," Pinnelli said. "It was old and rusty, and a friend of mine bought it. I knew that truck 40 years ago, and then it disappeared from my life. It had worked hard all its life. It was beat up. And then I had it restored by a Model T mechanic in Bryan Texas, Ross Lilleker."

The car was kept in a barn for more than 30 years. Prior to this, it was an important part of the community and was used in many events, even striking an interest in the younger generations of the area.

"[But the kids] got bored with it," Pinnelli said. "You know, if you've got children and stuff that want the car for parades and parties, what happens when they all grow up?"

Henry was left in the barn until around 17 years ago, when it was restored — 90% of the car still consists of its original parts today.

"It's history: he was a farm truck and he rode hard. You could tell," Pinnelli said. "And then, they put [him] in a barn. That's what happened to a lot of them. Or there were so many of them, they put them in ravines to stop erosion, just piled them in and buried them up. But the first July 4 parade that truck made here was in 2007."

The car has since reclaimed its position as an important part of the community. It's used for many holiday celebrations, including a Fourth of July parade and a Christmas event.

"Henry is definitely a member of the community," Pinnelli said. "He's been here 17 years. Santa Claus sits on the back and we put about 20 strings of lights on it. And while he sits there, the little children come to sit on his lap. The first year we did it, we had 25 kids. The second we had 150 kids. This year we had the line way up."

Pinnelli, Carl and others who helped organize the event, or were in attendance, value Henry's impact on the community and hope that future generations of Martindale will gain as much appreciation as they have.

"Henry is living history," Pinnelli said. "And I share him with everybody. Some people say, 'don't touch my car,' well, I march children through with him, so they can honk the horn and sit by the wheel. Henry was made to share."

Accompanying the celebration of Henry's 100th birthday was the annual bicycle rodeo and safety lesson organized by Martindale City Council member Sonja Villalobos and Mayor Katherine Glaze. This event involved a bicycle obstacle course, a free helmet giveaway and a raffle for five bikes from various donors.

"[There are a lot of benefits] and I think kids need to be taught that bicycles are a vehicle and they need to know the rules of the road," Glaze said. "They need to know not to dart out to cars and not to make the wrong moves."

More than 50 Martindale children attended the bicycle rodeo and more than 40 free helmets were handed out, along with other bicycle-safety related materials, such as coloring books. Free hot dogs, lemonade and cookies were also supplied.

"It's just really important for them to learn how to be safe and to ride straight," Glaze said. "That's the hardest thing. With the obstacle course, it's teaching them how to handle their bicycle, so if they hit a rock or a pothole, they're not going to go down immediately."

Martindale plans to continue to have its annual bike safety session and Glaze is also considering having another safety lesson on car seats in the future. The town will continue to advocate for safety.

"I know how important bicycle safety is," Villalobos said. "Our mayor had experience with what happens from a fall from a bicycle. So that's why we have a passion for it."