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MAGNOLIA PARK, Burbank — When long, sleek limousines pull up in
front of the Autry Museum of Western Heritage on Friday night, they
are likely to be upstaged by a blast from the past.
John Burroughs High School seniors Amy Vest and Angela Avakian,
along with dates Jeremy Grabar and Vic Antonian, will be chauffeured
to their prom in a red open-air 1958 Van Pelt fire engine restored
by Burbank resident Brian Smith.
Vest, 18, said she and Grabar, a 1999 Burroughs grad, considered
renting a limousine, but discovered "it was way out-of-the-world
expensive."
Not only was it pricey, she said, it was the type of vehicle most of
her classmates were riding in. Vest wanted to arrive in something
different and unique, something that would totally turn her
classmates' heads.
"I was riding around with my mom on Mother's Day when she spotted
the fire engine and said, 'Why don't you see if you can go in
that?' " Vest said.
Smith, a 1973 Burroughs graduate, said he was happy to oblige.
"I love to have fun," he said. "Basically, I'm always up for a good
time."
Avakian liked the idea, too.
"My date didn't believe me at first, but when I told him it was the
truth, he was very happy and said he would love to go in a fire
engine," she said.
Vest said she and Avakian are wearing their hair up, and will tell
the beautician to use extra hair spray.
"They're going to be riding in the back by the water cannon," Smith
said. "It will be very much parade posture. They'll be able to wave
at everyone."
Even though the women do not anticipate any problems with their
hair, Smith said their coiffures are liable to look like rats' nests
when they arrive, but that's all part of the experience.
"When I get there," Smith said, "I'll sound the siren and lights.
You can't arrive without it. If you're going to be the center of
attention, you've got to make sure everybody's looking."
front of the Autry Museum of Western Heritage on Friday night, they
are likely to be upstaged by a blast from the past.
John Burroughs High School seniors Amy Vest and Angela Avakian,
along with dates Jeremy Grabar and Vic Antonian, will be chauffeured
to their prom in a red open-air 1958 Van Pelt fire engine restored
by Burbank resident Brian Smith.
Vest, 18, said she and Grabar, a 1999 Burroughs grad, considered
renting a limousine, but discovered "it was way out-of-the-world
expensive."
Not only was it pricey, she said, it was the type of vehicle most of
her classmates were riding in. Vest wanted to arrive in something
different and unique, something that would totally turn her
classmates' heads.
"I was riding around with my mom on Mother's Day when she spotted
the fire engine and said, 'Why don't you see if you can go in
that?' " Vest said.
Smith, a 1973 Burroughs graduate, said he was happy to oblige.
"I love to have fun," he said. "Basically, I'm always up for a good
time."
Avakian liked the idea, too.
"My date didn't believe me at first, but when I told him it was the
truth, he was very happy and said he would love to go in a fire
engine," she said.
Vest said she and Avakian are wearing their hair up, and will tell
the beautician to use extra hair spray.
"They're going to be riding in the back by the water cannon," Smith
said. "It will be very much parade posture. They'll be able to wave
at everyone."
Even though the women do not anticipate any problems with their
hair, Smith said their coiffures are liable to look like rats' nests
when they arrive, but that's all part of the experience.
"When I get there," Smith said, "I'll sound the siren and lights.
You can't arrive without it. If you're going to be the center of
attention, you've got to make sure everybody's looking."
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