'Beating' cancer together with car bash

Walter Sprague
Art and Culture Reporter
 
It has been a tough year for Deb Carr. She said that there were some doubts about doing the second annual Let’s Beat Cancer Together Car Bash during Madness on Main.
“Tim would have wanted me to press on,” she said. “In reality, he beat cancer. It died with him. His cancer can never harm anyone else.”
A year ago, during the first car bash, Tim Carr, Deb’s husband, had improved in his fight with cancer. But shortly after the event, the medications stopped working, Deb said. Tim passed away on Jan. 25. 
“We’re still fighting to beat cancer,” she said, “We will never stop until the dear Lord says the fight is done.”
As we were sitting in her store, WC Sports and Western Wear, and Deb was thinking back on the year, Tim appeared on her computer monitor. 
“Look at that,” she said, pointing to the smiling face. Tears welled up in her eyes, “That’s what he was like, always tried to look at the good side of everything.” 
The face was a happy cowboy. Anyone who knew him also knew the cowboy hat he was wearing. 
“He was cremated in that hat. He was a humble cowboy,” she said.
Deb recalled that he didn’t like anger, even in the face of the battle he was going through. She said that, in a way, beating up on the old cars was a way for people to extinguish the angry fire in people over cancer.
“Tim would have wanted a new fire in people,” she said, “A fire to beat cancer. It’s more of a resolve, not anger. That’s Tim’s job now as he is next to our Lord. He would have wanted me to keep on and not give up.” 
Beating up the car was one way to raise funds to help people who were fighting cancer.
During Madness on Main, as people participated in the different events up and down Main Street, you could hear this loud series of bangs. That was someone taking swings at the car with hammers, from little framing hammers to sledgehammers. By the end of the event, the vehicle was almost completely demolished. The hood was severely caved in; big holes had been pounded through the metal. Before it had been delivered to Main Street, as much of the glass as possible had been removed, as well as other parts, to make the car as safe as possible for people to beat on, Deb said.
She said they easily raised over $1,000 this year as people paid to take swings at the old car, but she didn’t have an exact figure by the time of this writing. She also got some donations from businesses in town. 
This year the car was painted by the Foote family. Deb laughed as she remembered last year’s painting. I also had to laugh. I had helped Tim and Deb paint that car, and it seemed like we were at it for hours. Deb said the Footes had the job done in just a couple of hours. She wanted to send out a special “Thank You” to them for their hard work.
She also wanted to thank everyone who paid to take swings at the car and the businesses who donated to the cause.
“It would be nice if every business did $100 next year,” she said. “God forbid if one of the owners got cancer and there were no funds to help with medication and such.” 
She asked me if I could imagine what it could be like for cancer patients with that kind of funding to help them out.
Last year’s donations went to pay for Tim’s anesthesia. This year the funds raised will be administered by Chapter 30 of the Order of Eastern Star of Newcastle, and the funds will be kept in Weston County.
“They will go help pay medical bills for cancer patients,” Deb said, “All they need to do is bring in a related bill and fill out a form the Eastern Stars have.”