Retirement Inn car show highlighted by surprise Father's Day gift

The best kept secret in La Conner, eight months in the making, was fueled by an appreciation for vintage cars.

Jason Coughlin waved the checkered flag on a deeply personal covert mission with a classic Father's Day weekend surprise gift at Friday's annual La Conner Retirement Inn Invitational Car Show on N. First Street.

From his childhood, Coughlin knew that his dad, Jim Coughlin, had always wanted a restored Chevrolet Chevelle. The younger Coughlin made that dream come true in dramatic fashion.

The Coughlins toured the car show, hosted by their longtime friend, Shelter Bay resident Bob Ferari.

Jim Coughlin had worked 20 years with Ferari, whose sleek black '57 Chevy was part of the show's lineup.

"I told him that Bob had invited him to the show," Jason Coughlin told the Weekly News. "So, there was no way my dad wasn't going to be there."

Unbeknownst to Jim Coughlin, his son had put the wheels in motion on the stealthy scheme last October when he bought and kept hidden a stylish green 1969 Chevelle Malibu.

Jason Coughlin and Ferari arranged to place the mint condition muscle car in the show's judging line, just steps from where the La Conner-based Esquires were playing golden oldies dance music.

Jim Coughlin was stunned when he saw that the placard on the Chevelle's windshield bore his name as its owner.

"He looked at it," Jason Coughlin said, "and asked: 'Why does it have my name on it?'"

Jason Coughlin answered by handing his dad the keys.

That's when the elder Coughlin, who was an editorial assistant at the Boston Globe when Chevelles rolled off assembly lines, knew he was the proud owner of his dream car.

"I've died and gone to heaven," an emotional Coughlin exclaimed as he slid into the driver's seat. "I'm just flabbergasted."

He fired up the engine, a prelude to driving it home to Gold Bar, about 70 miles southeast of La Conner.

The younger Coughlin said he saw the Chevelle advertised for sale last year on social media. The car was clearly in great shape.

"The guy who owned it had it for about 25 years," he recalled.

Coughlin knew immediately it was the perfect car for his dad. He and Ferari put together a plan for including the Chevelle in last week's show, setting up the surprise.

"If it wasn't for Bob," Jason Coughlin said afterward, "this wouldn't have happened."

The day's other major surprise was which car would be judged the top entry. That honor went to the gleaming red 1940 Ford Deluxe owned by La Conner planning commissioner and former town council member John Leaver.

Leaver said he bought the car while living in New York City in the early 1980s. He brought it with him to the West Coast, settling here just over a decade ago.

Asked how much time he spent on the car's maintenance, the avid bicyclist responded with his trademark deadpan humor.

"Too much," he quipped.

The Esquires offered entertainment throughout, with Retirement Inn residents and staff joining 8-year-old Annabelle Howell in dancing to the 1958 hit "Rockin' Robin" near the end of the 3-hour event.

The Inn staff served a noontime barbecue lunch, sending a plate with popular UPS driver Hector Soltero, known to many as the "unofficial mayor of La Conner," after he stopped to make a delivery.

The day's events celebrate Father's Day annually, said Retirement Inn Life Enrichment Director Allie Kester.

"It's a way," she said, "for us to honor all the dads."

None, of course, felt quite so honored this time around as Jim Coughlin.