Robert Allison and his family share a lot of memories of Allison’s award-winning 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda.

Allison took the day off from his job at Topre to enter the car in a car and motorcycle show at Heritage Park Saturday, where thousands gathered for the 15th annual Day in the Park celebration. He acquired the vehicle in 1981, when it was worth about $1,000. Now, the orange and black ‘Cuda is insured for $70,000, Allison said.

“We rebuilt it from the ground up,” he said. “We enjoy it, drive it to car shows, and it’s been in the World of Wheels in Birmingham.”

On display with the car, was a collection of framed photographs arranged in chronological order from the early 1980s, when Allison first began working on the vehicle, to a photo showing the car’s current condition. Allison pointed to the first photo, in which he stood beside the car which didn’t have an engine or much of anything else at that at time.

“That’s the way it came home,” Allison said. “No engine, no rear end, no transmission, just a car. But I knew how rare it was.”

The car in the first photo might not have looked like much to some, but the ‘Cuda was part of the Don Gurney All American Racers, and was one of only about 2,700 of its kind built, Allison said. By the time Allison obtained what was left of the car, the vehicle had been “retired,” and no one else wanted it, Allison said.

But after more than 25 years of rebuilding, and perfecting the race car, it has been restored to its original condition. In 2004, the car took Best in Show at the Heritage Park show.

Robert Allison’s son, Daniel will inherit the ‘Cuda, while his daughter, Pam, a Cullman High School senior, occasionally drives his 1971 Plymouth Road Runner to school.

“She thinks she’s pretty cool driving that car,” he said.

This year’s Day in the Park festivities also included retail, yard sale, civic and arts and crafts vendors, and musical entertainment. The Alabama Blues Brothers were set to perform at 7:30 p.m., followed by a 25-minute fireworks show at 9 p.m. Nicole Ells, special events coordinator for Cullman Parks and Recreation and organizer of Day in the Park events, said 10,000-15,000 people usually attend the celebration.

Kathy Rickert and Patty Duke, both of Cullman, said they enjoyed browsing vendor booths and the car and motorcycle show.

“It brings back a lot of old memories,” Duke said of the car show.

Cullman resident Lynn Wilson said she and her children enjoyed the event.

“The kids liked the inflatables,” she said. “It’s just a good family outing.”

Day in the Park began 15 years ago as an event to showcase Heritage Park, which had been constructed recently. The presenting sponsor for the event was Cullman Coca-Cola. Wal-Mart Distribution Center of Cullman sponsored the kids’ zone.