Parade marks Thelma Strother’s 107th birthday

Dozens of vintage and classic vehicles paraded down Hendrix Street on Saturday, Sept. 19, some drivers pausing in front of a white one-story house to leave balloons and greeting cards. 

Lexington-area car aficionados were back in the neighborhood to mark another birthday for lifelong resident Thelma Strother, this time her 107th. Despite the temperatures being in the 90s that early afternoon, Strother’s children, grandchildren, their offspring, other relatives and friends lined both sides of the street, waving at the motorcade and taking photos or videos.   

The annual event started in 2019, born of a conversation between Ann Lyons and Strother’s son Douglas Strother, both car lovers. 

Since then, about a week before Strother’s birthday on Sept. 21, Lyons said, Douglas Strother calls her to plan another drive-by. Her husband, Chuck Lyons, then helps spread the word to their informal group of vintage and classic car owners.  

“We think it's special when somebody lives to 100. We had no clue that Miss Thelma would be living at 107,” Lyons said. “Everybody's just thrilled to be able to participate in such a celebration.”

Thelma Strother joined the first motorcade, riding in a red Cadillac, Lyons said. In the succeeding years, as her mobility declined, she sat on her house porch as the vehicles passed by. 

This year, she watched from her bedroom window as a 1928 Model A Ford drove by. It was the oldest vehicle in the motorcade, but still a decade younger than she was.

Tiffany Tan has been a journalist in the U.S. and abroad for more than 20 years. Contact her on Facebook at Reporter Tiffany Tan or 839-223-4652 on mobile/Signal/WhatsApp.