Feel Good Friday – Meet a Movie Star! by @Lisa J.
Feel Good Friday this week is one that will make you smile and maybe even say “oohhh”. Not every Hometown race has a celebrity appearance, especially one with a such a background story, but you’re not gonna want to miss this one. No, I’m sorry, it’s not Johnny Depp! However, it also made an appearance in the John Dillinger movie, “Public Enemies”! While the 1929 Model A Ford may not have the quirky personality as Depp, it sure is a beauty with quite the history.
On Sunday June 30th, Tim Dionne will be rolling into the Public Enemy 5K with one of his pride and joys as Hometown’s featured celebrity. We asked Tim for a little back story and fun facts about his celebrity car, and we truly hope you have the opportunity to scope it out, and maybe ask him some questions yourself. You never know, the answers may give you some insight into history and how our small City of Crown Point plays such a fascinating role in it.
What we learned in our conversation with Tim is that he has owned his 1929 Model A Ford for 46 years and restored 
it himself. Over these years he has had wonderful opportunities to be in movies with not just this car, but also his 1940 Packard. Some of those movies include “Road to Perdition” with Tom Hanks, Paul Newman and Jude Law, where he and his wife, Carol, were invited to the premier at the Chicago Theatre, and of course, “Public Enemies”, where he spent about 3-1/2 months on and off the set.
We asked Tim how he felt about John Dillinger and if he believed that being fascinated with him glorified a criminal. Tim’s response was on point and I completely agree. “I have always been curious about the gangster era and kind of a history buff on that subject. John Dillinger is a piece of history that happened in our area. I do not feel he should be glorified in any way, but to ignore his story is to ignore history.”
We are excited to have Tim and his incredible piece of history with us at this Sunday’s Public Enemy 5K! Thank you, Tim, for taking the time to teach us a little about the past and our hometown. Don’t forget to stop by and check out the 1929 Model A Ford that has shared the screen with the likes of Tom Hanks and Johnny Depp.
If you haven’t signed up yet, there is still time!! Hope to see you there!!