ABOUT US

Our Story

Seven Mile Ridez was founded in May of 2011 after discussions of a car show in Prague were had between co-founders; Brandon Ostry, Tyler Wesely, and Gideon Gillispie.  From there the group quickly grew to 8 original members and in 3 short months the 1st Annual Mitchell Ostry Memorial Show N Shine was held the following August of 2011.  The show was named in honor of Brandon’s brother, Mitchell, who was a local advocate of enjoying custom and classic automobiles.  He passed away his senior year of high school with intention of attending Wyotech, a nationally known college that specializes in custom automotive restoration.

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The 1st show n shine was a success with 110 entries and has increased each year from then on.  The following year in 2012, the club continued to expand in membership and ideas started to fall into place for additional events for SMR to host.  Following the shared passion for giving back to local causes, the members decided to pursue a Non-Profit orientation and in January of 2013 the club earned an official Nebraska Non-Profit Corporation status.

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The growth of the organization continued in 2013 when the club partnered with another local Non-Profit, Pink Bandana, to host a street dance in July with proceeds going to help local resident, Mary Sousek and her fight against breast cancer.  Mary is also the mother of member Chase Sousek. Together the two groups were able to raise $10,000 for Mary, which was presented at our 3rd Annual Mitchell Ostry Memorial Show N Shine the following August.  For the 2013 show n shine, Seven Mile Ridez partnered with yet another Prague based organization known as P.I.M.P. (Prague Improvement and Management Project) to become the feature event the annual Beer Barrel Days celebration held in Prague.  Also for 2013, SMR brought the Mitchell Ostry Memorial Scholarship back to help high school graduates pursue a career in the automotive industry.  All proceeds from the show have gone to the fund since.

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Now with the scholarship fund officially established, SMR was proud to award the first recipient, Craig Maslonka of Cedar Bluffs High School, with the $500 scholarship in May of 2014.

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With a successful turn-out the year prior, SMR decided to once again bring the band Cactus Hill to town for another street dance, this time known as the Bohemian Beach Party.  This event brought in a fresh and fun atmosphere on main street, which was fully equipped with sand, tiki bar, tiki torches, party games, and more, with attendees dressing in beach attire.  The party kicked off the weekend for many being held the night before Pink Bandana’s annual Beat Breast Cancer Mud Volleyball Tournament.  The event continues to be the go-to place for tournament participants and locals every year.

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In late 2014, the board unanimously decided to present local resident, Diane Prochaska with $1,000 to help towards medical expenses in her fight against cancer.  A loving wife and mother of two, Diane and her entire family are all heavily involved within the community and all hold a high level of support behind them.

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In May 2015, the club was able to award Tyler Vukonich of Mead High School with the 2015 Mitchell Ostry Memorial Scholarship due to proceeds from the 4th annual show n shine.  Tyler put his scholarship to use at Southeast Community College in Milford, Ne. towards his degree in Automotive Technology.

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The summer of 2015 was a difficult one for the members of SMR and the local residents, as we said good bye to one of our own, Jacob Smaus.  One of our original 8 members, Jake held our position of Treasurer and was a great contributor to the organization and the entire community.  Jake passed away in July of 2015 due to an unfortunate accident.  Jake was one of the of the kindest, hardest working, and compassionate individuals that we are proud to have known, as he constantly showed acts of selflessness throughout his short life.

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With the passing of our dear friend on the club’s heals, SMR proudly remembered Jake by holding the 5th annual show n shine in his honor.