Patrick Penley crouches next to the repaired clown car that he brought back to life, thanks to the help of a Lewiston Adult Education class.
LEWISTON — Small Engine & Power Equipment Repair students at Lewiston Adult Education bring in chain saws and snowblowers with seasonal regularity.
When the weather gets warm again, instructor Richard Hussey will see the return of lawnmowers. But this fall, he had a student bring in a repair job that would not fit in with the others, though it did have a small engine.
Patrick Penley is a member of the Kora Temple Shrine, a Kora Clown and the owner of a multicolored jalopy that had several owners before him. “My goal was to get that running,” he said. The clown car had a three-horsepower engine and, during the semester, the engine was removed and replaced by a power washer engine. Penley hopes to have the car off and running in a 2020 parade.
“We had to modify the engine. We had to modify the framework. We had to modify the drive system. And this was done primarily by the student. I just gave the guidance,” Hussey said.
In addition to the clown car, Penley worked on a leaf blower and chain saw in the class.
The Small Engine class is finishing up for the fall semester but is scheduled to return for winter-spring 2020. The class listing will appear in the combined Lewiston Adult Education-Auburn Adult & Community Education brochure, which is set to come out in early January.
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