“Hoosiers” car and bus coming to Salem

To help celebrate the 68th season of high school basketball on the station, WSLM RADIO is bringing both the Hickory team bus and Gene Hackman’s ‘51 Chevy that were used in the 1986 film to Salem on Tuesday, Nov. 16 from 3 to 6 p.m.
The vehicles will be available for the public to see and get their photos taken with at the Salem Walmart.
WSLM’s owner, Rebecca White, is a board member of the Indiana Broadcasters Association and recently attended the group’s annual meeting in Carmel. “I met Darryll Baker, owner of the Hickory bus,” said White. “He is so proud of the restoration of his grandfather’s school bus and said they were going to be showing it off around Indiana. I immediately began planning an event in Salem so we could be among the first to host a visit.
Thanks to Walmart Store Manager Mike King and Walmart for helping to bring the vehicles down.”
The Hickory Husker bus famous for appearing in the movie, “Hoosiers,” has been beloved by many.
Baker is loaning the vehicle to WSLM for this event. His grandfather, Jack Baker, bought the bus from a junkyard near Crawfordsville in 1949, after it was retired from use in the Lebanon school system. The 1951 Chevrolet deluxe two-door car was used by the academy-award winning actor Gene Hackman in the movie, “Hoosiers.” The Chevy can be seen in the four-minute opening credits of the film.
Bob Brown owns the 1951 Chevy coupe driven by coach Dale in the film. Brown loved the movie so much, 20 years ago he tracked down the Chevy coupe driven by Hackman throughout the film.
Both Baker and Brown will be on hand to meet the public and talk about their vehicles.
“Everyone loves basketball in Indiana and watching the movie Hoosiers is an annual event as the season begins in the fall and ends with the state tournament in the spring,” said White.
“We’re beginning our 68th season of high school basketball on WSLM Radio,” said White, whose father, Don H. Martin started the station in 1953.
White said the event is free and open to the public and encourages all basketball fans to come and see this piece of movie and Hoosier history.