2nd annual Damian Bearley car show will remember Franklin Regional grad

On Saturday, auto enthusiasts will gather starting about 5:30 p.m. at the new Busy Beaver near Delmont for the second annual car show to remember late Franklin Regional graduate Damian Bearley.

Bearley was 18 when he died in an early morning crash July 10, 2021, after his car hit a deer in Derry Township.

Jackie Bearley said her son was a “huge car enthusiast” and loved going to cruises, shows and meets. The car involved in the crash was his third vehicle.

Dakota Coleman, one of Damian’s friends, decided to organize the first car show and make it an annual event because he didn’t want Damian’s name to be forgotten.

“As soon as he passed away, I knew I had to do something to honor him, something he’d enjoy,” said Coleman, 21, of Latrobe. “My daughter will be born next week. I want her to know who her uncle was.”

Though they’re not actually related, Coleman said he graduated from Derry Area High School in 2019 and met Damian through one of his best friends. He said the pair had been friends for about three or four years before the crash.

“He’s like a little brother,” Coleman said. “The day I bought my dream car, he came to my work.”

Coleman said he and Damian would “meet up together and cruise up (Route) 22.” They especially enjoyed car meets on Mt. Washington and in the Pittsburgh area, he said.

Damian was known for driving his white Infiniti Q50 around Murrysville, one of his sisters, Brianna Bearley, said last year, and most people knew him by the car or by his “contagious smile and laugh.”

Planning for this year’s car show in Damian’s memory was somewhat “last minute,” Coleman said, but he was thankful Busy Beaver authorized the use of its lot for Saturday.

Karen Mayer, digital media coordinator at Busy Beaver, said the car show is an event that “fits right in with our values and giving back to the community.

“We’ve got a really nice parking lot here (and) knew it would be perfect … for the event,” said Mayer of Murrysville. “It’s our first car show, which we’re excited about, but not our first event here in the parking lot.”

Busy Beaver opened the store along Route 22 in April, and Mayer, who also is involved with event planning, said management is open to working with various organizations in the community.

“We are just really big with working with the communities that our stores are in,” Mayer said.

Coleman said he’s hoping for about 100 car owners to bring their vehicles and looking forward to seeing people he hasn’t met with in a while.

“Usually we just park, take some pictures and hang out,” Coleman said. “Everyone comes around and looks at the cars, talks, reminisces on memories about him.

“I just didn’t have enough time to do car stuff with him.”