ABOVE: Members of “Public Disturbance,” a new car club in Fairmont, after cleaning a highway/ditch in Fairmont this past summer. The club has been working on getting more involved in the community. Submitted photo.

FAIRMONT– You may have noticed vehicles around town with a window cling reading Public Disturbance. This is a newer car club that started in Fairmont around two years ago.

Tiffany and “Pops” Winters explained that the mother chapter is in Des Moines, Iowa, but that its president and co-founder, Justin Mulvihill, is actually from Fairmont.

“It was supposed to be friends hanging out. Justin has a print shop business, too, so he was publicizing it. The sticker came along and the group came along,” Pops explained.

When Mulvihill moved to De Moines, the club’s other founder, Mark Brackelsberg, stayed to lead the Fairmont chapter.

“He recruited some people and when we moved to Fairmont, we were sought after because of our van and Mark introduced himself to us,” Pop said.

However, being a member of the car club doesn’t call for a special vehicle.

“We kind of spice it up. Your car needs to look decent but we don’t criticize,” Pops said.

Tiffany said all of their members at least have an appreciation for and interest in vehicles.

She said another big reason the club was started was because there was a desire to engage with the community.

“We just started being more active in the community this year,” Tiffany said.

Public Disturbance Car Club is in the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Adopt a Highway program and this past year it did two ditch cleans, one in August and one in November.

“A lot of our members have younger kids and we’ve talked about doing a park clean,” Tiffany said.

Pops added that the club members would select a park to clean while their children could play on the equipment.

For the first time this year Public Disturbance was in the Interlaken Heritage Days parade in June and in the recent Fairmont Glows Parade. The club also did a trunk or treat in Downtown Fairmont on Halloween.

The two explained that a lot of their members have faced different life issues and some are in recovery but the group serves as a safe and welcoming place for them.

“We’ve given them hope. We’ve taken it beyond just a club; it’s a family thing,” Pops said.

One of the members, Jarrod Fisher, said, “Here at Public Disturbance we aren’t just a car club, we are about cars, family, community and everything else in between. Being in Public Disturbance has had a great, positive impact in my life and I hope we are all making a positive impact on others. The friendships we are building with each other is one of the best reasons to be a member with us. At the end of the day, it’s great to find a place you fit in and Public Disturbance is that place.”

Right now there are about two dozen members in Fairmont’s chapter and about 35 in the Des Moines chapter. In addition to attending car shows, the Fairmont chapter meets twice a month, typically at 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays at Gomsrud Park. They have a meeting for members and another meeting that’s more open where prospective members can come to learn about the group.

Once a prospective member goes through a probation period, they’ll be able to brand their vehicle with the club name and more features can be added down the line.

“There’s levels to it. That way we know people are really wanting to be with the group,” Pops said.

Now that winter is quickly approaching, Tiffany said they’re looking for some more projects to engage in, especially since the monthly meetings will be put on hold during the cold months. The club will also use the winter to plan new events for next spring and summer.