Former President Jimmy Carter, 97, and first lady Rosalynn Carter, 95, made a surprise appearance at the 25th annual Peanut Festival in their hometown of Plains, Georgia this past weekend.
The couple, who are both in their late 90s, rarely make public appearances, so it was a shock to all in attendance when they rolled down the parade route.
The two were spotted riding in their red 1946 Ford Super Deluxe convertible, a 75th wedding anniversary gift from Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.
The shiny red convertible was built the year the pair was married and is similar to the car the two drove off in for their honeymoon.
“It was a surprise,” said Jill Stuckey, superintendent of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Site. “People were not planning on seeing them, because they don’t get out much. So everyone was delighted to see them and everyone had a blast.”
And as if the Carters’ ride wasn’t already special, a last minute addition made the car absolutely perfect.
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a member of the Carters’ Secret Service detail had been browsing eBay that week when they stumbled upon a license plate from 1976 that read “46 RAG.”
While they thought it would be perfect, they were unsure how to bid on the item so they reached out to Stuckey who was able to purchase it for about $56.
Since the license plate happened to be located in a town just two hours away, the Carters’ granddaughter drove the distance and retrieved it two days before the festival.
The “46” on the license plate represented the year the Carters married, and 1976, the year the license plate was from, was the year Jimmy Carter was elected.
“What are the odds that you can find something like this?” Stuckey marveled. “And the Carters absolutely loved it!”
It’s so good to see former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter out and about.
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