Finger pushing
weather icon 87°F


‘Trailer Swift’ van raises spirits — and voter awareness

Denver resident Mary-Katherine Fleming tricked out the 2020 Chevy Express 3500 with Taylor Swift theme.

Denver resident Mary-Katherine Fleming’s husband bought her an ugly white van.

A recent job promotion would soon put Alex Fleming on the road and away from home, and that threw a wrench into the Denver couple’s well-oiled carpool plan, upon which about a dozen kids — including four of their own — depend.

By trading his wife’s minivan for an industrial, nondescript 2020 Chevy Express 3500 “airport” van with a 6.1L V8 engine, Alex felt he had solved the problem, enabling his bride to cover both carpool shifts with a single vehicle.

Mary-Katherine was not amused.

“The kids were screaming,” she said. “They refused to ride in it.”

The neighbors looked on with curiosity and caution, and the van even caught the eye of a passing local police cruiser.

Determined to make the new ride work, Fleming knew it would need a significant makeover.

She called a local car wrap vendor.

“And, and I tell him like, ‘I’ve got this huge airport van, and it’s a cop magnet. I can’t have this,’” Fleming said. “How soon can you get me in to make it look like my kids covered the car in Taylor Swift stickers?’”

By the next day, Trailer Swift, the van, was born.

Call it Mary-Katherine’s version.

Other possible names for the van included Trolley Parton and Bruno Mars Rover.

Custom color lights make the van’s interior more inviting for children at night, and over the next five months, Fleming would bejewel the dash, doors, bumpers and rims with a seemingly endless supply of glitter, glue and crystals.

Later additions would include custom seat covers, a disco ball, a custom Taylor Swift horn, a flat-panel TV, and an Xbox gaming station.

Fleming said getting the kids in the van now is no problem, and the transformation has been “magical.”

“Her (Swift’s) people made the right woman famous,” opined Fleming, who was first introduced to the megastar’s music through a producer friend who gave her an early debut CD. “She just attracts the best fans and the coolest people. Everywhere I go, people are so nice, and they come up to me with tears in their eyes like, ‘Oh my God, This is so amazing!’”

The van even has its own Instagram account: @the.trailer.swift

Along with transporting a dozen kids to and from school, Trailer Swift also serves as Fleming’s platform for voter engagement and often deploys its magic when canvassing neighborhoods.

Fleming said as Election Day draws near, she and Trailer Swift will be on the road wherever she is needed, canvassing, carrying ballots for those unable to make it to the drop-off box or otherwise.

“It’s all gas and no brakes,” she said. “All the way to the finish line.”

Editor’s note: Several readers asked whether dropping off signed ballots sealed in the envelop for someone else is legal. A spokesperson from the Denver Clerk & Recorder said it’s perfectly legal to drop off up to 10 such ballots, but no more than that in a 24-hour period. Many people do that for family members, or neighbors.

Mary-Katherine Fleming of Denver and her daughter, Shiloh, 9, stand in front of, 'Trailer Swift,' the family's van affectionately named after the pop star on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024 in front of their Denver-area home. Before committing to the Taylor Swift theme, Mary-Katherine also floated Trolley Parton and Bruno Mars Rover as potential motifs. (TomHellauerMultimedia Producertom.hellauer@denvergazette.comhttps://denvergazette.com/content/tncms/avatars/f/9e/622/f9e6228a-3b6b-11ed-bf10-fbb71fa8e421.f54b911252c540f1d61709edc4727a39.png)
Mary-Katherine Fleming of Denver and her daughter, Shiloh, 9, stand in front of, ‘Trailer Swift,’ the family’s van affectionately named after the pop star on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024 in front of their Denver-area home. Before committing to the Taylor Swift theme, Mary-Katherine also floated Trolley Parton and Bruno Mars Rover as potential motifs. (TomHellauerMultimedia [email protected]://denvergazette.com/content/tncms/avatars/f/9e/622/f9e6228a-3b6b-11ed-bf10-fbb71fa8e421.f54b911252c540f1d61709edc4727a39.png)
Denver resident Mary-Katherine Fleming tricked out a 2020 Chevy Express 3500 van into the
Denver resident Mary-Katherine Fleming tricked out a 2020 Chevy Express 3500 van into the “Trailer Swift” van. She uses it for carpooling the children to and from school, as well at voter education events (as pictured above). (Courtesy photo, Mary-Katherine Fleming)
Shiloh, left, RJ, back center, and Violet Fleming go for a ride in
Shiloh, left, RJ, back center, and Violet Fleming go for a ride in “Trailer Swift,” the family’s Taylor Swift inspired van, around their Denver-area neighborhood on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (TomHellauerMultimedia [email protected]://denvergazette.com/content/tncms/avatars/f/9e/622/f9e6228a-3b6b-11ed-bf10-fbb71fa8e421.f54b911252c540f1d61709edc4727a39.png)
Mary-Katherine Fleming of Denver renovated the family van into
Mary-Katherine Fleming of Denver renovated the family van into “Trailer Swift,” a 2020 Chevy Express affectionately named after the pop star as seen on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024 in Denver, Colo. The Fleming family voted between Trailer Swift, Trolley Parton and the Bruno Mars Rover before settling on the name. (TomHellauerMultimedia [email protected]://denvergazette.com/content/tncms/avatars/f/9e/622/f9e6228a-3b6b-11ed-bf10-fbb71fa8e421.f54b911252c540f1d61709edc4727a39.png)
Mary-Katherine Fleming of Denver drives her kids around in
Mary-Katherine Fleming of Denver drives her kids around in “Trailer Swift,” the family’s Taylor Swift-inspired van that is highly popular around the kids’ school friends and carpool route, on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024 in Denver, Colo. (TomHellauerMultimedia [email protected]://denvergazette.com/content/tncms/avatars/f/9e/622/f9e6228a-3b6b-11ed-bf10-fbb71fa8e421.f54b911252c540f1d61709edc4727a39.png)


Welcome Back.

Streak: 9 days i

Stories you've missed since your last login:

Stories you've saved for later:

Recommended stories based on your interests:

Edit my interests