Tag Archives: car show

Cruising Frankenmuth

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A week ago today, I was winding down vacation and exploring Frankenmuth, Michigan. We went for Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland and for the Little Bavaria appeal of the town but were pleasantly surprised to find classic cars everywhere we looked.

That’s because the town was preparing for an enormous weekend long auto show set to start on Friday. Many car owners arrived on Thursday and spent the evening cruising the block.

Remember cruising?

That’s when carloads of (usually) teenagers went out driving along a popular route in town, often socializing with riders in other cars. If you’re not familiar, see the movie “American Graffiti.”

Most American towns have cracked down on this activity for the last several decades and you just don’t see it done much. However, Frankenmuth welcomed these drivers to cruise the block and even challenge each other at times.

The cops were miraculously absentee while we stood and watched all those beautiful old cars go by. By the way, those drivers were all ages – from teenagers to elderly – and all seemed to be having a blast.

They were expecting thousands of cars for the weekend and I hated to leave without seeing them all. I’m thinking it would be fun to go back next year and check out all the fun they have planned.

As much as I enjoy planning a trip, there’s something special about rolling into town and encountering the unexpected. This is one of the reasons we travel and one of the things that make adventuring amazing.

Out Of This World

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Did Ford call it the Galaxie because this car is out of this world? I don’t know but I sure do like this car.

Look how pretty she is!

Let’s hope we all look so good at the age of sixty!

A Car Show, Asteroid City And The Fourth Of July

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Last night I celebrated my independence with dinner, a movie and a stroll through a car show.

The car show was a precursor to the fireworks in Athens, Ohio and was in a parking lot shared by the movie theater. So I couldn’t resist a stroll through and the opportunity to chat with a few classic car owners.

Some were decked out with flags.

The owner of this 1963 Sting Ray has enjoyed a long relationship with Corvettes. He has owned several but says this will likely be his last.

I didn’t ask why because I was busy trying not to drool on his pretty car.

There were a few early Fords including this Model T.

The owner of this Chevy was busy polishing her up as I strolled past.

I pitied him a little because it clearly was going to rain. And rain it did. The sky turned dark as I skedaddled into the theater. It wasn’t raining yet but I badly wanted to avoid wet feet.

I was there to see the new Wes Anderson flick “Asteroid City.” His films are odd, filled with wry humor and thought provoking themes. There were eighteen people in the theater, a small but mighty tribe compared to the throngs that came out for the new Indiana Jones movie playing in the next theater.

Six of those attendees were young men who wandered in just as the movie was starting and sat in the row in front of me. The guy directly in front of me had an enormous head of frizzy hair so I got up and moved a row back.

Isn’t that just the way it goes? The place is nearly empty and the person right in front of you is nearly impossible to see around.

Even if you don’t get the humor or the search for meaning themes of this movie, it is a feast for the eyes. The set is quirky and colorful and a fun reimagining of 1955 America. It felt positively decadent to see a movie on a Monday night – a luxury afforded to me by having today off for the holiday.

I left the movie amused and with some things to think about as I fled town and the crowds gathering to see the fireworks. The rain had moved through and people were happily tailgating in store parking lots and alongside the road in anticipation of the annual patriotic display.

As for me, I was happy to come home to my quiet house and little house panther who was more than glad to see me and who didn’t care one bit why I was gone – only that I had come back.

Happy 4th of July, friends!

Friday Night Car Show

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Last night took me to Athens where I glimpsed a sign for a car show. So I swung in for a look even though the sky was threatening rain and there were just a few vehicles.

Here’s a basic rule of thumb: if people line up their classics for you to enjoy, stop and have a look around!

The suicide doors on this old Studebaker are sharp.

This 1965 Mustang drew a lot of looks.

Here’s an interior shot.

I think old trucks have character and always wonder what they might say if they could talk.

Car shows are ripe for people watching and a great way to photograph classic cars without seeming like a weirdo. It’s also free entertainment and a fun way to kill a little time.

Rearview

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I took a long stroll around Chillicothe’s Yoctangee Park one afternoon earlier this year. There had been a car show in town that day and there were a number of classics cruising through the downtown area.

Seeing them at a car show is terrific but spotting them out in the wind is amazing. So I was delighted see one pull up behind me at a traffic light. Just as I went to snap the picture in my review mirror — this happened!

Two classics of different eras in the rearview of my modern car! Perfect!

In Color

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If you popped in here yesterday, you saw a black and white photo of a classic Chevrolet. My pal Jerry asked what color this beautiful car is and when I told him that it is black, his response was that I “yank chains nicely.”

Here’s a color depiction of the car.

When I took the photo that you saw yesterday as she was rolling down the road, I had no idea that we would cross paths again when I stopped by Ye Olde Mill for a milkshake.

They were hosting a car show that day. Since the show was just getting set up, I didn’t linger but did have the opportunity to chat with this car’s owner – an elderly lady who said you can either own a classic or you can have money but you can’t have both.

Nice lady, beautiful ’57 Chevy (even though she pointed out some work that still needs done) and a wonderful bit of serendipity on my adventure day!