By the end of May and into June, your going to start seeing ads for area car shows. It seems to be an up and coming pastime and every year it involves more people and more cars and motorcycles.
You probably live near or in a community that will have a car show this summer or fall. Some of them are small and informal, while others become quite large and well organized.
Car shows, or “Show and Shine,” as some of the events are called, are happening all over the state, from Walhalla to Carson and from Medora to Wahpeton. There are also numerous car shows outside North Dakota, but within driving distance.
The season really kicks off with a bang when Devils Run takes place in Devils Lake at the end of May. It has been said that 1,000 vehicles enter that show. This year Mopars are being featured.
On July 31, Aug. 1-2, the Western Canadian Nationals Car Show will be held in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. This show, one of the largest in western Canada, with the exception of World of Wheels in Winnipeg, rotates venues. It could be anywhere from Vancouver to Winnipeg, so we are lucky to have it nearby.
Moose Jaw is close to many of us and is a good opportunity to meet new people and see some incredible vehicles. The only issue here in North Dakota is the Bottineau Car Show takes place that same weekend.
Last year was the first year I took a stab at showing my car. It’s a restored 1985, black, Pontiac Trans Am. I’ve had the car for 36 years, but only recently had it restored well enough to have it at a public showing. Last year I attended the Bottineau show and had a really great time. But this year, because Moose Jaw is only 217 miles from where I live, I’ve already registered my car for that show.
My hometown of Hazelton had its centennial in 2003 and it included a car show. It was June and I was stationed at Fort Riley, Kan. The local organizer really wanted my Trans Am in the show. I told him where I was and that getting a three-day pass would be like pulling teeth.
Guess what? I asked the major and he was on board. He told me that I couldn’t miss my hometown centennial. So, as I was driving a rented car home from Fort Riley, my wife drove the Trans Am to Hazelton. Unfortunately, there was a strong wind that day and as she was driving, the wind took the spoiler right off the back of the car somewhere between Washburn and Wilton.
When I got home and saw that, I told my wife there is no way we can have that car in the show. It looks horrible. But the organizer insisted I enter it. So I did, but before that happened, we went to the local hardware store and bought mass quantities of black electrical tape and wrapped it around what was left of the spoiler. It didn’t look so good and we sure weren’t going to win any awards, but that’s where I caught the car show bug.
But since that time, working full time and being in the National Guard prevented me from working on the car. So it sat idle for a number of years until last year.
The Trans Am, which a lot of people call the “KITT” car, was in six shows last year. And it seems I always have to explain to them that KITT was a 1982 model and mine is ’85, but they do look similar. It certainly is a way to start a conversation. KITT was the car featured in the early 1980s TV show “Knight Rider.”
Looking back at last year, we went to some dynamic shows and it’s a matter of opinion which one could be considered better than the others.
I would have to say the Medora Classic in June was incredible. We met people all the way from Topeka, Kan., to Carnduff, Saskatchewan. There was intermittent rain the entire day, but it still was an awful lot of fun and well attended.
In September, we were in Grand Forks for the Rydell Classic charity event. There were approximately 1,000 vehicles in that show with license plates in addition to North Dakota, from Iowa, Minnesota, Manitoba, Montana and Wisconsin. The difference in that show was the registration fee was for charity so it made it a bit more special.
I’ve heard a lot about the Carson show in August and over the 4th of July weekend, there is said to be quite a “show and shine” in Walhalla. Fargo has numerous shows, as does Bismarck. Kenmare, Mohall, Jamestown, Valley City, Rugby, Lisbon and Minot also have dynamic shows in their own right.
If you have a classic car, truck or motorcycle, it would behoove you to attend an area show. Car shows are more fun than a lot of parties, they’re more relaxing than playing golf and you get to meet a whole new society of like-minded individuals.
See you at Devils Run!
