Cars. Love 'em (my little Suby), hate 'em (my little Suby, sometimes). Need 'em, but wish we didn't (at least so much). We're fascinated by the new ones, nostalgic about the old ones. We build strong brand loyalties to some (Toyotas for us), and cringe in disgust at the very sight of others (Hummers--ack!).
Today, it's about the nostalgia part. And another trip to the Fairgrounds.
The local vintage car club is called the Roamin' Angels. If you own an American-made automobile, year 1972 or older, you qualify for membership. Each year, they host a big show at this time to show off their treasures. And very like jewels, they are! The colors are spectacular!
We've never attended one of these, though many of the other events in the area also show off certain specimens--the street fairs, the air show. And we've always enjoyed car museums. But the sheer number (900 plus) and variety of automobiles made us forget all about our reservations as to whether or not it would be worth our time or the $5 tickets.
Right away, we were slack-jawed at the beauty of the paint jobs on these babies! Mind you, for the most part, we're not talking about "restored" vehicles, though there were many of those, but works of art on wheels, whose bodies were of a certain vintage, but embellished and polished far beyond the imaginations of the original owners.
Lots of Fords and Chevys, of course. Tom and I were talking memories of certain models that figured large in our respective childhoods. Fords from the early 50's (that's me in front of a car that was brand new the year I was born--fill in your own quips here) and Chevys from the late 50s and early 60s as my dad switched his brand loyalties mid-stream. Tom had far more depth of memory than I (being a guy--and far older, of course) and had stories not only about his own family (Buicks, Plymouths, among others) but about extended family and friends who drove Studebakers and Mercs and such. It seems we've forgotten quite a bit, as well, though (was it a '58 or '59?).
Our faves are still the grand touring cars of earlier in the century, though. '32 Packards, Ford Phaetons and their ilk. SO classy!
We saw Willyses, Hudsons, DeSotos, Kaisers and a yellow, 1970 Corvette that looked to me like it could have been designed and sold this year--I love the fact that good design is timeless! Woodies, hot rods and delivery vehicles. And, of course, an Edsel (um, how that "good design" concept works in reverse). All fun!
The Roamin' Angels are a visible presence in our area. They're always very busy raising money for scholarships and toys, and such. All the proceeds for this car show, for example, will be split between the many local charities they regularly support. I read yesterday that they started the vintage car club in 1962 and their primary activity was to cruise the country roads and highways for stranded motorists to offer help. Hence the name.
I think this event becomes one of our new annual amusements.
