Street Rod Car Show - Where The Surf Meets The Road

There's nothing like the adrenaline rush you get when you roll open the garage door and fire up your hot rod after a long, hard winter (at least on the East Coast). Sure, you most likely made use of the sacred downtime to update your ride, but now with the sun shining and temperatures on the rise there's nothing like checking all the vitals by making a blast to start the new season. A great way to start is driving to the event known as Cruisin' Ocean City. Now in its 17th year, it was only natural for the 2007 PPG / STREET RODDER Road Tour to carve out a path leading to the bitchin' little seaside community of Ocean City, Maryland. Added excitement was brought to this event because it was the second stop on the 10-event swing for the STREET RODDER Top 100 program presented by Turtle Wax. Go to www.streetrodderweb.com to see all of the finalists in the STREET RODDER Street Rod of the Year promotion sponsored by Turtle Wax. Remember, come October you can vote for your favorite to be crowned SRM Street Rod of the Year.

The town, along with its 8,000 year-round residents, opens up its amazing 10-mile main strip to 3,000 passionate car owners every May. These rodders come from all over the country to experience firsthand the intoxicating scent of Cam 2 as it hangs heavy in the air for a weekend horsepower festival that's not for the faint of heart. If you dig big-inch mills, hate sitting around in lawn chairs, and look forward to tanking up at least once a day, then this event is for you.

The cornerstone of the experience takes place at the absolute end of the strip at "the inlet," which serves as the epicenter of the main activities throughout the weekend-long festivities. Once at the inlet, your are immediately overwhelmed by the immaculately maintained beaches and wicked surf that makes you wish you had brought along your favorite long board for a blast on the curls. With parking for up to 1,500 cars guaranteed to fill up by 10 a.m., it's easy to see this place holds the key to loads of fun. Adjacent to the parking and vendor areas is an old-school amusement park bordered by a boardwalk chock-full of shops and eateries that seem to stretch for miles. The sounds of the arcades, sight of the turning Ferris wheel, screams from the haunted house, and the magical aroma of fried foods seem to transport you back to a time when you were wearing PF Flyers while knee-high to a '50 Merc bumper.

One of the neatest things about the weekend is that there are countless other things happening all along the strip that keep car owners constantly moving from the inlet to other points of interest. Take the Convention Center, for instance. Those in attendance had the chance to meet up with Dennis Gage from Speed TV's "My Classic Car," or spend time reliving the past with Ken Osmond, who played Eddie Haskell on TV's iconic "Leave it to Beaver." The key to Ocean City is pacing yourself, since you'll need plenty of energy once you leave the inlet for the bevy of mini events taking place all along the strip from the afternoon well into the evening. It gives you a chance to grab a bite to eat, top off the tank, and set a course to any number of cool stops-such as those at Hooters, Phillips Crab House, or Harley-Davidson of Ocean City, to name but a few.

Still want more? Saturday evening offered a chance to see The Temptations at the Convention Center, whose list of chart-topping hits made them a sure bet. There's nothing quite like hitting the boulevard 'til the wee hours of the morning with thousands of fans cheering you on from the sidelines, parking lots, and everywhere in between to let you know how glad they are to see you there. With the sounds of roaring V-8s and loads of excitement throughout the weekend, you'd swear you were lost in paradise. When Sunday hit, it was time for the legendary awards presentation at the inlet, where what seemed like a trailer-load of trophies were handed out to eager car owners. Once again, there were well over 100,000 visitors throughout the weekend, proving that this is one event that grabs your attention and won't let go. If you haven't experienced Ocean City before, mark your calendars for 2008 and be sure to hit the road for one of the hottest horsepower festivals in the East. You can check it all out at www.specialeventpro.com.