25th Anniversary Of Shades Of The Past - Blast From The Past!

Do you remember the movie Back to the Future with Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as Dr. Emmett Brown? Doc Brown, Marty's friend, built a time machine out of a DeLorean, and Marty ended up being unwittingly transplanted back in time 30 years. Every time you go to a car show, a part of you is brought back to a bygone era, and you can envision the cars and people of that period if you shut your eyes and think long and hard.

The year 2007 marked the 25th anniversary of the Shades of the Past Rod Run, held at the Smoky River Ranch in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Everything was perfect for the show, and thankfully there wasn't any rain! This year's show featured 3,291 cars of many makes and models, and, for the 14th year, the club gave away two vehicles that any registered participant had a chance to win if registered before July 15. Keeping with the ongoing Deuce theme, a '32 roadster was coated with 25th Anniversary silver paint and red leather interior, while giveaway car number two was a black big-block 396 '68 Chevelle with a four-speed, sporting an enhanced interior.

This year saw an abundance of quality cars all vying for a pick to be in the winner's circle on Saturday. With the cutoff being 1972, attendees were greeted with a wide variety of rods and machines. The happenings for Friday were the Show 'n' Shine for the Top 25 judging and other specialty awards, along with the opportunity to float within the sea of vendors in search for that must-have part to finish a project. Of course, those who weren't into the whole car scene could make their way to the downtown parts of Pigeon Forge and go to the many shops lined up and down the six-lane road, or even drive on up into the Smoky Mountains.

The gates opened at 8 a.m. again on Saturday, and the Top 25 cars were displayed in the winner's circle, while specialty award-winners were displayed in their designated area. During the day, the Southeast Deuce Club was on hand to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Deuce and also pick out their winners for the day. The Shades of the Past club finished the show with an awards presentation, at which time the Best of Show in the Street Rod and Street Machine categories were announced. Dick Applegate took home the Street Rod of the Year award for his '41 Willys coupe, while Jack Jenkins captured the Street Machine of the Year honor for his '67 Chevelle.