This is the official group...
This is the official group portrait of the AMSOIL '09 Road Tour. By mid-week on all of the tours everyone has become friends. As it has been said before, friendships that have been forged by a week on a Road Tour last a lifetime.
Friday morning the tour participants were special guests at the annual VIP brunch. Grand Marshal, automotive journalist, and contributor to Street Rodder Ken Gross was introduced and gave a great talk about the street rod hobby. Also in attendance was John Schneider of Dukes of Hazzard fame, Linda Vaughn, and Ed Reavie, who has been responsible for the success of the St. Ignace show for 34 years.
Great food and the chance to meet and greet some of these celebrities was a fun way to kick off Friday in St. Ignace. Cars gathered again on Friday evening for the Memory Lane Cruise down Main Street, which included floats and dignitaries from surrounding areas-plus even more cars showed up as people arrived for the Saturday show. Color commentary for the parade was provided by Top Hat John from Detroit, and I even took a turn at the microphone during the parade.
Saturday is the big day in St. Ignace. The entire length of Main Street was blocked off and cars began to line up very early in the morning. There is no admission charge for spectators, and the street was packed all day long. The weather was absolutely perfect, and it was a great day at the St. Ignace Car Show. Awards were presented at 4 p.m., and the weekend's activities wrapped up.
The St. Ignace Show was very enjoyable for all of us on the AMSOIL Road Tour. It is a laid back, mellow show that is fun for spectators and participants alike. Many thanks to Ed Reavie, the Nostalgia Productions staff, and the entire team who helped make the St. Ignace Car Show a success and made us feel so welcome.
Everyone on the AMSOIL Tour from the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion to the St. Ignace Car Show had a great time. The weather cooperated and the stops were all interesting and fun. With five more tours ahead we have plenty of miles to go before we end the summer in California.
Wednesday we continued our...
Wednesday we continued our journey across the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Route 2 is a very pretty road that follows the coastline of Lake Michigan.
Canadian rodder Fred Drew...
Canadian rodder Fred Drew has been on a number of past tours with his Model A roadster. Fred pulls a vintage teardrop trailer and makes good use of it camping during the week. We were in the middle of the Mackinac Bridge when this picture was taken.
The AMSOIL tour participants...
The AMSOIL tour participants were special guests at the VIP luncheon held on Friday morning. Grand Marshal Ken Gross was presented a plaque by event promoter and Nostalgia Productions President Ed Reavie. Seated at the head table to the left was John Schneider from the Dukes of Hazzard TV show and Linda Vaughn.
We spent Wednesday evening...
We spent Wednesday evening in Charlevoix, Michigan, on the banks of Lake Michigan. We were greeted at Rod Tops and Time Machines Unlimited in nearby Ellsworth by company President Dave Draper and crew.
On Thursday morning we visited...
On Thursday morning we visited the home of Great Lakes Motor Works and Classic Instruments. Mike Stowe, owner of Great Lakes, and John McLeod, owner of Classic Instruments, greeted us and gave us the VIP tour of both facilities.
One of the highlights of the...
One of the highlights of the weekend in St. Ignace was the Down Memory Lane Parade that took place on Friday evening before the big Saturday show.
After our Wednesday evening...
After our Wednesday evening tour of Time Machines Unlimited and Rod Tops we enjoyed a meal at their facilities. They are the official top and interior supplier for the soon-to-be-announced 2010 Road Tour roadster.
On display in the Great Lakes...
On display in the Great Lakes Motor Works showroom was Mike Stowe's late father Percy Stowe's '36 roadster. Built by Percy in the early '60s, it was a Detroit Autorama show winner in the early days and was tracked down and acquired by Mike in 1990.
Saturday was the big day at...
Saturday was the big day at St. Ignace almost 1,000 vehicles lined the town's main street, creating a car show. Spectators for the event were estimated at almost 25,000.