Old Friends, Older Trucks

When a truck-loving family travels, everyone gets excited about the new adventure, no matter how long they'll be away from home. During the summer, everyone packs shorts, swim trunks, and sunglasses. Oh, don't forget your camera! You'll want to share your cruisin' vacation trip with friends and family back home. Because our summers are spent attending various car shows, we drive to enjoy the highway scenery and the quality family time.

One of our favorite events (we go every year) is the Shades of the Past car club's annual show in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. This year made our 13th consecutive trip to the hills and hollers, and we've enjoyed 'em all. Every year we meet with old friends and add new ones. Through the years we've talked to many vehicle owners who also enjoy driving to Tennessee. These owners arrive from such places as Virginia, West Virginia, the Carolinas, Maryland, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio. You can see it's mainly Southeast vehicles.

Pigeon Forge is a fun place to visit. The sights are plentiful for kids of all ages. There's shopping galore, arcades, go-cart racing, miniature golf, and unique and entertaining sightseeing activities. Throw in the Shades of the Past car show and you have a completely different atmosphere in the town for the entire weekend.

This year made the 22nd consecutive year of the event. Each year, fresh rides are debuted in hopes of winning a prestigious Top 25 Pick. This past year, the club upped the cutoff date to '64. It appears this was a popular decision. There was plenty to see, from early-'30s rods to the mid-'60s street machines. Again, this year the show was held at the Smokey View Ranch, a short distance west of the main drag in Pigeon Forge.

The weather also cooperated throughout the days and very pleasant evenings-the perfect time for cruising the six-lane boulevard. We were so pleased about the weather since the state of Florida was hit hard with seasonal hurricanes and we were sure Tennessee would see the tail end of these storms.

Enjoying the great weather, we decided to cruise the boulevard with club member Bobby Alloway and friends. We were able to capture some interesting driving shots of cars and trucks cruising through town from the back of Bobby's Crew Cab Chevy truck.

As always, this is two-day show that begins on Friday and ends on Saturday, leaving Sunday for the trip home. Friday starts with the Top 25 Pick & Celebrity Pick recipients. Saturday is reserved for the Southeast Deuce Gathering. All of the picks are displayed on Saturday in a roped-off area for everyone to inspect. People were also able to enjoy the opportunity to talk with the owners and builders. This year (as in the past) judges selected from the Top 25 Pick, a Best of Show Street Rod and Street Machine. The Best of Show Street Rod was awarded to Caryn Burch of Parker, Texas, for her beautiful '37 Ford coupe. Best of Show Street Machine honors went to Jim and Sandy Boruff of Maryville, Tennessee, for their creative '53 Ford F-100 pickup. We made an honorary Celebrity Pick for CCT that went to Michael Nabers from Asheboro, North Carolina, in his cover-gracing '57 Chevy pickup (CCT Aug. '04).

Plenty of commercial vendors were on hand, as well as a sizeable swap meet for great deals on parts and even a complete car if you needed one. For those who enjoy participating or simply attending a premier automotive event, the Shades of the Past car and truck show is exactly that, and more. We hope you mark your 2005 calendar for the weekend after Labor Day for the Shades of the Past Rod Run XXIII. We hope to see you there.