National Street Rod Association 2014 Nats North
Kalamazoo, MichiganFriday, September 12, 2014
The last big Midwest rod event was September 12 – 14. With a little iffy weather to start on Thursday & a bit of rain that night, it gradually got better. The turnout at the registration hotel was good, and the hotel is really getting perked up nicely. The 2 clubs working registration gratis, did a good job as always, processing the rush of early attendees. We always go for a nice dinner out & a tour of downtown, since our anniversary is the day before.
I hit the fairgrounds before 9 on Friday, with a friend, Bob, in his Falcon wagon, starting with one of the best & most interesting swap meets, in the Midwest. The social aspect has become very important to touch base with a lot of old friends and people you haven’t seen in a while. As it warmed up, it dried out, with a brisk breeze. The vendor displays were going full on and I had make a pass through to see what was new & on sale. Saturday started out a bit brisk, but evolved into a beautiful, bright blue, sunny fall day. The swap meet seems like it doubled in size, with a steady stream of people carrying out their finds. Every year there seems to be a few things that come out in quantity- never really seen before or since. This year was a year for outboard motors. There had to be at least a dozen vintage motors of all sizes & ages. It is always a good place to find collectibles, garage wall trophies, & unusual stuff. There was a ton of aluminum speed equipment, some interesting old race car stuff, and even race cars. It is easily a most entertaining way to spend a few hours touring the cars and vendors.
The MHRA Rod Repair shop did their usual good work help folks out. There was one beautiful ’57 Chevy that had a caliper lock up on I-94 between Battle Creek and Kalamazoo. The car tried to make a hard right at 70 MPH. Fortunately, the driver did a great save and brought it to a safe stop. A state policeman, some friends, and a rollback brought it in for a fix.
Of course you can’t begin to look at every car, so there is a lot walking to get through as many of the cars as possible. There is always something that will blow your mind or really impress you without looking too hard. The creativity, workmanship, and volume of great stuff never get old! On Saturday night, the two adjacent hotels behind the Arbys on Cork Street get a lot of cruising & hanging out. Up until a few years ago, a lot of guys would do burnouts up the common road. The police keep the lid on it now, so it isn’t quite as wild and fun, but still gets a good turnout. This is nothing like the hotel cruising back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, but is still fun to wander, talk to people, and see some neat local cars.
The fun ends all too soon, and it wraps up for another year, some serious winter project work, and maybe an early start on the season next year. This a great show, Kalamazoo is a good town, with a lot of nice restaurants and people, so try & make it sometime!
John Sanderson
[email protected]
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