Hot Rods Rumble into Occoquan Regional Park

This last Sunday I participated in the first car show held at one of our parks. This show was the "Good Ol Days" car show sponsored by the Prince William Cruisers, a local hot rod club.

It was a great show with 160 hot rods, classics and customs. There was fun for the whole family. You could see and overhear folks with a few gray hairs reminiscing about when these cars were king. I also saw children who had only seen such wild rides with chrome superchargers and side pipes on toys. They were amazed to see that these were real cars.

These classic cars as as much a part of our culture's history as anything else, and it is great to see so many of these cool rides restored to better than new condition.

With the Occoquan hot rod show and a function of the Delmarva Cougar Club this spring at Bull Run Regional Park, NVRPA is becoming known as a great place to have a classic car show!

Some may question the amount of fuel these beasts consume, but in reality almost none of these cars are driven much, they are more rolling pieces of history. One car owner at this event who was asked about the cost of gas replied they he drove his hot rod less than 1,000 miles a year, or about 3 tanks of gas. Restoring and showing these beauties is more about sharing stories, showing craftsmanship, building community and having fun, than it is about rolling a lot of miles on these cars. One of my hobbies is the ongoing restoration of my 1967 Mercury Cougar. Like most classic cars, I take my Cougar to local cruise nights and shows and really do not roll a lot of miles on it. It is interesting that this 40 year old vehicle get about the same mileage as lots of new cars and trucks sold today. That says something about how the average mileage of new vehicles really has not gone up much other the last few decades.

The Club's proceeds from this show were donated to the Wounded Warrior Fund to assist wounded veterans.