Classic cars cruise into Polson
A dog watches the crowd from the comfort of the driver’s seat of an old International pick-up at the car show.
The rounded lines prevalent in cars from the late-40’s and early 50’s gave a feel of comfort and relaxation--just the type of car to cruise to the lake on a weekend or to take to the drive-in theater to enjoy a movie under the stars.
If you were out cruising on Hwy 93 or Hwy 35 this weekend, you may very well have been treated to seeing one or more beautifully refurbished vehicles from decades past rolling down the road. If you were on Polson’s main street on Saturday, you definitely had the opportunity to see those automobiles gracing the parking spaces up and down the street.
Ninety-seven cars and trucks were registered entrants in this year’s ‘Cruisin by the Bay’ event with vehicles coming from as far away as Mississippi in the U.S. and also from Canada. Paint and wax, chrome, and glass reflected the bright rays from the sun causing the cars to shine brightly. While most vehicles were restored to look new, a few still dawned original paint and interiors. The oldest vehicle on display was a 1923 Ford Model TT truck with part of the body and the tire spokes made of wood.
The fifties and sixties were the favorite decades for the classic vehicles at the show. The Mustangs and other Fords, Chevys, and Volkswagons surely brought back memories to the many fans in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s and all of the cars and trucks brought out the history geeks in the spectators of all ages as they conjured images of the way of life during the eras of the vehicles. One display that brought those thoughts to the forefront was a truck-camper combo outfitted for a fishing trip complete with canoe and a period fishing rod. The truck was a 1948 Dodge Power Wagon and the camper a 1957 Corvette camper.
Only the registered participants in the show could vote for their favorite vehicles and this year’s ‘Best of Show’ winner, was a red and black ’55 Chevy Del Rey owned by a car lover from Anaconda. The car will be featured in the promotions for next year’s event. The other ‘Top Ten’ bragging rights winners were: Brian Frasel 69 Chevy C10-Missoula, Cynthia Barrett 06 Cadillac XLR-Polson, Steve Eastlick 63 Austin Healy Mark II BJ7-Missoula, Greg Greene 59 Chevy Rat Rod-Kalispell, Jesse Adams 37 Ford Pickup-Polson, Nancy McDowell 47 Studebaker M5-Rollins, Bob Harris 53 Buick Roadmaster-Kalispell, Steve Riddle 36 Dodge 1/2 Ton Pick-up-Missoula, Dan Jordan 30 Ford Model A-Missoula, and Bob Beck 64 1/2 Ford Mustang-Missoula.
After a 4 year hiatus during which time Anderson Broadcasting organized the event, this year’s 28th annual ‘Cruisin’ by the Bay’ car show was once again put on by the Mission Valley Cruisers car club. The group is hoping to spark more interest in old cars in general and in the annual event more specifically and to get the number of entrants back up to its heyday amount of over 500 cars. If you missed this year’s event or have an interest in participating next year, check out ‘cruisinbythebay.com’.