From Grand Saline Sun: Classic Cars Shine at Heritage Festival
An annual highlight of the Edgewood Heritage Festival for nearly 10 years, the Classic Car Show will be the dramatic welcome entrance for visitors coming down Highway 80 on Saturday, November 12. Once visitors turn on to FM 859 they suddenly become wide-eyed at the array of shiny cars ranging from 1917 to 1982.
Antique cars, classic cars, newer models – all with the shiniest paint, most elaborate interiors and cleanest engines one could ever hope to see will be lined up for visitors to dream about and drool over. Everything from diminutive Model-T Fords to long, long Cadillacs will be on display with their owners standing by to answer questions and “talk cars.”
The show draws entries from Dallas and Fort Worth, the Metroplex cities, Paris, Kilgore, Athens, even The Woodlands near Houston. The first year 34 cars entered, and in 2009 the highest number – 160 cars -- lined up for a day of car talk.
On-site registration lineup begins at 9 am when the Festival opens for its 35th year. Early registration of car entries costs $20, and after November 10 the price goes to $25.
Active Edgewood residents and volunteers, Stephen and Marianne Goode, were asked to start the car show eight years ago, partly because of Stephen’s ownership of the auto parts store in Edgewood at that time, partly because of his passion for drag racing, and partly for his leadership in the Road Rebels Car Club.
He says, “Marianne and I do the behind-the-scenes work to get ready, but for the Festival the Road Rebels come and help everywhere. Every year we build on experience and suggestions to make it a better experience for visitors.
“People love our show. It is a day when the wives who want can shop all day long, we eat delicious food together, and the men can talk shop. We have a lot of fun!”
Prizes are awarded at 2 pm with participants serving as judges. Best of Show Car and Best of Show Truck awards will be given and plaques awarded to the Top 20 cars of the show. Door prizes will be won as well as a 50/50 raffle by the Road Rebels. Other awards include best paint job, best interior, best engine – those that are detailed and have clean chrome.
Goode notes that most of the cars have been made more road-worthy by modifications with fuel-injected engines, front suspensions, rack-and-pinion steering and rear disk brakes. Those modifications are all acceptable in the show.
Goode will not have his ’65 Mustang fastback ready for the show. It is stripped down to the bare, although it has a beautiful, brand-new engine sitting in place that he built during the time he owned the parts store. He has planned that the body will be painted some shade of red and will feature a custom black leather interior.
No longer able to race because of a severe should injury, Goode says he doesn’t have a target date for completion, “It’s a hobby and mental therapy to go along with all the physical therapy I have for my shoulder.”
One of these years that Mustang will be lined up with all the other vehicular beauties in the Edgewood Heritage Festival. Be there this year to see what drives in!
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