The 39^th Annual Bugtussle Trek came rolling through on August 25. Last year, as the cars were parked around the Honey Grove Square, the thermometer read 103! This year, in the rain, it was all the way down to 77!
      Many veterans of the Trek said they had never seen it rain, or be so cool, on this day.
      Each year the old cars seem to become more late model. When the Bugtussle Trek started in the late Sixties, there were almost no post-war vehicles participating. Somehow, making the run from Dallas to Bugtussle in a post-war automobile doesn't have the same bang as making the trip in something like this REO Phaeton from the late Teens and early Twenties. But we love them all!

      The Cruisin' USA Classic Car and Truck show was held July 28, on Denison's Main Street, in conjunction with the 50's and 60's Rock and Roll Show at the Main Street Showcase. Each entry received two tickets to the live show inside the Rialto. Makes for an interesting car show!
      About 50 vehicles lined both sides of Main Street adding to the festive atmosphere surrounding the music show.

      A few days earlier, the same folks put on a car show in Sherman with the Hot Summer Nights Concert Series. The number of entries was a bit smaller but, hey, it was a Thursday Night! The show cars over flowed the space alotted even at that. Huge crowd of spectators, and lots of small sticky fingers leaving prints and smudges everywhere, but that's part of it.
      Tonights headliner was Ray Wylie Hubbard. He walked through the car show just before the concert started. He paid the most attention to the Mustangs, particularly Jeff's '65 GT Fastback. The man has good taste!

      July 21^st was the annual show put on by the Texoma Area Corvettes in Pottsboro. This show has outgrown the Sonic where it has been held for years. This was the first show held at the new elementary school.
      Over 80 Corvettes converged on the small town of Pottsboro and filled almost every available space with Vettes from the past 50 years from original to wildly modified.

      See Ralph's Pictures here

      The week of July 4^th was a very busy time. The guys from the local VFW did a great job organizing a patriotic program at the Eisenhower Birthplace in Denison that included a classic car display. They are already working to make next year's event bigger and better. Having the Military Vehicle Preservation Association's vehicles there around Ike's Home was a nice touch.
      Buddy Merrick was asked to sing "The Star Spangled Banner" and wowed the crowd when he began by reciting the "Declaration of Independence"!
      Thursday the 5^th was supposed to have been the Hot Summer Nights Classic Car Show, but because of inclement weather was rescheduled for July 26.
      The next day, Friday the 6^th, saw the Great Race come through Whitesboro on it's way across the country. The weather doesn't slow down these guys, they are going to make the run regardless. But, it turned out to be a beautiful afternoon as they rolled into Trollinger Park. Love to see these vehicles, some of them true museum pieces, make this coast-to-coast run!
      Saturday the 7^th we had two car shows to choose from. Bob and Doroth Bishop have been putting on a Fourth of July Car Show in Van Alstyne, benefiting the Public Library for many years now. Maybe it was weather, or just too many other things going on, but this year's edition was a bit smaller than in the past. The sunshine brought a road construction crew that thought it would be a good day to work on the road right in front of the car show. Somehow they manged to create both mud and dust at the same time for us all to deal with, but it was a great day anyway!
      At the same time the Roger Krodle Memorial Car show was being held in Greenville at the Hunt County Fairgrounds. Despite heavy rains all week, it appears everyone was able to stay out of the mud.

      Robert Mears has some great pictures from all of these shows and more at www.texomavintagecarclub.net/.

      Last year, during a drought, it rained on the Miller Grove Volunteer Fire Department's Car Show. This year with record rainfall in the month of June, the rain stayed away on Saturday the 23^rd as over 130 vehicles rolled in for the show benefiting the VFD.
      Thanks to Ralph and Jeri we have pictures here.
      Also see the Miller Grove VFD website at www.mgfdtexas.com/ for more pictures and complete results of the car show.

      On June 9 we had two car shows in the area to choose from. Attendance suffered at both shows because of it.
      The Lawrence Marshall Dealership on the North edge of Denison billed their show as the First Annual. They hope to grow this into a big annual car show. On this day they had 19 entries. The heat and humidity were almost unbearable, and then it rained! With the small turn-out it didn't take long to do the judging, and the show broke up earlier than planned.

      The Sav-A-Lot on Texoma Pkwy in Sherman was also holding their first time car show. One never knows what to expect from first timers, but this one was well done. This was a benefit show for the Grayson County Shelter, and they were very successful! The rains avoided this show until the very end. Residents of the shelter helped with the concessions, and the door prizes were amazing!
      The '32 Roadster won People's Choice and the Mint Green '70 Chevelle took Best of Show. A slightly better turn-out for this show than for the one in Denison.

      The Red River Valley Car Club of Bonham held their 23^rd annual car show on June 2 around the Courthouse Square.
      After a week of rain and storms, Saturday turned out to be a great day for a car show. Although we could have used a NASCAR track dryer early that morning on the streets of Bonham. But, to be fair, everyone had to splash through the same puddle to get into the show.
      Two days earlier there had been a fire on the West side of the Square. Two buildings completely destroyed and three others badly damaged. Saturday morning it was still smoldering, as the Fire department hovered over it all day.

      More Pictures Here!

      The 18^th Annual Texoma Vintage and Classic Car Club's Car Show was held at Forrest Park in Denison on May 19. Last year the date was changed from August to May to escape the heat only to be greeted by temperatures in the high nineties with high humidity. This year was much better! A beautiful day in the park!
      Due to a new sprinkler system put in by the city, the car show had to be pushed back away from the street a bit, and away from those nice shade trees. But, it worked out nicely. The new layout made for nice, straight rows of cars, easier to stroll through and see.
      For complete show results and pictures see the TVCCC website.

      The Third Thursday Cruise-in at the Hickory House Bar-B-Que attracted a nice crowd. This is a fun evening. No entry fees, but there are a few awards and door prizes!
      The building in the background is the old Denison High School. Nostalgic tall tales abound when the old cars gather in its shadow. When these cars were new, this was a happening place about lunch time on a school day. However, the old building is slated for demolition this month. The landscape will be very different when it is gone.

      The weather was car show perfect on May 12 for the Howe Volunteer Fire Dept Car Show. About 30 vehicles filled the Church parking lot. Some that don't get out much, like the '27 Chevy Roadster, and the '26 Dodge Bros Sedan. The big winner was James Melton's '51 Chevy Pickup, built right there in Howe. We will be seeing this one take home a lot of trophies this year!
      See the pictures HERE.

      For the second year in a row the Malt Shop Blowout was held at the Anna High School Parking lot, and for the second year in a row, it rained! Not a lot. just an annoying little drizzle that kept the convertible tops raised.
      At left, Ned and Stan are trying to keep their cars dry, but finally everyone gave up and just enjoyed the rain!
      The weather forecast called for sunshine with high humidity. That brought out some cars that don't generally get out in the rain.
      See a few pictures HERE.

      The Lost Highway in Princeton, TX was the setting for a car show benefiting the Princeton VFD. Over one thousand dollars was raised.
      After a week of rain, Saturday morning broke clear and cool, attracting over 50 entries. And some interesting entries at that. How about a '62 Diamler, with a Hemi!. Or a '57 Isetta. And even a mid-eighties Lotus. (There were actually two of these there for a brief time!) Along with the usual fare of 30s Ford V8s, shoebox Chevys and Fords, Camaros, Firebirds, and Mustangs! And Pick-ups, don't forget the Classic Trucks, this is Texas after all!
      See more pictues here!.

      A benefit fundraiser at the Taco Casa in Sherman was held on March 17. Among the festivities was a car show. Some low-riders put on a show. A pair of '68 Chargers parked side by side caught everyone's eye. A blue Z06 Corvette Lingenfelter got a lot of attention, with it's chrome plated supercharger poking through the hood. His license plate read "0260N3", and it probably does. The big winner was Jerry Justice's '53 Chevrolet PU, with the chromed-out small-block under the hood.

      The Fort Worth Rod & Custom Show was going on at the same time, with a bit more competition. Buddy Merrick has done quite a bit of work on the '87 Vette over the winter, and it paid off with a "Best in Show Chevrolet". The Rose-ter also won "Best in Show Display" and a Class Award.

      Buddy's '32 Roadster has also seen some attention this winter and won "Best in Show Engine" along with a "First Place" in it's class.

Recognize this old Ford? Our own John Dunn of Calera, OK has landed his '56 F100 on the cover of Classic Trucks Magazine, April 2007 issue.

The Decatur Swap Meet kicked off the season the last weekend in February for the 32nd time.