classics – Timing Tower

47th ANNUAL WESTERN STREET ROD NATIONALS, April 26-28, 2024, Bakersfield, CA

admin — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 04:13:56 +0000

The Kern County Fairgrounds was brightened both by the appearance of over 1,000 hot rods and by the weather which changed from a rainy Friday to a Sunny Sunday. In addition to trying to see 1,041 cars, A lot of activities went on throughout the week-end; i.e. The Safety Team was busy inspecting cars; Women’s World offered a lot of hand-made items, a Swap Meet offered many needed parts as did numerous vendors. More photos of cars that were at the show are below. Sunday was the final day of the show and the day of the awards ceremony. The ceremonies started at 1:00 pm but in the morning all of the winners were gathered in the Winners’ Circle. The Winners’ Circle gives everyone a chance to see the cars up close and to talk with the owners. The first award, was not to a car, but to Dave Cahill (on the right in the photo below). After 37 years, Dave retired this year from his position as the NSRA Division Director. Those of us who have been used to seeing Dave every year at the Western Nats, will miss him. We wish him well and hope he’ll return to the Western Nats as a spectator. This year the timingtower.com award went to David Fleeman and his 1932 Ford Coupe. This Coupe brings back memories of the Coupe driven by John Milner in the movie American Graffiti. David’s Coupe only improves on the American Graffiti Coupe. There will be more photos of this car as well as a feature article posted soon. Here are the award winners in the order of presentation: Once the awards were given, it was time for the prizes to be handed out. Nick Donovan, who provided the music for the week-end, was on hand to give out the prizes; and as always, a willing, young volunteer was recruited to draw the numbers. In addition to merchandise prices, three cash prizes of $2,000 each were given away. Mitchell Guillen, Chuck Perdue and Jimmy Shannon, II, all of Bakersfield were the winners of the cash prizes. The three winners along with event director, Mike Adams are shown below. Once the prizes were all given away, the show was over and we waved goodbye to another great week-end. Next Year the Western Nats will be held April 25-27, 2025 in the Kern County Fairgrounds. ____________________________________________________________ SATURDAY – UPDATE Like Friday, Saturday was a great day for looking at cars and trucks at the Western Street Rod Nationals in the Kern County Fairgrounds and there were a lot of beautiful and unique cars and trucks in the fairgrounds to look at – like this Ford truck and those in the slideshow below. Car enthusiasts of all ages enjoyed the day. Below is Levi who said this Ford truck was his favorite. Levi has very good taste. One unique car we saw was this Chevrolet demonstrating it’s hydraulics. This Chevy truck came with a matching camper trailer. This 1932 Ford coupe was reminiscent of the coupe driven by Milner in American Graffiti. This Willys coupe was a drag racer back in the day. Below are a few more of the nice cars at the show today. Tomorrow is the last day of the show and will include the award ceremonies and prize give-aways. We saw some of the cars that will take home an NSRA award and they are spectacular. Monday evening we’ll post photos of all the award winners as well as a wrap-up of the show. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ FRIDAY – UPDATE The 47th Annual Western Street Rod Nationals opened on Friday, April 26, 2024 in the Kern County Fairgrounds. And the weather forecasters were wrong – predictions of rain and wind did not materialize in Bakersfield. The day was sunny, with a few clouds, and the temperature was around 70° Couldn’t ask for anything better. The event registration on Friday was about the same as it was last year on Friday – about 1,000 cars. Saturday is, however, the big day and, no doubt, tomorrow the fairgrounds will be full again. Below are a few of the cars we saw today: The entertainment started around 6:00 pm with Orphan Jon and the Abandoned performing live. Although the band was excellent – the main attraction was the cars and trucks. The cars will keep on coming tomorrow. We’ll be back at the fairgrounds tomorrow and will post again tomorrow night. Take a look again to see more of the fine cars and trucks that will be at the show. ————————————————————————————————————— The 47th Annual Western Street Rod Nationals will be held in the Kern County Fairgrounds, Bakersfield, CA on April 26-28, 2024. Registration for the show will take place at the Doubletree Hotel, 3100 Camino Del Rio Court, Bakersfield beginning on Thursday, April 25 from 12 noon to 6:00 pm, Friday the 26th from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday the 27th from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Throughout the week-end there will be comercial exhibitors, a swap meet, Women’s World, kids games, live entertainment and cruising on Friday and Saturday, The Streets of Rods will be held on Saturday and on Sunday there will be an all denomination Church Service. Also on Sunday the award winners will gather in the Circle of Winners on Sunday before the awards ceremony. Nick Donovan’s Rockin Road Show will provide music all week-end as well as drawing numbers for prize giveaway.. Timingtower.com will be there for the week-end and will post on Friday and Saturday evenings with a full article and photos posted on Monday evening.

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DR. GEORGE CHARITY CAR SHOW, INDIAN WELLS CA, FEBRUARY 10, 2024

admin — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 05:38:00 +0000

The 21st Annual Dr. George CHARITY CAR SHOW was held on February 10, 2024 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, Indian Wells, CA. There were 1,100 pre-registered vehicles and many vendors in the Tennis Garden. At 9:00 a.m. the gates opened to allow spectator entrance and thousands of people were added to the Tennis Garden. After all the rain during the month of February, nice weather for the week-end seemed iffy, but on Saturday the sky was blue and the sun was shining. As always, the Dr. George Show attracts some of the very best and most unique vehicles. The show kicked off with singing of the National Anthem and presentation of the colors by Marines from the Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command and Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms. After that the music started and was provided by the Flash Back Boyz. Bob Beck was on hand to serve as announcer and kept everyone posted about the day’s happenings, including the annual pedal car races. The cars were lined up for review prior to the racing. But once the racers took to the track the racing was non-stop. The racers were very focused on the job at hand. Once the pushers got the cars started it was up to the drivers to finish the job. While they couldn’t all win, they all had fun. All the racers took home a trophy, but the winner got the big one. The pedal car races have become an annual event and a good fundraiser. Once the races are over the kids surrender their race cars which are then auctioned off. Renowned pinstriper Von Hot Rod served as auctioneer. Not all the pedal car action was on the track, however. Ale brought her own pedal cars – maybe she’s getting in shape for next year’s pedal car races. While Ale liked her fire engine, she was partial to her lowrider. She no doubt got that preference from her uncle Alexis Avila who took home the Best of Show Lowrider trophy. One very notable car at the show was the 1936 Ford Roadster owned and built by Danny Hale. Danny worked as a body and fender man throughout his career and he is very good at it. This remarkable car started as a coupe and was a roadster by the time Danny was done. To accomplish this transformation and keep the body proportions, Danny shortened the frame. This car was a contender for America’s Most Beautiful Roadster at the Grand National Roadster Show in 2023. Below is a photo of Danny with his Best of Show trophy. Well Done! Two AA/FD Nostalgia Top Fuel Dragsters were on hand and fired up twice creating a crowd pleasing cackle fest. Throughout the day, raffle tickets were being sold and there were silent auctions. All of the funds raised by the show and it’s many activities go to benefit the Desert Cancer Foundation. The show takes its name from Dr. Sebastian George, co-founder of the Desert Cancer Foundation. Dr. George was a local oncologist and was known for helping those battling cancer, even if they were unable to pay. There was plenty of time to walk around the Tennis Garden and see all the cars and trucks on display – and there were some nice ones. There were also cars with a story. This 1956 Ford pick-up shown below belongs to Don Freymiller. Don’s son built this truck for him for his 80th birthday. What a gift and it took home a trophy. Don is very fortunate to have such a caring son and such an outstanding pickup. Some cars, like Todd Frazier’s 1955 Chevrolet, 2-door post, is painted to remind him of his career in the Navy. The light gray is the color of the hull of the troop transport ship he served on, the dark gray is the color of the deck of the ship and the red stripe is the color of the Captain’s gig (a 30′ power launch for the Captain’s use). A great car and a trophy winner. And one car served as a memorial to Nick Nigosian, a member of the Palm Springs Cruisin’ Association and a friend of the owner of this car. And more of the nice vehicles at the show: Below are the trophy winners at the Dr. George Show 2024. BEST OF SHOW – 1936 FORD ROADSTER BEST OF SHOW LOWRIDER BEST OF SHOW – SPECIAL INTEREST The three cars shown above took home “Best of Show” trophies. But there were many more trophy winners. Below are photos of the award winners. This show was another great show put on by the Palm Springs Cruisin’ Association. Next year the show will be held on February 8, 2025. Put the date on the calendar and watch for the pre-registration announcement. This show is so popular entrance is by pre-registration only. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ FRIDAY, FEB. 9, 2024 The 21st Annual Dr. George Charity Car Show sponsored by the Palm Springs Cruisin’ Association takes place on Saturday, February 10, 2024 in the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, CA. The Tennis Garden has room to show 1100 cars and the Dr. George Show fills the Tennis Garden every year. This show is so popular attendance is sold out by pre-registration only. Today (Friday) provided a hint of what tomorrow will hold. On Friday attendees can obtain reserved parking by going to the Tennis Garden, obtaining a stake with a name tag on it from the registration desk, and pounding the stake into an available parking spot. This system makes parking on Saturday morning easy. It also provides a chance to see some of the cars that will be in the show on Saturday. Below are a few of these cars. Tomorrow will bring, not only a lot more cars, but also […]

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24th ANNUAL CRUISIN FOR A CURE, September 9, 2023

admin — Sun, 10 Sep 2023 01:55:25 +0000

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2023 the 24th Annual Cruisin’ for a Cure kicked off at 4:30 a.m. when the gates opened to allow registered cars to entry into the Orange County Fairgrounds. For those that didn’t pre-register, registration was available at the Gate from 4:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Gates opened at 6:00 a.m. for spectators. And thousands of cars and spectators filled the Fairgrounds, including this impressive line-up of tri-five Chevies. Cruisin’ for a Cure was started to raise awareness and money for KSK Cancer Center of Irvine for prostate cancer research. Each year the show offers free prostate cancer screening both with PSA tests and physical examinations which are the best way to detect prostate cancer. The screening began at 7:00 a.m. and continued until 3:30 p.m. In addition to screenings, individuals from the Orange County Prostate Forum were present. This organization provides information free of charge on many aspects relating to prostate cancer including imaging and therapies. The gentlemen below were on hand from the Forum. See Prostate Forum of Orange County Cars were spread all over the fairgrounds, both outside and inside. The inside buildings offered reserved parking for the Women and Wheels in the Costa Mesa Blvd., VIP Huntington Beach, Los Alamitos-Santa Pavilion, the OC Promenade and the Meguiar’s Hanger. This fine Mercury was found in the Meguiar’s Hanger. This terrific T-Bucket was also located in one of buildings. This Model A Ford in the Huntington Beach Building was chopped and sported a flathead. When was the last time you saw a Model A coupe that wasn’t chopped? The Model A below was in the Meguiar’s building. With several modifications to the side of the body, this 1975 El Camino has a clean look. However, not all the great vehicles were found in buildings. Look at this 27 T Modified. A Ford Fairlane Retracable. A 1933 Ford 3-window Coupe and other cars from the 1930’s. A lot of nice trucks were at the show. And a lot of nice cars were on display. Some pretty rare cars were were at the show.. The official cruising began at 9:15 a.m. with a parade lap by the California Fire Museum Fire Trucks. The Fire Museum had a table with information on display as well as the trucks. It was interesting talking to retired firemen who staffed this display and learning about the workings of a fire truck. Clover liked the fire trucks, too. If the vehicles on display didn’t keep folks busy, there were a lot of vendors selling everything from car parts to t-shirts as well as a model car contest, a raffle, and a silent auction. And when it was time to sit down for a minute, tables were available and there were food and beer booths. Next year, the 25th Annual Cruisin’ for a Cure will be held on it’s traditional day of the 4th Saturday of September. Mark your calendars for September 28, 2024 when the fun will once again continue.

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45th NSRA WESTERN NATIONALS, April 29 – May 1, 2022

admin — Sun, 24 Apr 2022 00:10:10 +0000

45th WESTERN NATS, KERN COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS, BAKERSFIELD, CA Sunday was the last day of the event. In the morning the award winners gathered in the winners’ circle at 10:00 am and were on view until the award ceremony which started at 1:00 pm. (All the award winners have been posted and can be seen below). As usual a lot of future hot rodders came to the show with their families. Below is a young fellow named Ford – but it does look like he’s a Chevy man Also having fun were (from left to right) Adrian, Michael, Julian, Adalize, and Mariana. And this is Victoria – we predict someday she’ll trade that Radio Flyer in for a Ford. Not to be outdone by the kids, there were some very beautiful cars in the fairgrounds: And there were unusual cars – a stretched ’55 Chevy. – a Model A towing a trailer with a buffalo. The Safety inspectors worked Friday and Saturday providing free inspections looking at 23 different pieces of equipment on each vehicle. Among other things the fuel system, steering, exhaust system, tires and brakes are inspected. This year 64 vehicles were inspected, 47 passed and 46 of those received a Safety 23 sticker. After the awards were given on Sunday, numbers were drawn and the Super prizes were given away. Addison drew the numbers: At the end of the awards ceremony, Addison made three individuals very happy when she drew their numbers and they left with an extra $2,000. Alfred Paredez, Karl Russell and Carolyn Raidor, received their checks from Mike Adams, the NSRA Western Nats program director. This year the attendance was 1,135 – not quite back to pre-pandemic standards. Next year this event will be held on April 28, 29 and 30. As always the Western Nats was a great week-end but it did have to end. Following below are photos of the award winners. This 1967 Corvette owned my Mike and Diane Ferola is the timingtower.com pick. We’ll have a feature on this beautiful Stingray posted soon. More to come Monday evening. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ SATURDAY, APRIL 30 Saturday was a busy day at the Western Nats. First thing this morning the safety inspectors got busy going over the cars that lined up for this free and very important service provided by NSRA. This is also the time when the kids games were set up. The kids put together puzzles, colored, and played ring toss. It was a fun time. The adults had some fun too connecting with old friends, meeting new ones and looking at all the fine cars at the show. There were some pretty unique cars at the fairgrounds. In 1958 this ’32 was the first roadster to travel at 200 mph at Bonneville. The car was owned by Chuck Edwards, driven by Tony Waters and is now owned by Doug Edwards. This car not only had FLAMES but the color scheme was outstanding. This early Vette has a custom front end. The highlight of tomorrow will be the awards ceremony and the super prize giveaway. Over $54,000 worth of prizes will be given way this week-end. We’ll have an article with photos of all the award winners posted on Monday evening. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ FRIDAY, APRIL 29 This was the first day of the show. So far 1,050 cars are registered for the event. Since Saturday is always the “big” day, more are expected. If today is any indication, the fairgrounds is going to be filled with a whole lot of nice vehicles. It’s hard to beat the classic lines of a tri-five Chevy. We saw everything from fins .. to “in the weeds”. There were trucks and … panels. Also on hand were depot hacks … and a customized Giha. There will be plenty of cars to see tomorrow as well as other activities such as a swap meet, the Streets of Rods, commercial exhibits, a crafts fair, kids games, and the safety inspectors will be hard at work again. We’ll be back at the fairgrounds tomorrow and will post again tomorrow night. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ An anticipated 1,700 street rods, hot rods, muscle cars, customs, rat rods, and classics will be on hand on April 29-May 1 for the 45th NSRA Western Street Rod Nationals in the Kern County Fairgrounds in Bakersfield, CA. This will be the 35th time the event has been held at Bakersfield. An all time high number of spectators are expected to attend over the week-end. Additionally, many vendors will fill the buildings in the fairgrounds in addition to those that will set up throughout the grounds. Like past years, this will be an event you do not want to miss. Event registration will be held in the Doubletree Hotel, 3100 Camino Del Rio Court, Bakersfield. Hours: Thursday, April 28 at 12 noon to 6:00 pm, Friday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm and Saturday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Timingtower.com will be at the event all week-end and will post coverage on Friday and Saturday nights. In addition, we will post an article and photos on Monday evening, including photos of the award winners. Check back here throughout the week-end.

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