Hi Everyone!!
     Judi and I traveled to Bowling Green, KY with our friends Keith & Carol Diehl for the Inaugural NHRA Hot Rod Reunion.  They say inaugural because this is the first time the Hot Rod Reunion has ever been held outside of California.  Hold on for a major statement!  -  This may have been the best car event I have ever attended!!!  Keith agreed!!!  For those of us who grew up with drag racing, read about and lived it through Hot Rod Magazine, etc., who knew of the car legends of the '50's and '60's this was a very meaningful weekend.  Much more than I expected, and, from what I heard, more than the NHRA expected as well!
     Beginning with Grand Marshall, Bob Glidden, Reunion Spotlight Honoree, "Big Daddy" Don Garlits, on through 2003 Honorees Jack Chisenhall, Robert Frakes, and Dale Funk, Angelo Giampetroni, Ray Godman, and Ken Hirata, the weekend was special!
     Friday night at the host hotel, a special reception was held for the honorees and open to all participants.  The parking lot was full of cars, including a AA Fuel front engine dragster which fired up under the hotel's front canopy to the delight of the crowd!  Afterward, Judi and I got on the elevator and rode up with "Ohio George" Montgomery!
     Saturday was absolutely perfect from beginning to end.  The weather couldn't have been better.  Beech Bend Park is a super facility with lots of grass and trees, an amusement park for the kids, and a nice 1/4 mile drag strip with covered grandstands to keep you out of the sun!  I'm guessing probably about 1,500 rods, customs, and muscle cars made up the show-n-shine.  Then, there was the pits...jammed full of nostalgic drag cars running and qualifying for Sundays eliminations.  There were also several exhibition runs throughout the day and evening.  The NHRA fed us a BBQ dinner, had a great concert by The Diamonds, held a memorial service for those we lost during the past year, then had "the cacklefest".  Ya gotta see it to believe it!  - it was worth hanging around for.
     This was one for the memory book and one I won't miss next year--I recommend it.  Enjoy the pics and if you don't mind, I'll include a few personal notes along the way.  Steve!