24th Annual Blast from the Past
Onawa, Iowa
Jun 14, 2008 – Jun 14, 2008
By Bill Wonder
The “CLASSICS” Car Club with the assistance of the City of Onawa and a bevy of fantastic sponsors, presented Onawa’s 24th Annual Blast from the Past Car Show and GRAFFITI NIGHT last Saturday in downtown Onawa.
The event began at 1:00 p.m. on the Widest Main Street in the U.S.A. as hot rods, customs, antiques and classics cruised into downtown Onawa from Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Missouri and as far away as Phoenix, AZ.
Spectators and participants were entertained all day with music, craft, flea market and swap meet vendors.
The Onawa Public Library again combined their Summer Fest activities in conjunction with the event, with games and inflatable for the kids.
The Mapleton Fire Department provided mini train rides for youngsters and the WM Band and (our own members) the Sioux City ‘Stones’ performed on stage. Kids also participated in Hoola Hoop and Bubble Gum Blowing Contests for prizes and cash.
CasinOmaha provided shuttle service back and forth to the Casino all day.
Boss Hog BBQ was busy all day long selling some really great food. The smell of the fresh smoked meat attracted crowds, while others enjoyed funnel cakes, kettle korn, fresh-squeezed lemonade, shaved ice and other treats!!
Members of the Outkasts Car Club in Oakland, NE, many of which are also members of the “CLASSICS”, put on a working exhibit chopping the top on a ‘29 Ford Tudor Sedan. The process, which lasted about 4 hours, removed four-inches from the top of “CLASSICS” member Mark Riley’s Model A, completely changing the look of the old car.
Just down the street, the guys from Full Boar Enterprises in Wisconsin were busy calculating horsepower and torque ratings of participant vehicles on their brand new, portable drive-on engine/chassis Dyno. For $75. Participants got two pulls on this state-of-the-art Dyno. We understand they had nearly 20 people signed up and seemed busy all day.
Meanwhile, Big Daddy from KOOL 99.5 in Sioux City did live remotes from Main Street Onawa, playing great classic rock and interviewing event participants.
The Club drew car numbers all day for some great door prizes, including $200 in Onawa Chamber Bucks, which winners could spend just like cash in any Onawa Chamber business.
Late Thursday/Early Friday, the “CLASSICS” had quickly solicited many nice items for a Silent Auction to benefit the Nathan and Tammy Dean family. Nathan is the Park Ranger at the Little Sioux Boy Scout Ranch, which was destroyed by a tornado on Wednesday of that week, including the Dean’s home.
Some of the items included autographed NHRA collectibles, including some pistons, rods and even a Goodyear slick!!!!
Although we had hoped for more, considering how quickly we had organized the auction, the Club raised $550 for the family.
At 4:00 p.m., Dan’s Pizza hosted their 2nd annual Pizza Eating Contest. For a $5 fee, participants were timed on how much pizza they could eat, receiving cash rewards for their efforts.
Members of the Outkasts returned at 5:00 p.m. for the Hot Pipes Exhaust Com-petition “in the pit”! Participants competed in both closed and open exhaust categories with the winners receiving one-of-a-kind awards designed by the Outkasts.
Activities continued ‘in the pit’ at 6:00 p.m. with the return of the Tire Fryin’ Burn-Out Competition. As is usually the case, this event draws hundreds of spectators who cheer on participants while getting lost in clouds of billowing tire smoke.
Trophies were awarded for 1st and 2nd place, with the 1st place winner also receiving a $100 gift certificate towards the purchase of a set of new tires from Tires-Tires-Tires in Sioux City. Thanks to the Onawa Fire Department for furnishing water for the streets and everyone who made this event run so smoothly and safe.
Car Club activities began to wind down at 7:00 p.m. with the “Dry Run” 50/50 drawing. In this event, people place guesses for $1.00 on a time board, writing their names on various times that they thought an old Chevrolet pickup with 350 V8 engine would run after being drained of oil and coolant. The winner was Mason Froda of Des Moines at around 1 minute, 3 seconds. Mason won half the pot (hence the 50/50) with the other half, $100, going to the Onawa Fire Department.
As some show participants came and went to cruise Onawa’s 10th Street “loop”, others continued to arrive on Main Street
Others continued to arrive on Main Street into the evening before the “CLASSICS” reopened the streets and highways to normal traffic. In all, nearly 270 vehicles were part of this year’s Blast from the Past and GRAFFITI NIGHT. That’s over 100 more than attended last year, showing us that in spite of high gas prices and the rest of the economy, the move back to Main Street was the right one!!
Beer gardens and live bands picked up where the Car Show left off, providing entertainment for locals and overnight participants from 9:00 p.m. to close.
This event takes a lot of effort and planning and would not be possible without the generous support of all the sponsors, the City of Onawa and City Employees.
Next year the “CLASSICS” will be commemorating the 25th Anniversary of Onawa’s Blast from the Past and GRAFFITI NIGHT celebration, and look forward to putting on the biggest and best event of this type in the area!!
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