A month later and the feeling still keeps coming back-that combination of awe, excitement, and sensory overload.It comes back whenever I catch the scent of deep-fried cheese curds or pork chops on a stick. It comes back whenever I hear the sound of 11,000-plus '64-and-earlier rods, customs, classics, and trucks in one place at one time. It came back this week as I sifted through my photos from the Minnesota Street Rod Association's (MSRA) huge annual event at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul. Suddenly, in my imagination, I was back at Back to the 50's, probably the biggest rod and custom event I've ever been to in my life.
This year was the 36th time the MSRA has hosted this event, and it was my first time attending. I hope it's not the last. The shade tree-filled fairgrounds is a fantastic place for a gathering of 11,510 cars and trucks (this year's total). Despite its size, Back to the 50's has the feel of a regional car club event-which, come to think of it, it is. The MSRA is a non-profit group of volunteers who just happen to know how to put on a car show.
Of course, Back to the 50's has all the extra stuff we like about big car shows-an extensive manufacturers midway, a great swap meet, live bands, oldies music from announcer Wings Kalahan, plus the Dana Mecum Hot Rod Auction. And we like what it doesn't have-namely, trophies. Can you believe that 11,510 show cars will show up even if they can't go home with an award? They sure will!
What we liked the best was the variety-from freshly finished rides to in-the-works projects to survivors that folks have owned for 20, 30, even 50 years. We found high-tech and traditional cars, and big-buck and low-budget cars. On these pages, you'll notice an emphasis on the traditionally inspired iron, on owner-builds, and on a few of those survivors, but we tried to present an assortment to show the diversity of the event.
We've already been to www.msra.com for information on the 37th Back to the 50's for 2010. We'll look for you there. We might not find you, but we'll sure look for you.
The Show on the Road
We love car shows and we love show cars; but we really love hearing about enthusiasts getting out and driving their rods and customs. Back to the 50's was just one of many stops on a 4,200-mile road trip for these four couples from British Columbia, Canada. When we met them in St. Paul, they had already driven these cars from their hometown of Kelowna to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, then back into Canada, through Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and down into Minnesota. From St. Paul, they were heading to the Speedway Motors Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska, then onto Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone, followed by Great Falls, Montana, and Calgary, Alberta, and, finally, home to Kelowna. They promised to send us photos and stories from their road trip. We'll post those, along with more photos of these cars, on the R&C website at www.rodandcustommagazine.com.From left to right are Chuck and Kim Wilsone with their Hemi-powered '41 DeSoto, Jim and Jackie Radloff and their '54 Ford, Steve and Liz Foster and their '56 Ford wagon, and Ralph and Barb Carlaw with their '63 Buick.
 |  This former four-door '34...  This former four-door '34 Dodge sedan is channeled over a handbuilt frame and runs a '55 Dodge 270 Hemi with a three-speed OD trans and a banjo rearend with a homemade quick-change poking through the rear sheetmetal. Twenty-inch rear wheels were custom machined to resemble the 17-inch artillery wheels in front. The buckets are high school auditorium seats. Owner Darrell Bernloehr says some flat brown paint is in the future. |  This is the second season...  This is the second season for John Pazik's stunning contemporary custom, which is modified all over without disguising its '56 Chevy identity. Modified Saab seats are separated by a floating arm rest and custom console. A dressed-up small-block fills the engine compartment. |
 Not finished, but already...  Not finished, but already cool, Russ Pooler's '26 tub was a four-door when work started. The dash is from a '50 Pontiac Silver Streak; the bomber buckets will eventually be covered in rawhide. The homebuilt grille combines a swap meet-bought Dodge pickup shell and '48 Buick grille bars cut in half and turned sideways. |  This former four-door '34...  This former four-door '34 Dodge sedan is channeled over a handbuilt frame and runs a '55 Dodge 270 Hemi with a three-speed OD trans and a banjo rearend with a homemade quick-change poking through the rear sheetmetal. Twenty-inch rear wheels were custom machined to resemble the 17-inch artillery wheels in front. The buckets are high school auditorium seats. Owner Darrell Bernloehr says some flat brown paint is in the future. |  This is the second season...  This is the second season for John Pazik's stunning contemporary custom, which is modified all over without disguising its '56 Chevy identity. Modified Saab seats are separated by a floating arm rest and custom console. A dressed-up small-block fills the engine compartment. |