An estimated 10,000-15,000 spectators this weekend braved near 100-degree temperatures and jostled for position to examine their favorites from nearly 500 classic cars and hot rods in the Cache Valley Cruise-In.
Entries in the show included such classics as a 1929 Model A Ford and a 1924 Studebaker, among the more common 1964 Ford Mustangs and Chevrolet Corvettes, driven from as far away as New York and Florida."It's always been a childhood dream of mine through the years, and when I moved to California, I was right in the middle of this stuff," Curt Meester, the owner of a 1929 Ford Roadster, said Saturday.
Meester, 43, Santa Cruz, Calif., said he has been an auto mechanic for 28 years, but has only been involved in car shows for the past six years.
In that time, he has participated in about 20 shows in the western United States, after investing some $17,000 and countless hours of unpaid labor in the machine.
But Meester, who literally built the car from the ground up with parts purchased from various manufacturers, said the result compensates for all the time and money.
"It was like a kid in the candy store. The first time you put the key in, fire it up and drive it around the block was worth every minute of the cussing, the swearing and the kicking," he said.
Al Heushel, 46, Arlington, Wash., made the trip to Logan with his 1934 Studebaker Dictator, which he purchased 20 years ago.
The car sports a 302 Ford V-8 motor, power steering and brakes, "and it runs like a Cadillac," Heushel said.
"I played with cars for 30 years all the way back to high school, and we drove the car for about seven years before we made a hot rod out of it. It's my hobby and my business," said Heushel, a mechanic who owns his own custom shop in northern Washington state.