Just wondering who alls going to the annual "Summers Last Blast" in Vernon, TX this weekend? There is also a swap meet, burnout contest, etc. Had no been in a couple years due to other commitments but was thinking of going Saturday morning and catching the swap meet and auction too.
Come on up. There were a few folks started showing up on Wed. and a few more out cruising around yesterday. Not a lot of old hotrods yet, but a few. Larry T
I went a couple years ago and it was really cool. Alot of cars. I mean alot of cars. Alittle bit of everything there. Probably gonna head out Saturday morning
I guess you'd have to say the whole town of Vernon (50 miles west of Wichita Falls). It's going on now thru Sunday. There's a small swap meet at the park, a car auction. I've seen a Ford Sunliner, early 50's Fords, crispy (burnt) Model A Roadster, and a bunch of other stuff that they're gonna auction. All of them are barn car/projects. Gonna have burn out contest, controlled 12 mile cruise, and general get together. Usually around 1000 cars sign up for the cruise and show.
Wow. I can't believe they have something so big in such a small town. I used to live across the river in Altus, OK in the 70s. When I was there over Thanksgiving last year, it looked even smaller than I remembered. Slonaker
I heard the event in Vernon, TX is really fun. My cousin attended a couple of years ago and said the police were real cool with the hotrodders. They let them light the tires up from time to time on the street they were cruising. I wish my car was done - I'd be there!
The Elvis impersonator has been there before, but they claim he is great. I have my Wofman Jack dash plaque from when he was supposed to MC the even a few years back. He died before he could do the show, but his son did it for him. They have previously had the original Buddy Holly Crickets, Mytch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, and a tribute to the Beetles at the Friday show before. All were great and worth the trip. Be prepared to find it difficult to eat, as the lines are long. Also, it is hotter than hell there, so shade is at a premium. The little farm town is really is going down hill from what it was years ago (only a Walmart to speak of), but they are very supportive of this event. The cars are great to look at, and numerous. Hotels are booked, so don't expect to find one near at this late date. Bunch of farm hicks does not mean the rodders can do as they please. The cops patrol on bikes and run a pretty rigid even as to flame throwers and burn outs being allowed on the streets. Still, it is a good event and seems to have grown over the years. I lived there for several years and always found it amazing that they sort of hooked onto the Roy Orbison name as a way to get some credit for his having been born there. Roy probably saw little of Vernon in his lifetime, in reality. The park has had a few different names, one of which was South Park. Don't expect to see anything related to Roy Orbison, other than a poorly done statue at the park. Sort of a shameful thing, but someone in the founding fathers crew had an idea to make something off or the Orbison namesake, and sort of blew it in naming the park after Roy Orbison. However, they do indeed have a neat local museum, and the price there is just right (free). It is worth going to in order to see all the exotic animals and such that are on display. Has a large cowboy slant to it, and is pure fun to visit and enjoy. Don't miss it. Remember, the triple digit Texas heat is no man's friend. Vernon sometimes has rain, but don't expect it this year. Just bring sunscreen, water, and lots of tolerance, as the heat will greet you for sure. It is about a 6-7 mile run through the town at night, and you circle and go back again to th eamusement of thousand of spectators lined about the streets of the town. The swap meet sucked when I last went, but they claim it has gotten better. A few years back they allowed any year of car to enter. I sort of liked it, as you saw the weirdest of things, but the actual show is more restrictive of what years are allowed these days. The show was pretty good, and crusing the local hotels to see what all is parked there was a blast. Almost a worthwhile tour in itself. The local hot rod club that claims responsiblitiy for having it was never all that good in my opinion, but some of the local guys really know a thing or two about street rods. The rodders who attend are from all over the country, so it is a great opportunity to see more than just local stuff. I am not going, as it is just too costly a trip for me this year. I have relatives there, but at $300 a gallon for gas, it is just too expensive a weekend trip for me this time. Enjoy, Huey
Say "Hi" to my little sister while you're there. The event is for per '72 cars unless there has been a change this year. Their web site is no longer up as far as I can tell either to help you.
Hey Rusty a friend of mine is going he just sold his model a p/u last week so he's going without a car.I told him that you guys would probably be there and to holler at you if he sees you.He was at my show with the orange 70 cuda with the bad ass 440 in it.
Man I wished i would have known sooner, I grew up in Wichite Falls and used to attend that event and was never disappointed.
There was 1240 cars reg for cruise this year --I'd guess another 300 or so there Saturday that stayed parked .. Huge crowd
I think this was probably the best cruise in the last 5 years or so. You should have stopped by the shop and bs'ed for a while. I should have take a lot of pictures, but as usual I slacked off and didn't do it. Larry T
I was at the auction right accross from street buying stuff ..and they kept jumping around and did not want to miss out of the stuff I wanted Did you hear that the 58 Ford retractable went for $200.00 is that true ?
I'm pretty sure it brought $325.00. The top was good and all of the hydraulics and linkage were there.
Cheap -- Worth more than that I think --Heard some dumb a$$ crashed a camaro into a parked pickup real hard too -- Hope no one was hurt bad
I Loved The Event But Cops Were Out In Force. About 30 Cruisers And More Undercover In Pickups Etc. One Character In Back Of A Pickup Asked Some Of The Local Talent If They Would Show Their Jugs. When They Refused He Decided To Offer A Moon To Them As A Courtesy. Well A Sworn In Deputy Saw This And Tackled The Mooner And Shoved Him Into The Ground. Handcuffs Were Quickly Attached To Halt The Offensive Behavior. The Deputy Quickly Removed Them When He Figured Out That The Offender Was Injured And Would Require An Ambulance. Saw The Late Model Camaro On A Rollback But Was Barely Recognizable. Story Goes That A Mustang Guy And This Camaro Guy Went To The 287 Access Road For A Street Race Complete With Burnouts. The Camaro Was Waxed And Lost Control Overcorrected And Ran Into A Spectator Vehicle In The Grass. This Is The Kind Of Stuff That Can Get Events Like This Cancelled. Hard Burnouts Were Pulled Over On The Drag But Don't Know About Tickets. The Spectators Would Throw Water On The Street And Then Beg For A Burnout. The Cops Would Wait For A Rodder To Bite And Then Pull Them Over. The Spectators Were Ruthless. They Just Wanted Excitement At The Rodders Cost. Will Go Back Next Year.
Yah, I told my friends two years ago That this show will only last just a few more years -- Takes but a few to ruin it for all
The cruise really got out of control 5 to 10 years ago and the cops started clamping down then. They keep a pretty tight lid on things without being bigger assholes than they have to be. They pulled a kid over in front of my shop and were telling him to cool it a little, when the kid smarted off. What would have been a verbal warning turned into 3 Minor in Posession (sp?) tickets. And I'm sure the kids were talking about how they were abused. I heard about the wreck on the access road. I think they took 4 people to the hospital. There was another wreck involving an 18 wheeler and a cruiser. I'm sure there were a few more minor fender benders. There were a few fights and I heard the drunk tank was overflowing, but that stuff is gonna happen when you get this many folks together for a party. This was the 17th SLB and the guy that originally started the cruise says they are gonna do at least 20, so its good for a couple more years (barring major screwups). Larry T BTW, I read the deal about the name change of the park. The car club that puts on SLB put in the effort to get the name changed to honor Roy Orbison, no other reason for the change.
LOL! Then you must have not hung out too often at isle #6, at the old Gibson store. It was a hoot when the place was called South Park, a very expensive sign was made to prominently show the park name, and then the cartoon series took off and really embarassed the community over the name. You are somewhat correct in the name change suggestion by the club, but that was not the whole story. Orbison probably never gave a true hoot over Vernon, regardless. The tribute was not long lived, as the statue has been vandalized, and really represents very little that anyone else would think of Roy Orbison for. I still believe it was done as a way to bring in some revenue from his fame, but who really cares? The event is still good, no matte what park it is in. The event has gotten a bit bigger. It is almost the lifeblood of the city, as there are more empty shops there and antique junk shops than there are open for business areas. Too bad the Hotter-N-Hell has never really latched on to make it a combined event. Even the carnival could add a bit to it during that time of the year. I'd be surprised to find them shucking the event anytime soon. It is indeed a real money maker for the community, and they do indeed support it. There will likely always be a few jerks who want to get some attention or even some jail time for doing stupid tricks. I can't say I ever saw any when I was attending the event. but the cops there really did a pretty good job of meeting everyone's needs; rodders and onlookers. I have to laugh (and mean that only in an ironic sense), when you mentioned 4 people sent to the hospital, as the local hospital was so mismanaged that it only had a census of about 4 people recently, for the entire hospital. Hope the injured went to Wichita Falls to get good care instead of dicking around at the Vernon hospital. Too bad it is in such a hot time of the year. I know the name fits for sure, but seems like a better time of the year could be selected. Hot does not accurately describe it in the triple digit, Texas heat of August.
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