This post documents my experience on August 25, 2012.
The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, known more commonly as the Shriners, was established in 1870 in Manhattan when some Masons wanted a new fraternity with less ritual and more fun.
This idea would eventually translate into driving undersized cars at city parades…
…pushing the limits of coulrophobia for children everywhere…
…and hosting an occasional festival.
Incorporating an interesting festival theme with a car show, the Hillbilly Festival and Classic Car Show took place at the Al Koran Shrine Center….
…where the large festival parking lot was deceiving…
…since small, medium…
…and large cars alike…
…couldn’t park to save their lives.
But with that now out of my system, I’ll happily redirect…
…especially since the car show had plenty of great cars to talk about!
Including tons of classic…
…nostalgic…
…and souped-up cars…
…what I loved about the car show was all the creative vehicle decor…
…including hardcore chickens…
…Pabst Blue Ribbon taps…
…hillbilly scenery…
…and horror fun galore…
…quite a bit of horror fun!
In the midst of the car show, there were two outdoor vendor sections…
…offering restoration services (Seme & Son)…
…automotive nostalgia…
…plenty of parts…
…and even the opportunity to haggle.
Between these two wings, there was also an indoor vendor area…
…where you could find a variety of used books…
…more car nostalgia…
…and plenty of Ghoulardi memorabilia.
As festival goers looked at cars and shopped around…
…musical entertainers played from their trailer beds…
…or in pavilions…
…creating the perfect ambiance for diners at the pavilion’s Roadkill Cafe…
…or the nearby hot dog and pizza stands.
Meanwhile, volunteers helped out with that hillbilly theme….
…dressing the part at the info booth…
…zipping around on a mini scooter car…
…pedaling an outhouse bike…
…and raffling off an awesome wagon-o-booze…
…which I actually could have used…
…after visiting the Beer Garden…
…and dealing with some coulrophobia of my own.