INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Thousands turned out to the Indian River County Fairgrounds over the course of six hours at the RIDES Extravaganza to take in the sights of dozens upon dozens of vehicles spanning the gamut from the 1896 Ford Quadricycle Horseless Carriage to the 2011 Chevy Camaro.
For Tom and Betty Hernon, walking the fairgrounds brought back memories of cars from years past.
“It’s nice to see the care and attention the drivers pay to their cars,” Tom Hernon said. “They’re obviously a work of love.”
Of all the cars on display, he said his favorite by far was the 1955 Thunderbird – a car he once cherished but lost in a wreck so many years ago.
“It’s very nice looking,” he said with a twinge of longing.
Betty Hernon, however, was more interested in the 1896 Ford Horseless Carriage – a vehicle she seemed to recall her grandparents having. She said during the span of her grandparents’ lives, they went from the horseless carriage to Man on the Moon.
Others at the RIDES Extravaganza Saturday were there to create their own memories, including Cub Scouts Pack 567, which lined up along the Pinewood Derby Racetrack under the expo pavilion.
“It’s fun,” said Cub Master Marjie Hoder, keeping watch over the boys before the races began. “Cub Scouts have been doing this forever.”
She noted it seemed fitting to have the race in conjunction with the RIDES Extravaganza, given the connection with vehicles.
“It’s highly competitive,” she said of the derby races, explaining that the top three finishers from each den will compete at the district level and the top finishers there will move on to the council-level competition.
Seven-year-old Bryce Lindstadt attended the car show, not with the Scouts, but with his mom, Shannon, who shares a love of muscle cars with him.
Bryce gawked at two yellow Chevy Camaros decorated like Bumble Bee from the Transformers movies, complete with Autobot decals. He then ran to look at a few others decked out like Decepticons – also from Transformers.
Shannon Lindstadt said they came to the event to check out the muscle cars and others on display and to enjoy a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Her family has an affinity for muscle cars, owning a ’67 Baracuda and a ’69 Nova.
Lindstadt if not for work, her husband would have joined them to partake in the gawking.
Among those with cars on display and who didn’t mind the stares were Jay and Diana Howell, of Vero Beach.
The Howells brought out their 1932 Ford Victoria Street Rod, which almost didn’t make it to the show. Jay Howell explained that up until Friday, the back end of the car had been dismantled – “It was in a zillion pieces” – undergoing repairs and improvements.
“It’s a driver,” he said as a point of pride, “not a trailer queen.”
The Howells drive their Ford Victoria in parades and around town instead of towing it behind another vehicle.
Howell said the most surprising comment he had heard from passersby was their disbelief that he had a Ford engine in – of all things – a Ford Street Rod. He explained that most Hot Rods are rebuilt with Chevy engines instead of Ford.
“You always build these to your personal taste,” Howell said of restoration projects such as his 3-year endeavor with the Victoria.
For him, that means installing an automatic transmission and air conditioning.
“This is just good interaction,” he said of participating in the show.
The annual RIDES Extravaganza was held to benefit the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce.
