A TIME EXISTED WHEN I WANTED nothing to do with a car show. “Go and look at old cars?” I scoffed. “Nope, not interested.”
But then I accompanied Randy to a show once and discovered that these were more than just old cars lined up for display. These vehicles represent love, devotion, passion, pride, art, memories, stories. And, yes, a form of transportation, although really that seems secondary.
What changed my mind about car shows like the recent Drag-On’s Car Club Show in Faribault? Photography. My view of an event is often shaped through the lens of my Canon DSLR. Through photography, I notice details and strive to tell a story with my images.
I am often drawn to the unusual. A plastic Jesus on the dashboard.
A plastic rat atop a rat rod.
Elvis crooning in a car.
A shiny bumper,
a unique color,
an emblem or hood ornament,
tail fins,
even rust draws my interest.
Art more than automotive focuses my attention.
I love, also, to people-watch. While I couldn’t sit for hours in a lawn chair next to a car at a car show, many do. Entire families embrace these events.
I observe genuine enthusiasm for motors, the rev of an engine, the careful restoration of a vintage vehicle.
Trophies aplenty are handed out at these shows. How do you even begin to judge the hundreds of vehicles? It seems a subjective process to me. I’d look at the artsy side with no interest in what’s under the hood. Randy, an automotive machinist who has worked on plenty of vintage vehicles, would, however, peer at engines and restoration details.
Despite our differing perspectives, Randy and I each enjoy car shows. Who would have thought I’d come full circle on this? Not me.
Please check back for more photos from the Faribo Drag-On’s annual show.
© Copyright 2018 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
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