Drive memory lane at monthly classic cars meetup in Burnet
DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE STAFF
BURNET — Even the string of new cars tucked under the lights of the Cecil Atkission Motors dealership seemed to know these automobiles were something special. The new cars appeared to have pulled back to make room for the three rows of their elder relations.
“Yeah, there’s just something about one of these cars,” said Horseshoe Bay resident D.D. Pelham, standing next to his bright red 1960 Chevy Impala. A pair of red, fuzzy dice danced from below the rearview mirror. “When one of these goes down the road, you turn and look.”
On March 7, with 36 classic cars stretching up and down several rows at Cecil Atkission, lots of people craned their necks to get better looks. The event, called Friday Night Fever, returns to the Burnet car lot the first Friday of the month when members of the Lake Area Rods and Classics get together to show off their vehicles.
“This is called a ‘show and shine,'” club president Shirley Anderson said. “It’s an opportunity to get the cars out, get the dust off them and just get out. We enjoy being together as a club because we all have these cars in common.”
It’s hard to imagine much dust settles on any of the polished automobiles.
Anderson and her husband, Tom, brought their 1957 Chevy.
“It’s been completely refurbished, with some improvements,” Tom Anderson explained.
The improvements include a 350 engine, modern air-conditioning, automatic overdrive transmission and a larger motor. All, he said, contribute to the Chevy’s pleasant cruising experience. It’s one of 15 classic cars the Andersons have at home.
“I fell in love with these cars in high school, and I never grew up,” he said with a grin.
Up and down the line, the story is about the same. The classic car lovers either had one, built one or saw one during their high school years and just never could shake the experience. The classics just have a way of getting into a person’s heart and never letting go.
“I feel like I’m 18 and bulletproof again,” Pelham said. “I think we love these cars because they put us back in that life we loved. I had one (in high school), and we’d go to the drive-in, and we’d sneak three or four (people) in the trunk. These cars just do that to you. Plus, they just don’t make cars like this anymore.”
Down a few cars, Bob and Vee Brown show off their 1934 Ford three-window coupe. It screams hot rod from the chassis to hood. Tucked inside is a 350 Chevy engine, definitely not stock, but very little is on the vehicle. Hot rods are a part of the American story, and this car is a chapter onto itself.
Bob Brown bought the car fully built and restored from a man in Oklahoma who spent three-and-a-half years building it.
Brown, like the other club members, has always felt a connection with the classic cars and hot rods. He spent his high school years trying to keep one together.
“When I was growing up, I had a couple of hot rods,” he said. “But I ‘poor-boyed’ it. It was tough keeping them up and running when you don’t have any money. So I told myself, when I got the opportunity to get another one, I wanted one I could enjoy.”
Still, he and his wife have put more money into the coupe, adding their own touches and putting their style into it.
And it’s not just a guy thing. The women enjoy the classics just as much as the men.
“I’ve always loved these cars,” Shirley Anderson said. “I’m lucky that I found someone who does, too.”
She described Lake Area Rods and Classics as a couple’s club because the husbands and wives all enjoy getting together, going for drives and just basking in the experience of the classics.
“Our club is very active, and it’s a great group of people,” Pelham said. “We love going to shows and just talking cars.”
The club meets 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month at the Marble Falls Public Library, 101 Main St. in Marble Falls. Friday Night Fever is 5-7 p.m. the first Friday of the month at Cecil Atkission Motors, 2601 S. Water St. (U.S. 281) in Burnet.
“As the weather warms up, we’ll probably have some barbecue out here and, possibly, some live music as well,” Anderson said. “The days will be a bit longer, too, then.”
But the big event for the club is April 26, when the Lake Area Rods & Classics’ annual car show returns to Cecil Atkission Motors. Club members anticipate more than 100 classic cars (not including their own) rolling into town for the judged show. The event starts at 8 a.m. with awards handed out at 3 p.m.
The proceeds benefit local children’s charities, including the Cherokee Children’s Home and the Boys & Girls Club of the Highland Lakes.
As the light faded on the latest Friday Night Fevers, each couple headed to their classic car. Then, several turned north on U.S. 281 before heading west on Texas 29 for dinner at Cafe 29.
“Yeah, we love to go out to eat together, too,” Tom Anderson added. “There’s nothing like cruising through town in these cars.”
Go to lakearearodsandclassics.com for more information.
daniel@thepicayune.com