A Frog of a Different Color
One weekend while my husband
and I were out and about in our fancy mini-van I noticed several street rods
and classic cars out on the roads. “Is it Frog Follies time again?” I asked.
“No,” he replied, “That’s just Evansville
on a weekend.”
He’s right. And I, for one, love living in a city where
people take their classic cars seriously. Hardly a weekend goes by in the
summertime without a cruise-in happening somewhere, and I wouldn’t be surprised
if Evansville
wasn’t the world’s top consumer of fuzzy dice. But by far the most anticipated
event of the car aficionado has to be The Frog Follies.
The Frog Follies is put on by the E’ville Iron Street Rod
Club and is now in its 33rd year.
Not just any cruise-in, the Frog Follies has strict guidelines for
participants. For a vehicle to qualify as a street rod it must have been
manufactured before 1949. In addition,
the car or truck must have some sort of modification to the vehicle that was
not available to the car from the factory such as a larger engine or a
customized paint job, or custom wheels and body parts. Street Rods typically
have a rounded appearance and are often very brightly colored, and they can
resemble our amphibian friends in auto form.
“It’s the love you get for a particular style of
automobile. Frog Follies is for Hot Rod style cars, but some people get
involved in antiques or classics. I guess it goes back to the 40s and 50s when
you fixed up the car you had to drive and you just keep loving it,” states Bob
Bell about the 33rd Annual Frog Follies held every August in Evansville. “I love to
fix them up and sell them, some people just want to buy the car already done.
It’s all a personal thing.”
No mere car show, the Frog Follies is a charitable
powerhouse. All the proceeds generated from the event go
to “numerous charities and student scholarships which help local students get
into some aspect of the automotive industry and technologies,” according to http://frogfollies.org. In addition to viewing the magnificent street rods, folks
can enjoy reasonably priced food and shop for related merchandise as well as
enjoy a swap meet.
The Frog Follies takes place on the Vanderburgh County 4-H fairgrounds on August 22, 23
and 24. Spectators are welcome to attend between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:00
pm Friday and Saturday, and 8:00 am to 2:00 pm Sunday. Cost for those 12 and
older is $5, children under 12 are free.
Keep your eyes peeled around town that week, when the
streets of Evansville
will be filled with a sea of rainbow-hued blasts from the past bedecked with
glitter and lighting bolts, and see if it doesn’t whet your appetite for more.
If so, you know where to go!
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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday
10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Concessions Stands Open
8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Registration at the Fairgrounds
8:00 a..m. to 4:30 p.m. Swap Meet &
Women's World Open
Saturday
7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Concessions Stands Open
8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Registration at the Fairgrounds
8:00 a.m. to?? Show &
Shine at the Fairgrounds
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Swap
Meet & Women's World Open
Sunday
7:30 a.m. to ?? Concessions
Stands Open
8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Registration at the Fairgrounds
8:00 a.m. to ?? Show &
Shine at the Fairgrounds
8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Swap
Meet & Women's World Open
10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Church Services
2:00 p.m. Awards in the Grandstand
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