This Ford F-100 was so clean you would think it was an '05 model.
Whitesburg, Kentucky, is a small, quiet town. When an event as big as this year's Heritage Show rolls in featuring customs from all over the region, the whole town gets involved. On the Friday before the show, every sign in town said, "Welcome Heritage 2K4." It was going to be a good weekend.
Things kicked off around 7 p.m. Friday when the police-led cruise left the hotel and headed toward Main Street, where the whole town was waiting to check things out. Some of the streets in town were renamed (with actual street signs) after clubs that got the top club participation trophies at the 2003 show. Once the long line of show participants was led up Main Street and in front of the court house, there was a huge sign that read "Drag Here." People were encouraged to drag, do burnouts, and even do doughnuts in front of the courthouse. You heard correctly, it was all police-encouraged. After everything wound down on Main Street, the crowd headed back to the hotel, where dragging continued well into morning. A state trooper unaware of the events wound up pulling over a dragger, but after realizing the situation, hung out and even posed for picture with a club plaque in his driver-side window. Seems kind of odd that the cops were helping everyone enjoy the show, but it's true.
The show started around 9 a.m. Saturday with a huge line of participants anxious to get in. Throughout the day, the custom rides kept pouring in as the judges made their rounds. Allen Williams from Drop Mob brought out his primered righthand-drive Nissan that seemed to keep a constant crowd around it. Tim Hoskins rolled out his copper, body-dropped Mazda that was taken out of the paint booth at 11:30 p.m. the night before. Talk about close.
The Truckin' Magazine Choice award wound up going to Glen and Patricia Overstreet with their '39 Studebaker kit truck, while Best of Show went to Brian Brubaker and his stock floor body-dropped and suicided Tacoma from Negative Camber in Tennessee.
Plans for next year's show are already in the works. Once again, it's scheduled for the weekend after Labor Day. As for location, that's still up in the air. Organizers are looking to move to a bigger location, but don't worry, the show will stay in Whitesburg. This is an event you need to add to your calendar. Where else can you legally drag in front of a cop and do burnouts in front of the courthouse? For more information, check out www.heritageshow.com.