Wednesday car show at West Ashley barbecue joint finds its comfort zoneBy Jim Parker
The Post and Courier
Saturday, March 14, 2009
The Post and Courier Dan and Lynda Perrin's brightly-colored, flame-decaled 1940 Chevrolet truck fronts the Bessinger's BBQ sign at the Savannah Highway eatery's monthly car show March 4.
The Post and Courier This 1941 Chevy pickup came from a horse farm in upstate New York. Owner Jeff Madden of North Charleston displayed the truck at the first-of-the-year Bessinger's car show last Wednesday.
The Post and Courier A red and white interior is one highlight of Buddy Gantt's 1959 Ford Fairlane Skyliner convertible. Recession or no, some events are institutions. They occur rain or shine, year after year and draw steady interest. On the old car scene, Bessinger's Car, Truck & Motorcycle Show could be considered such a gathering. Every first Wednesday from March to November, you can be sure old vehicles will be on display 6-9 p.m. on a big field and parking lot beside Bessinger's Bar-B-Q on Savannah Highway. To be sure, the weeknight event technically is not the first car show of the year in the Charleston area. And it's hardly the only show for 2009; there are dozens of others. It's not even the only car cruise at a Bessinger's each month - the restaurant's Summerville outlet hosts one. But just as the President throwing out the first pitch for the Major League Baseball season is mostly symbolic any more, the West Ashley open car show gets widespread credit as an unofficial kickoff to the weekly car show season, whether or not it's the first event. "We had about 80 (cars, trucks and cycles)," said Tom Jameson, longtime show organizer. "We probably had 20 new vehicles we never had before." Even with a new crop of vehicles, there's a comfortable predictability to the show. Cars are typically parked by brand or age, so it's not hard to spot the regular contingent of 'Vettes, Mustangs, early model Buicks, Fords, Chevys and Dodges, boat sized Cadillacs, and '30s style street rods. The city of Charleston's vintage close-to-70-year-old police car is a common sight as is an antique fire truck from the North Charleston-American LaFrance Museum. There's typically a small but loyal band of motorcyclists on hand. Wearing a ball cap, the burly Jameson shuttles through the crowd, checking on how the show is proceeding. All the while, the "house band" Cruise-O-Matics cranks out classic 50s, 60s and 70s rockers. The struggling economy didn't seem to impact the March kickoff show, according to eventgoers and organizers. "With the old cars, it's a hobby," said car enthusiast Hugh Hiott, who drove a 1924 Model T Ford. "A lot of people are still building their cars," Jameson said. Reach Jim Parker at 937-5542 or jparker@postandcourier.com Copyright © 1995 - 2010 Evening Post Publishing Co.. |
