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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Car lovers cruise to Post Falls

Annual event features cruisers, antiques, street racers, restored classics and more

“I just cruised in from Missoula,” Jeff Stevens said Friday while waiting to register his 1960 Ford Thunderbird in the River City Rod Run in Post Falls.  (Brian Plonka / The Spokesman-Review)
Carley Dryden Staff writer

Dave and Shirley Rowe have had one thing their entire 49-year marriage: a 1956 Chevy.

“It was the car he had when we were first married,” Shirley Rowe said, peeking out the passenger seat of their latest Chevy, a dark red and white Bel Air. It’s the color her husband wanted when he bought his first ’56 Chevy, but he had to settle for black and white back then.

The Rowes waited in line to cruise the streets of Post Falls on Friday, as part of the 11th Annual River City Rod Run that continues today. It’s the fifth time the Darby, Mont., couple has showed the car, which they’ve had since 2000, to the Idaho public.

Three hundred cars and more than 10,000 people are expected to come out to the hot rod event, said Rob Elder, longtime owner of Hot Rod Café, the event location. The Rod Run brings together one of the area’s largest collections of motorcycles, street rods, antiques and custom cars and features hot rod cruises, a bike stunt show, burn-out contests, concerts and more.

Elder, the proud owner of a 1932 Ford High Boy (candy apple red with silver flames) and a 1973 Jeep CJ5 (gold and yellow pearl with pinstripe flames), said in addition to hot rods and hot dogs, “hot chicks” are on the agenda. The Ms. Hot Rod contest, with judging based on personality, figure and audience opinion, will take place at 9 p.m. today.

“It’s a choreographed event, not just a dirty wet T-shirt contest,” Elder assured.

Today at 3:30 p.m., the air will fill with smoke during the Burn Out championships, in which contestants aim to lock their front brakes and flood the air with the smell of burned rubber.

“People burn their tires off until they explode,” Elder said.

Although 800 hot rods entered the event in 2004, 300 cars are entered this year. Elder said in the past bigger bands such as Sugarloaf, Eddie Money and Joan Jett headlined and brought more crowds to Greyhound Park in Post Falls. Now it has a more local feel with local bands such as this year’s headliner, Rock Bottom.

“It’s in the heart of the city now and everyone loves it,” he said. “It’s become a free community event.”

Elder said one of the great things about hot rods is people can restore the cars they had as teenagers, which is when Mark Spence started paying for his jet black 1967 Ford Shelby Mustang, appropriately named “Shelby.”

“I’ve never allowed a girlfriend or wife to take her from me,” he said, resting against the car’s doorframe.

He started paying for the car as a high school sophomore in 1972. For him, Shelby, who can go from 0 to 100 and back in 17 seconds, is not for show; it’s meant for the open road.

“I drive it as much as I can depending on the weather,” he said. “It’s a time machine. I can get in it and go anywhere.”

Brian Kosomen’s souped-up 2006 Dodge Magnum, however, is used to the show circuit. It’s been to Las Vegas and Canada to display its vertical doors, nitrous tank, lowered body and added exhaust. “(Hot rodding) is just another way to express yourself,” said Kosomen, of Coeur d’Alene.