Over the past few years the Shades of the Past Road Tour has become one of the most popular tours of the summer. Held every year on the Friday and Saturday after Labor Day, the Hot Rod Roundup itself has become one of the most popular rod runs in the country. It combines a great location at Dollywood Splash Country in Pigeon Forge and a high caliber of vehicles in attendance. This season it has also become home to STREET RODDER magazine’s Triple Crown of Rodding Presented by Painless Performance Products, which takes the quality of vehicles in attendance to another level.
The Shades Tour kicked off in Nashville with a short drive to Rattletrap Productions to meet Stacey David and see where his popular Gearz TV show is produced. It was then onto the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green. We wrapped up our first day at Antique Archeology to see some treasures from the popular American Pickers cable show.
Sunday was an open day with many Road Tourians heading to downtown Music City and a look at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The honky tonks of historic Broadway were also the destination of many of the participants. Labor Day Monday we visited the Lane Motor Museum to see their wide-ranging collection of vehicles. We continued onto the Frist Center for the Visual Arts where we viewed the vintage Italian vehicles in the Bellissima exhibit that was put together under the guidance of hot rod enthusiast Ken Gross. Our Labor Day wrapped up with a cookout put together by Kerry and Beverly Faqua at our headquarters, Hyatt Place Opryland hotel.
Tuesday morning it was time to head out from Nashville and make our way to Pigeon Forge and the Shades of the Past Hot Round Roundup. We made a lunch stop at Coker in Chattanooga and were greeted by Corky Coker himself. We were treated to a great meal and got a chance to get an up-close look at Corky’s fantastic collection of vehicles and collectibles. We also got a behind-the-scenes look at the huge Coker facility, which now includes Wheel Vintiques in its ever-expanding line of products. Thanks to the entire Coker team for a great visit in Chattanooga.
The fun continued on Wednesday as we traveled north from Pigeon Forge to Knoxville and the new home of Lokar. Owners Skip and Debbie Walls have a very special bond with the Road Tour program. Lokar is the only company that has had its products on every Road Tour car since the beginning in 1996. After a great lunch we got a guided tour of their fantastic new facility. Wednesday evening we were guests of honor at the home of Bob and Sandy Millard in Seymour, Tennessee. Bob is the general manager of the International Show Car Association and he and Sandy are hard-core hot rodders. It was a fun evening at their beautiful home. Thanks to Bob and Sandy for hosting such a wonderful evening.
Thursday we took a beautiful drive across the Smoky Mountains through Gatlinburg and onto Maggie Valley. Our destination was the amazing Wheels Through Time Museum, featuring vintage Harley-Davidson, Indian, and other American-made motorcycles. Wheels Through Time is a one-of-a-kind facility. It features motorcycles and exhibits that make it one of the greatest motorcycle museums in the country. Recently the museum and owner Dale Walksler have become nationally known for their segments on the American Restoration TV show.
The 2016 edition of the Shades of the Past Hot Rod Roundup opened on Friday morning with perfect weather and huge crowds. The quality of all the registered vehicles is amazing. The inaugural Triple Crown of Rodding Presented by Painless Performance Products brought out the best of the best. By Saturday afternoon the winners were chosen and were on display for everyone to appreciate. It was a great two days at the Hot Rod Roundup and a great week on the Shades of the Past Road Tour. We will definitely be back again for the 35th edition, as the Shades Tour will start in Charlotte and the Vintage Air Tour will start in San Antonio, Texas, and both will converge on Pigeon Forge for the Hot Rod Roundup.
Seymor, TN. Bob is the general manager of the International Show Car Association. Sandy and Bob treated us to some delicious food and a wonderful evening.
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