Coastal A's & Rods 29th annual Fun Run car show continues family tradition, instills pride
Michael Humbach cooked up food in the trunk of his great-grandfather's 1959 Ford Galaxie Fairlane 500 — a vehicle dubbed "Candy" and decorated to resemble a ’50s diner.
His great-grandfather bought the car brand new in 1959 and drove it until 1971. Humbach's father then drove the vehicle until 1983 and put it on blocks.
"I brought it down here in 2000 from Idaho, and in 2012 I restored it completely," Humbach said. "It was great."
Humbach was one of nearly 200 participants at the 29th annual Coastal A's & Rods Fun Run car show at the Atrium Hotel off Leopard Street on Saturday.
The free event featured classic cars and trucks, food, drinks, T-shirts, local vendors, a silent auction and raffles for prizes. President of Coastal A's and Rods Bill Boeker said proceeds would be donated to local charities including the Purple Door.
"We've been doing this for 29 years, and we're still going strong," Boeker said. "We've had kids come here, grow up and have their own kids and bring them out. It's great to see that tradition continuing."
Boeker said nearly 200 vehicles were registered to compete for Best of Show and the top 50 cars.
Evan Pruski entered his 1970 Ford Mustang Coupe, which he and his dad built about seven years ago, in the car show.
"My parents taught me everything I know about cars," Pruski said. "Between my mom and dad, we have four other classic cars. I grew up around this. It's really fun to hang out and share memories on these beauties here."
Cindy Carson echoed Pruski's words and said car shows are "a great way to meet great people."
"We're bringing attention to Memorial Day and honoring the veterans today," Carson said as she finished wiping down her 1979 Pontiac Trans Am. "We appreciate the quality, look and dedication people put in to restore them."
Restoring classic cars is something that gives Humbach takes with pride.
"These classics are going to museums, getting lost, and no one will be able to drive them," Humbach said. "The cars here, people can actually rebuild and work on. Kids can learn how engines work and how it gets put together."
Humbach said teaching children about rebuilding vehicles is a good learning opportunity.
"When a father is raising his son, he should buy a classic and they can have a great bonding opportunity to rebuild it," Humbach said. "The son will realize how much work it takes to put in and they learn responsibility. It instills pride in them and makes them become a better person."
The car show ends at Sunday with the awards to be announced at noon.
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John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Contact him at john.oliva@caller.com or Twitter @johnpoliva. Consider supporting local journalism with a subscription to the Caller-Times.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Coastal A's & Rods Fun Run car show continues family tradition
