The Frog Follies roll (hop?) into town this weekend. Here are 5 things to know.

Donna Stinnett
·4 min read

EVANSVILLE − Later this week as August wraps up, local roads and the parking lots of hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues will be swarmed with a rainbow of vintage vehicles that have cruised into town for Frog Follies.

Surely you’ve noticed it before since the nation’s largest independent pre-1949 Street Rod event has been taking place since 1975.

But just in case, here are five things to know about the Frog Follies.

The basics

This year’s event is set for Aug. 25-27 at the Vanderburgh 4-H Center off Boonville-New Harmony Road. It is the 48th-annual event, and organizers are expecting approximately 3,000 registered vehicles from all over the United States.

Frog Follies is hosted by E’ville Iron Street Rods Ltd., a club of street rod enthusiasts. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 25-26, and 8 a.m. to noon on Sunday, Aug. 27.

Admission for spectators is $7, free for ages 12 and younger. What activities take place at Frog Follies? In addition to the enormous — and popular — car show, the event features several things that both registered participants and spectators look forward to.

  • In the large Swap Meet and vendors area you can find classic automotive parts, new parts, vintage signs, tools, and even cars for sale — essentially everything you need to build your own street rod or outfit your “man cave.”

  • The Women’s World shopping experience in the Activities Center offers 70 booths of local artisans and crafters with woodcrafts, clothing, jewelry, quilts, floral arrangements, candles, soaps, pottery, home and garden decor, artwork, holiday decorations, candy and snacks.

  • There’s food concessions, Frog Follies memorabilia, Frog Follies Run T-Shirts.

  • Some events are reserved for registered participants including a Friday Night Boogie Bash Street Dance, Saturday Night Dance with The Duke Boys and games for children and adults that include such things as valve cover and oil pan races, trike races, TP toss and frog races.

Attendees marvel at a car and masked passenger driving through the 2019 Frogs Follies.
Attendees marvel at a car and masked passenger driving through the 2019 Frogs Follies.

So what is a 'street rod?'

A street rod is a passenger car or truck manufactured before 1949 that has been modified in some way such as modernization to the engine, transmission or interior.

According to the Frog Follies web site, frogfollies.org, 1948 was the end of a specific body-style era. The E’ville Iron Street Rods Ltd. got its start when a few enthusiasts advertised in the local newspaper that they were going to gather one Sunday afternoon at Wesselman Woods Park to “talk cars” and swap stories.

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About 30 car owners showed up and the organization (as well as the event that would eventually become known as Frog Follies) was launched.

Where did the Frog Follies name come from?

As the Der E’ville Iron Street Rod Fest, as it was originally called, grew from the 50 street rods in 1975 to what it is today, the club decided to rebrand the event to attract more car enthusiasts and spectators.

After some brainstorming, they settled on naming it after a signature activity that dates to Year One: A bullfrog-jumping contest.

Who benefits from the event?

In addition to an influx of tourism dollars across the region at hotels and other hospitality outlets, the event has donated more than $2 million to local charities since it began.

The planning organization also has provided scholarships to Tri-State high school graduates pursuing careers in the automotive industry to help continue street rod interest in future generations.

“We give most of our proceeds to a lot of good charities,” said Pete Swaim, a retired Vanderburgh County sheriff’s deputy who originally became familiar with Frog Follies through event security and later “got the bug” and started working on his own car, a reproduction of a 1933 Ford.

Stuffed frogs are displayed on a car during the 2022 Frog Follies at the Vanderburgh County 4-H Center.
Stuffed frogs are displayed on a car during the 2022 Frog Follies at the Vanderburgh County 4-H Center.

“Fortunately for us, the charities to which we donate also provide a lot of volunteers to put on the event. There’s no way we could do it on our own.”

Swaim said street rod enthusiasts who come from near and far are beneficiaries because of the the low registration fee for a weekend’s worth of entertainment, which is $30 after July 1 and discounted before then.

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Registrations are now closed for 2023

Registered participants are treated to exclusive events, including a dinner on Saturday evening before the complimentary concert.

“We do it because it’s fun for us. The people who come also think it’s fun since they keep coming back,” Swaim said. “Every one of the cars is totally unique. It’s each guy’s ideas of what looks good — what color, what hardware, what engine.”

“Many participants tell us it’s the best show they go to, and we’re proud of that,” he added.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Evansville's Frog Follies are this weekend at Vanderburgh 4-H Center