Carrolltown Hot Rod Show

Okay, I may be mistaken when I say that there is nothing good at the Carrolltown Center. Sure, there's the ghetto K-Mart, the ghetto Dollar General, the ghetto Big Lots!, and a snowball stand. But if you like to go somewhere that doesn't appear like you're in the middle of an inner-city transient neighborhood, Carrolltown Center is NOT the place for you.

For one brief period it was different. They had a car show there over Memorial Day weekend. The event was held behind the mall. What better way to celebrate the actions of our war heroes this weekend than to go look at hot rod cars? I wouldn't be surprised to hear Glenn Beck say our soldiers died for our freedoms - like freedom to attend hot rod shows.

There were no cars in the front of the mall where the stores are located. Rarely are there ever any cars in the front of the mall. And when they are, they're mostly beaters, meaning they ain't from 'round here.

Basically these cars are some of the ones that I plan on getting when I strike it rich. Muscle cars from the late 1960's and early 1970's.

For those of you who are at least in your 30's, you'll remember when the Maryland State Police cars were beige. (if you're clueless, they are now olive with a black stripe). You may also remember when they were yellow and had that single dome light on top. This state police car is a Chevrolet Caprice Classic, somewhere in the mid-to-late 1980's.



Looks like something from the Dukes of Hazzard. It's a 1972 Dodge Polara Maryland State Police car.


Not something that you usually see at a hot rod show - a 1968 Nissan 2000.



Smokey was there, but I wasn't able to find the Bandit. But his car was definitely there. Has there ever been another movie that helped to inflate the sale of cars like Smokey and the Bandit did for the Trans Am? I would totally drive this. This was the 1979 version. I think the original Bandit was a 1977 Trans Am.



Here's the blower from a customized Ford. Pretty cool, huh? It looks a lot cooler than the blower we have at the State House. I fully expected the members of ZZ Top to jump out of this car with hot girls in bikinis.



Another fine muscle car. A 1971 Camaro Z28. This came out the year I was conceived. But I doubt it was in the back seat of this fine candy apple red car. My parents had a VW Bug and a Fiat when I was born. Whoo-hoo!


Here's another 71 Camaro. Remember when it was cool to have chrome mags?



1970 Corvette Stingray. It was for sale for only $9400. I asked my wife if I could buy it. She didn't answer me. My 3 year old daughter said she likes it because it's a little car and she likes little cars.


A 1969 Mustang Fastback. One awesome car!



Another 1969 Mustang Fastback. This is what the Mustang looked like before Ford made them to look similar again. The new Mustang sounds like, "zig-zig-zig-zig". The old one sound like "jugga-jugga-jugga-jugga-jugga".



A pair of Firebirds. The one on the left is a 1968 and the right is a 1969 (I think).



A 1969 Camaro. I really seem to like 69. It must have been a good year.



No local car show would be complete without a showing from the local fire department. Here are the apparatus of the Sykesville Freedom Fire Department.



This is the aerial ladder. They use it to put out fires in all the tall buildings in Eldersburg. If you're from Eldersburg, you get it.

Here's one of those ENCALUBMA that you see on the road. Remember when ambulances were converted vans or pickup trucks? Now they're full-sized commercial trucks.