Graphite gray over red paint made Karl Cozad's 1954 Chevy 210 sedan stand out. The grille bar got some extra teeth and the lowered stance and modern graphite-spoked mag wheels make the Kansas City, Mo., cruiser even more memorable.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
There were some serious performance cars on hand, like Larry Crider's wicked-sounding '58 Pontiac two-door. Huge exhaust pipes exit just ahead of the fat rear tires on the car from Sapulpa, Okla.
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Who said Mavericks couldn't be great street cruisers? Whoever it was, John Scott of Ottawa proved them dead wrong with his beautifully detailed 1971 Grabber.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The Main Street cruise wasn't the only time car show spectators got to see cool rides in action. At any given moment, there were slow-rolling parades like this one going on as participants cruised the park, checking out other cars.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Gene Beach's 1961 Pontiac 2-door hardtop, finished in a glowing rose color, is at home in Mission, Kan. Check out those wide whitewalls and the great Pontiac 10-bolt factory wheels.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Another interior to make you swoon -- the leather-wrapped cockpit of Mitchell York's 1933 Chrysler street rod from Claremore, Okla. Note the beautiful dash insert with modern white-faced gauges.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
At first glance, this looked like someone clowning around in a Rat Fink mask, getting in some early trick-or-treating. It turned out it was a mannequin strategically positioned for maximum spectator effect.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Radiator? We don't need no stinkin' radiator. Bob Turnbull of Rushville, Mo., built his '40 Chevy hot rod around a 5-cylinder Deutsch air-cooled industrial engine.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
One of the highlights of the Ol' Marais River Run is the Saturday evening cruise along Ottawa's Main Street. The street was lined with parked show cars and spectators as literally hundreds of car show participants showed off their rides in a constantly moving parade of colors and sound.
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Vickie Lewis, another Liberty, Mo., resident, put her 1966 Fairlane hardtop right down on the ground for display purposes.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A really rare sight on display at Ottawa's Forest Park was this fine 1938 Ford 4-door soft-top, owned by Pete Mustain of Olathe.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Ron Modlin spent a good part of the day cruising the park in his homemade 1923 Model T, powered by a heavy-duty lawn-mower engine. The steering wheels in front of the kids were for display purposes only.
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Steve Naill's bright white '48 Anglia rolled in for the Ol' Marais River Run from El Dorado. The mini-mechanic underneath it was just a show prop.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Downtown Ottawa was alive with hot rods and pre-1972 custom cars, with Main Street blocked off for the evening cruise.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The entry form identified Bob Bingham's truck as a 1957 White, but it seemed to have a little bit of everything on it. Bingham is from Meriden, Kan.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
One of the more unusual machines attracting interest at the Ottawa show was Brent Mathis' 1948 Willys Jeep. The hometown machine had shed its military look in favor of a stretched frame and a 455 Buick V-8 mated to a 350 TurboHydramatic transmission.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Another well-executed Oklahoma car was Bill York's sweet 1932 Chevy street rod. The Catoosa car builder kept things simple and clean with chrome hood vents and a vivid orange paint job.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Larry Hall of Emporia built this nicely detailed old-school hot rod and added some red primer patina showing through the gloss black paint. Note the classic raked Duvall windshield and the 3-deuce carb setup with rear-facing air stacks.
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John Brown's flamed early 1930s Ford pickup from Bixby, Okla., warmed up spectators strolling the seemingly endless lines of cars on a cool, overcast morning.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Benny and Opal Hoke of Independence, Mo., appeared prepared to either cruise or entertain folks with their beautiful two-toned 1934 Plymouth coupe and a matching Coca-Cola trailer.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Another local car was this nicely executed custom '51 Ford Victoria, which had been treated to a host of styling treatments, not the least of which was the top, which had been chopped 2-3/4 inches. Ron Renoe said every piece of trim on the hardtop had to be modified to accommodate the lowered lid.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
There aren't many 1960 Pontiac Bonneville hardtops around these days and few of them look any sleeker than this lavender-colored custom owned by Jim Beem and Bev Cox of Archie, Mo.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Another bigger-than-life street rod on display was Stephen York's deep, deep blue 1933 Chrysler coupe. York brought the Chrysler, which boasts wire wheels, fender mounted spare and chrome hood vents, from Catoosa, Okla.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Howard Whitley's immaculate 1956 Pontiac Safari wagon stopped more than a few folks in their tracks with its eye-catching color combination. Whitley hails from Excelsior Springs, Mo.
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Big wheels tucked up under its fenders and bathed in a bright lime green and black paint scheme, Anna Bunyard's 1934 Ford 3-window coupe makes an impressive sight on the show field. She brought the slick machine up from Collinsville, Okla.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
If metalflake gets you revved up, then Chris and Sabrina Huskey's super-sparkly green and white '59 El Camino was a fine focal point, inside and out, at Forest Park. They are local street rodders from Ottawa.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Vince Venier's 1967 Plymouth Barracuda was super smooth and shifted colors subtly in different light, thanks to its pearl paint job. Vince and his car hail from Liberty, Mo.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The overall view of John Brown's Ford pickup reveals the contrast between the subdued gray paint and the wild multi-colored flame job rolling back from its nose.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Jeff Araiza of Topeka also brought a chopped '34 Ford 3-window to Ottawa for the 3-day event.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Dave Tallant's flamed black Willys from Kansas City, Mo., sounded as good as it looked, and it looked great cruising over the bridge that fed cars into the park.
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This red-and-taupe colored '37 Ford Tudor belongs to Marc and Kerry Saladiner of Broken Arrow, Okla. It was another standout among a sea of outstanding cars at the Ottawa event.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The deep blue paint on Brian Hiestand's gorgeous 1936 Plymouth coupe was stunning, as was the beautiful buckskin-colored leather interior. Hiestand came to Ottawa from Kansas City, Mo.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Dennis Bunyard of Collinsville, Okla. applied the two-tone scheme to his 1940 Ford Tudor, choosing vivid red and classic black. Using a Standard model grille, he blacked it out, too.
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Steven and Ba Lutz drove their beautiful burgundy 1963 Fairlane sport coupe down from Topeka to take part in the 25th anniversary festivities.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
David Hastings of Carbondale showed off the eye-grabbing pearl orange paint scheme and the huge, fully detailed supercharger that juts up through the hood of his 1964 Chevy Malibu.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Here's a closer look at the beautifully finished interior in Brian Hiestand's Kansas City-based '36 Plymouth coupe. The smell of fresh leather was almost intoxicating.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A "phantom" vehicle, B.J. Love's 4-door 1-1/2-ton '34 Ford truck was a body style that never existed back in the day. The Broken Arrow, Okla., truck features some of the longest running boards ever bolted onto a vehicle.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
One of the most intimidating looking cars at the show was this jet black 1964 Galaxie 500XL with big 5-spoke wheels and a classic teardrop hood scoop. Ottawa resident Eric Yohe showed the fastback off proudly.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Looking almost bone-stock, Rex Kirkland's white 1955 Buick Special had some mechanical upgrades, including a 350 Chevy V-8 under the hood. The car had only a short jaunt to the show, as Kirkland is another Ottawa car guy.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Parked beneath the boughs of a stately tree, Brett Schreiber's '36 Ford street rod was the picture of refinement. Schreiber brought the 5-window coupe in from Independence, Mo.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A silver and black paint scheme highlights the swoopy lines of Don and Michelle Kile's Kansas City, Mo.-based 1960 Buick.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A beautifully executed mild custom, Tom Whorton's 1946 Ford Tudor features white scallops and red body work. The car calls Prue, Okla., home.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Neal Miller, one of the Misfits members, didn't spare the flames after his '51 Ford Tudor was covered in black primer.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Dressed out in classic black, with a tan leather interior, Mitchell York's 1933 Chrysler from Claremore, Okla., was one of the more unusual choices for a street rod to be found at the Ol' Marais River Run. It generated more than its share of appreciative looks during the event.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Hailing from Paola, Ted and Katy Hoffman's nifty 1956 Chevy Handyman wagon was the only one of its kind spotted at Ottawa.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Jerry Alcorn of Herington motored to Ottawa in style behind the wheel of his fine two-tone '49 Hudson sedan.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The Misfits Car Club, Midwest division, staked out its own display area in the park. The club dates clear back to 1958.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
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