This year’s Leadsled was truly Spectacular

Every year, car folks look forward to the Leadsled Spectacular in Salina, one of the great Midwest car shows. They know they will be seeing old friends, favorite cars and just-completed projects. There’s drag racing to be enjoyed, period-themed concerts, a great swap meet full of old car parts and the chance to see skilled craftsmen ply their trade, chopping tops and customizing old, plain cars into things of beauty.

If there is any bit of uncertainty involved, it has to do with the weather. Will it be another withering 105 degree day when you visit? Kansas in July can be a bit on the warm side, you know.

This year, blistering heat wasn’t a factor and the crowds that jammed the streets of Oakdale Park took full advantage of it.

I followed two brothers, good friends of mine, up to the show. They were in a real old-school hot rod, a flathead-powered ’31 Ford coupe in full patina. I had considered taking one of our old cars, but at the last minute, decided I would need my little pickup so I could pick up a chair and foot stool my wife had bought.

We joked that I could pick up any parts that fell off the hot rod and return them. Turned out, not a problem.

I did lose track of the guys for a couple of hours and you know what? That’s okay. I made the rounds, shooting photos and getting owner information for today’s Wheels page. I talked with buddies and reminisced about those who were not there this year, as they have attended their last Leadsled Spectacular.

And I did catch up with my buddies before it was time for me to go.

But mostly I enjoyed the fellowship of gear heads, catching up on the goings-on out in their garages late at night, when illumination is provided by welders piecing steel together.

I was knocked out by Lori Ryan’s stunning candy apple gold 1949 Cadillac convertible from Ninety Six, S.C. The clean design and outstanding execution of the build were amazing. Another guy stood beside me and marveled at the car. He would walk away a few feet, then come back over and make another admiring remark.

So thank you to the weather forecasters, for whatever role they played in making this year’s Leadsled truly spectacular. And thank you to Jerry and DeVona Titus, the folks who have devoted their lives to keeping the custom car world alive and healthy by producing these shows.

For anyone who missed it, here’s a sampling of photos from this year’s event. More photos and a couple of videos can be found at www.kanas.com.

This story was originally published August 3, 2017 at 6:55 PM with the headline "This year’s Leadsled was truly Spectacular."