Leadsled Spectacular gets great conditions

No matter how hot the weather, a park full of cool cars always satisfies those whose tastes run from the wildest customs to traditional hot rods and street machines.

And this year’s 36th annual Leadsled Spectacular in Salina, produced and presented by the Kustom Kemps of America, was no exception. Make no mistake, it was warm. Just not late July Kansas warm, as in 110 degrees.

Cooler temps and light breezes made for more pleasant strolling along Oakdale Park’s gently winding streets, where an estimated 2,000 cars were on display, and for more impressive performances at the East Crawford Recreation Area where the entertaining Run What Ya Brung drag races were staged.

There were some notable machines on hand, including the famous Munster Koach and Grandpa’s Dragula coffin car from the TV series. Butch Patrick, who portrayed young Eddie Munster, was also there, signing autographs and greeting fans of the show.

There were a couple of major voids, though. George Barris, King of the Kustomizers, creator of the Ala Kart and the TV Batmobile, was missing, as was Bill Hines, the cigar-chomping top-chopper who dazzled builders with his skills at yearly demonstrations of his art in the park.

Barris passed away last November at the age of 90, and Hines died in May this year at the ripe old age of 94. Their impact on the custom car world will long be honored. “Voodoo Larry” Grobe of Schaumburg, Ill., did just that, by displaying his Voodoo Sahara creation, a tribute to an earlier Barris build.

“George and Bill will definitely be missed. They did set the standard for the custom car world,” said Jerry Titus, founder of KKOA and the Leadsled Spectacular.

He said fortunately that the younger generation, like Mitch Hines, who displayed Bill Hines’ Li’l Bat show car at this year’s event, will be carrying on the legacy left by the pioneers.

Titus didn’t have final car count numbers when this was written, but said he was sure it was well above 2,000 vehicles, noting that parking had been expanded to accommodate the entries. Two new events, a custom car/hot rod auction, and a vintage market featuring vendors adjacent to the show grounds, helped attract more spectators to the five-day show.

As usual, we took the Wheels page’s digital cameras, as well as a nifty little GoPro video camera to the events in an effort to capture a bit of the atmosphere for readers who couldn’t make it to the Leadsled action. The printed page will only hold so much, so go to Kansas.com for more photos and videos.

Maybe next year, we’ll see you there.

This story was originally published August 4, 2016 at 8:34 PM with the headline "Leadsled Spectacular gets great conditions."