This podcast is about nostalgia. Automotive nostalgia. You know, reliving the events, sights, smells, and emotions of special memories connected to our first rides.

Said another way…it’s about allowing our memories to travel back in time and experience our special car moments all over again.

In episode 22 I told the story of going to car shows and eventually entering my 2000 Toyota Tacoma, Old School, in one on May 7th this year. It was a great experience and met some great people.

Well….I entered another show on May 28th along with my friend Danny. He brought his Mustang GT that is pristine, and it’s never been driven in the rain! I had a great time there and we got to see a survivor Mustang that was manufactured for use in South Viet Nam.

After talking with my friend Danny, he decided to bring his Mustang GT as well. So, we parked next to one another and enjoyed the show.

Then, on June 25th, I entered my Toyota Tacoma in an Annual celebration held in downtown Wylie, Texas call Bluegrass on Ballard. The event is more than a car show. It has music, craft booths, food booths and more.

While the votes were being tallied, I thought I saw Alex with Coffee Walk going through the show. A little later he walked by and sure enough it was him. He’s on most of the Coffee Walk episodes with Dennis Collins. It just so happened the day before, Dennis gave some more information about the Vietnam Mustang on episode 200.

I was able to introduce myself to him and talk with him about the Mustang, which was parked close to the show. He was gracious in not only talking about the car but showing it to us. To me, this was a great find because it was driven in South Vietnam during the war. Very cool bit of history.

Thanks, Dennis Collins, for rescuing the car and thanks Alex for taking the time to show it to us.

Go to the original episode where Dennis introduced the Mustang (episode 103: https://youtu.be/0_eAS2Gf8vk ) and then watch episode 200 (https://youtu.be/TTeXtm9Ouos ). The links to the videos will be in the show notes. Make sure you watch them!

Just like the show earlier in the month, the public started voting when the show began and later those with vehicles entered were able to vote.

Because there were so many great looking cars and trucks on display, it was hard to pick a winner for each category and the best of show. For me, I had to walk the show several times to make sure I picked the best that was there.

So, after all the votes were counted, the show promotors began to hand out the trophies. All the people that entered vehicles were gathered around the Mustang Sally Production tent waiting to find out who got an award.

Danny and I stood next to a group that’s in many of the shows I go to called Eddie and the Cruisers. Several older guys that enjoy working on and showing their rides. Plus, this group usually has several of the cars they enter go home with trophies.

Sure enough, most of the guys there won awards.

Then, I hear my name called out and I won first place, again, in the 2000 and Newer Truck class. So cool to get another award for my 2000 Toyota Tacoma pick up. So, I’m two for two. Two car shows entered. Two trophies awarded.

A couple of minutes after I received my plaque, Danny’s name is called, and he won first place in his category.

It was a great day all the way around.

Another show was coming up close to home. So, I decided to enter again.

The next car show, on June 28th, was Bluegrass on Ballard. This event was started thirty-four years ago by merchants in downtown Wylie as an ice cream social and a way for merchants to give back to the community. It eventually became a country music festival, and then other activities were added to the event, which includes the car show. Cars, trucks, and motorcycles lined Ballard Street for at least three blocks while live music was playing in the park. This was a great event with a fantastic hometown feel.

In 2017, this was the first car show I attended and took a lot of photos and had a blast looking at all the vehicles on display. Since then, I’ve been every year except for 2020 when it was cancelled due to Covid.

So….when I found out the dates for this year, 2022, I thought, “let’s enter my truck again and see what happens”. As soon as the entry form was available online, I signed up in the 2000 and Newer class. Just like the two times before.

There were quite a few entries for this event, and it took a while to get through the list. Several vehicles represented Iron Horse Classics, a custom rod shop in Wylie, and took home some well-deserved awards.

Of course, Eddie and the Cruisers bunch also took home several wards.

While standing there, I was really surprised when they called my name for first place: 2000 and newer truck. Wow. This is fantastic, now I’m three for three.

Participating in the car shows this year has been a great experience for me. I entered my truck in each event mainly for the experience and the idea of meeting people but with little expectation of winning anything. The three wins, so far, were a great bonus to it all.

Will I enter some more shows? Yes, but when it cools down some. In my younger days, I could stay on the lake all day with my boat no matter how hot it was. However, as I’ve aged, I’m not so intent on being in the heat. If fact, I have a saying that best describes what I’m thinking: “I’m not too old. I’m just too old to do that.”.

If you live in the Dallas/North Dallas area, make sure you check out Mustang Sally Production’s events. You’ll get to enjoy looking at some fantastic rides and talking with the great people that own them. They would love to talk with you about their cars, trucks and motorcycles.

I bet you probably know someone that would be a great guest for My First Ride Podcast, right? Let me know a little about them and their, story.

What about telling your story on the podcast? Let me know a little about you and first ride.

Check us out and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcast and more. And of course, you can also go to the website at MyFirstRidePodcast.com.

One final thought….

You may not have your first ride, but you still have the memories. It’s time to share them.

Contact me if you have questions regarding today’s podcast or would like to be a guest on My First Ride Podcast. Send an email to myfirstridepodcast@gmail.com.

I’m Gary Neidert and you’ve just experienced My First Ride Podcast.

Thanks for listening. Thanks for watching.

Get the future of podcasts.