Car shows and summer go together like hot dogs and ice cream. You can enjoy all four in the parking lot of DQ Grill & Chill, 200 N. Sawyer Road, Morrison, IL. The venue will be transported into the past for two sultry hours, on Friday, July 28, Friday, August 25, and Sunday, September 24, 2017, during the “Always fun; always free” Morrison Car Shows. From 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in July and August, and from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. in September’s Big Fall Show, classic and muscle cars, street rods, trucks, and motorcycles will be arrayed to admire.
Exhibitors may arrive at 5:00 on the Friday events and at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 24.
Music wafts across the parking lot, adding to the retro experience, with room for spontaneous dancing. Meet owners near their collectible vehicles, who are always ready to chat about the restoration project. Past exhibitors came from Sterling, Rock Falls, Morrison, Erie, Fulton, Dixon, Mount Carroll, Prophetstown, Thomson, and Geneseo, IL, and Clinton, IA.
Richard and Bernadette Taets, of Sterling, attend 30 to 35 car shows a year, driving this sleek, white, 1960 Chevrolet Impala. Driving there, in their vintage vehicle, is the joy of the experience, stated Taets. Passersby always give a look at his beautiful car. He never trailers his car to shows. Taets began the restoration in September 1998. Lots of steel, sparkling chrome, and wide, white-wall tires embellish this popular Chevy model. Red, fuzzy dice dangle from the rear-view mirror and match both the bi-color upholstery and, on occasion, Bernadette’s ensemble.
Ron Weimer, shown at right, has organized Morrison car shows for 19 years. He and son Todd once operated a baseball card store in the current Chamber of Commerce W. Main Street building. People suggested the idea of having a car show, and Weimer made it happen. There is no entry fee; Weimer stated, “I’ve never charged anybody a single dime to be in our show.”
A 50-50 drawing is held at each event to add interest for visitors and pay for show publicity expenses. Tickets sell for $1 apiece; $5 for “an arm length; or $20 for a strip the length of the purchaser’s vehicle!” Weimer explained.
Weimer is aided by
- long-time friend, Steve Siefken, who photographs the shows
- D. J. and Regina Sikkema, who help with registration and trophy distribution, and their children Alexis and Ethan
- Kim Keller, who assists Weimer at the shows
- DQ Grill & Chill owners Bart and Ellen Smith, who host–and donate to–the Cruise-In’s.
Customers can enjoy a meal or treat while strolling the show.