Rolling with Rods 'N Rhodies

The Rods ‘N Rhodies Charity Car Show is in the books with high quality entries that sparkled in the brilliant sunlight. 

The event, which began on Friday, Sept. 8 at the Port of Siuslaw Parking lot, brought in many vehicles from the community and surrounding areas as well.  

I spoke with two gentlemen who came to Florence from Eugene for the sole purpose of obtaining shirts and apparel and snagged an event poster as well. They were awed at the event design that was created by Ron Gorman Illustration and Design from Eugene Oregon, which featured the 1935 Hupmobile from Arbuckle California, who took the Best In Show honors in 2022.   

Russ Strohmeyer of Stro’s DJ Service from Stayton Oregon entertained the participants and spectators all afternoon with music appropriate for the hot rod viewing crowd.

Saturday began early as volunteers from the community and the local car club Rhody Cruisers gathered on Bay Street to place barricades, cones and sandbags to keep traffic from flowing, and allowing the awaiting show vehicles to be moved into position for the event, which is primarily invitational as the number of vehicles allowed for the venue in Old Town Florence is limited.  

The volunteers set up canopies, tables and chairs for apparel sales, raffle sales, 50/50 sales and award ballots for the 33 Merchant Awards and the Children’s Choice, the People’s Choice and the Best of Show Award.  

The Merchant Awards are sponsored awards from individuals and businesses throughout our community. The name of the award is generated by the individual or business and usually has something to do with or recognizing the business. A good example would be Anahi’s Beauty & Spa, who awarded the “Glamorous and Beautiful” award to a 1933 Ford Roadster belonging to Wally & Judy Belt.  

The army of volunteers worked all day to sell raffles, apparel and 50/50 raffle sales in order to fund the Rods ‘N Rhodies “Transportation Solutions Project.”   

Strohmeyer and his assistant Pat Coffey continued to monitor the music and emceed the event throughout the day, calling out raffle winners and announcing sponsors while enjoying the wonderful weather that bestowed Florence.  

At 4 p.m., the winner of the 50/50 was announced and the Merchant Awards were presented. 

The Children’s Choice Award was presented to Terry & Jennifer Roach of Roseburg with their 1937 Plymouth Business Coupe. The People’s Award was presented to Craig & Corinne Spotts of Coos Bay Oregon and the “Best of Show” was presented to Wally and Judy Belt of Salem Oregon with their 1933 Ford Roadster called “Copper Tone.”

The army of volunteers went into action again to remove all the canopies, tables and chairs in preparation of the cruise throughout Old Town.  Cal Applebee and members of The Florence Jeep Club, along with members of the Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue under the direction of Jerry Ward, monitored and controlled traffic for the cruise.  

It’s spectacular to see the artwork which have been painstakingly created with precision and the beauty of vision as only a road map to what was brought out to the public for viewing this year, but to hear the rumble and watch them flow through the streets of Old Town put smiles on faces and thumbs up for their signs of approval.

Rods ‘N Rhodies Board of Directors would like to thank all of the sponsors who made this event possible - the City of Florence and the entire City of Florence City Council and Mayor Rob Ward for allowing this wonderful event to continue this year; the numerous volunteers from multiple organizations including individuals from the local car group Rhody Cruisers for their support and service; and the Veterans of Foreign Wars for their service of monitoring multiple street barricades throughout the entire day and presenting arms for the morning National Anthem played by Stro’s DJ Service.

Thank you Florence Oregon for being such a wonderful community.

Full list of winners

Rods N Rhodies Inc. “Best In Show” - 1933 Ford Roadster owned by Wally & Judy Belt.

Rods N Rhodies Inc. “Peoples' Choice” - 1937 Ford Tudor owned by Craig & Corinne Spotts.

Rods N Rhodies Inc. “Childrens' Choice” - 1937 Plymouth Business Coupe owned by Terry & Jennifer Roach.

Vintage Auto Driving School “Best In Class” - 1954 Chevy Bel Air owned by Lee Stilwell.

Sandland Adventures “Where the fun meets the sand” - 1970 Dodge Charger R/T owned by Scott & Laurie Peters.

Christina Voogd Realtor Berkshire Hathaway “Brokers Choice” - 1965 Ford Thunderbird owned by Ken Phillips.

American Pacific Mortgage “Doggone reliable” - 1969 Chevy Chevelle SS owned by Dennis Smith.

Anahi's Beauty & Spa “Glamorous and Beautiful” - 1933 Ford Roadster owned by Wally & Judy Belt.

Florence In Bloom “A Classic Bloom” - 1934 Ford Cabrolet owned by Tom Gaither.

Les Schwab Tire Center “Radical Rolling Rims Award” - 1949 Cadillac Series owned by Ben & Phyliss Goss.

Darlings Marina & RV Resort “Darlings Smokin Hot Rod Award” - 1969 Ford Mustang MachI owned by Don & Penny Huntsucker.

Florence Motorsports “Where performance matters” - 1929 Ford Roadster owned by Kristy Larson.

Three Rivers Casino “The VIP Award” - 1955 Chevy 210 Post owned by Steve Nunez.

Shervin's Tire & Automotive “Locally owned and community minded” - 1952 Studebaker Pickup owned by Ed Costa.

Johnston Motor Company “Best Ford Award” - 1925 Ford Coupe owned by Barney & Gloria Pierce.

Tony's Garage “Tony's Favorite” - 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air Wagon owned by Ronnie Hobbs.

Ocean Grinds Coffee “Coffee Cruiser”  - 1959 Chevy El Camino owned by Kelly & Ed Sans.

1285 Restobar “1285 Special” - 1957 Nash Metropolitan owned by Lauri Brownson.

Ross & Jody Kroenert “Beach Cruiser” - 1951 Chevrolet Suburban owned by Dave Surmon.

Ross & Jody Kroenert “Classy Chassis” - 1956 Chrysler Imperial owned by John & Cheryl Potts.

Artefacts “ArteFast” - 1932 Ford Coupe owned by Tommy Carr.

Stitch & Sole “Splashiest Paint Job” - 1936 Ford Coupe owned by John Winkes.

The Firehouse Restaurant “Hottest Flames” - 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle owned by Bob & Anna Rippy.

The Last Resort Players - “The Most Dramatic” - 1947 Crossley Pickup owned by Martha Straube.

River House Inn - “The ‘inn’ Car” - 1970 Plymouth Cuda owned by Mike Miller.

Old Town Inn “The ‘Inn’ Paint Job” - 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle owned by Pat & Machele Coffey.

Heceta Self Storage “Heavy Hauler Award” - 1955 Ford F-100 owned by Eric Flaherty.

The Archives “Best Restoration” - 1962 Corvette owned by Ken & Cherril Gan Devender.

Tim & Pat Smith “Tim and Pat Smith's Choice” - 1959 Chevrolet Impala owned by Dennis Rich.

Tim & Pat Smith “Tim and Pat Smith's Choice” - 1941 Willys Coupe owned by Jerry & Bev Mix.

Books 'n' Bears “The Booker Prize” - 1955 Ford Fairlane owned by Don & Pam Erickson.

“Kitchen Kluttler “This Car Is Cookin” - 1937 Chevy Master Coach owned by Norman Eigner & Jan Bond.

Bridgeport Market “The Hot Dog of Hot Rods” - 1939 Chevy Business Coupe owned by Bill & Sue Wilson.

Coast Broadcasting “Most ‘CAR’ Like car” - 1963 Buick Riviera owned by Donny Weisher.

Siuslaw News “Stop the press award” - 1934 Ford Woody Wagon owned by Fred Calosso.

Coastal Custom Interiors “Coastal Cozi Ride Award” - 1954 Ford F-100 owned by Kirk Mitchell.