The Good Times Keep Rollin’

Lots of classic cars and fans made their way to the Oskaloosa square on Saturday.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – For nearly three decades, the Rollin’ Oldies Car Club has hosted a car show on the square in Oskaloosa the last weekend of July.

Mike Ireland with the Rollin’ Oldies Car Club talked to us about their largest event of the year, which included approximately 195 cars.

The car count varies from year to year and has been as high as 220, to as low as 180. The number of cars can really depend upon the weather for the weekend and if there are other shows around the region.

Ireland said that the weather was great for their annual show.

The local car shows don’t seem to be suffering the same struggles for attendance as many forms of auto racing have in recent years.

One collector we spoke with said that he has raced before in the past, but now prefers the car show scene, and adds that they all cost about the same to participate in.

“Classic cars has got its own little niche,” says Ireland. “You’ve got a car that’s worth a thousand dollars, you got cars that are worth a million dollars, and everything in-between. So, there’s something for everybody in the classic car world.”

As the next generation of car collectors begins to display their prized possessions, Ireland said, “There is obviously going to be a big shift in what counts as a classic car. You’ve got obviously the sport compact world. People like myself in their forties, obviously my parents, grew up with the old classic 50s, 60s and 70s classic cars. Now, my children are kind of growing up in the ‘Fast and Furious’ type world with compact cars. So the classic car is definitely going to change in the next 30 to 40 years.”

“It’s an evolving industry,” says Ireland.

But for now, the sound of big blocks, and whir of superchargers can be found shaking the pavement at your local car shows, just like the annual Rollin’ Oldies show.