CRESTVIEW — Erica Duenas, 8, stood on tip-toes to peek inside a 1953 Packard Convertible, its grille a tribute to Detroit's post-war affection for chromium.
"It's really pretty," she said after examining the car from several angles.
She and her grandfather, James Ward, were among attendees at Saturday's Spanish Trail Cruisers Club annual Average Joe Car Show, which transformed Main Street to a blast from the past.
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Near the Packard, Al and Vanessa Lucido and their sons Sal, 11, and Michael, 14, admired a 1957 Chevy Bel Air.
"That's the cleanest engine I ever saw," Al Lucido said.
The sunny, breezy day drew crowds downtown for the car show and the Main Street Crestview Association's Taste of Crestview restaurant crawl. This was the first year organizers combined the two events.
By 11 a.m., 110 vehicles had registered for the show, and a few more trickled in as the morning progressed, organizers said. Latecomers drew admiring glances as they purred down Main Street to their assigned parking positions.
Keeping "law and order" was car show regular J.T. Garrett, who dressed as "Mayberry RFD" Deputy Barney Fife.
Garrett and his vintage 1960s Ford Galaxy black-and-white squad car, complete with a revolving red "gumball machine" light on top, attracted many attendees eager for photos.
For the burnout contest, in which a car is chained to a heavy-duty wrecker as the driver spins the tires, Kyle Cramer, 17, camera phone in hand, joined crowds pushed against the barricades for a good view.
When the first car, a cherry-red 1960s Buick sedan, received the organizing official's signal, Kyle and surrounding people promptly disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.
"That was awesome!" Kyle said.
Tom Murrie of Crestview chatted with an attendee who admired his jet black 1961 Chevy Corvair, which reminded him of family vacations in his parents' Corvair, he said.
"That's what these shows are all about," Murrie said. "It brings back peoples' memories. They say, 'I used to have a car like that.'"
Car Show Winners
· Best Paint- Kirk & Diane Peterson, 1957 Chevy 3100 Truck
· Best Engine- Joe Foster, 1966 Chevy II coupe
· Best Interior- Fred Fisher, 1951 Ford Lead Sled
· Best of Show- Louie Lanthrip, 1971 AMX Custom
· Most Rusted- Randy Wilhert, 1967 GMC Truck
· Worst Paint- Rick Wiltberger, 1955 Chevy Station Wagon
· Still in Progress- Bo & Joyce Robinson, 1951 Mercury Coupe
· Ugliest Entry- Rick Holcomb, 1948 Crosley CC
· Best Club Participation- Andalusia Classics & Street Rods
Burn Out Contest Winners
· 1st Place- Amanda Dotson, 1941 Chevy Truck/Rod
· 2nd Place- Scott Guthrie, 1974 Chevy Corvette
Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Annual car show and restaurant crawl draw families downtown