t-r photo by lana bradstream Hundreds of people attend the annual Haverhill Hot Rods and Hogs Car & Motorcycle Show on Sunday. After 10 years, Sunday’s event attracted the largest number of entries in the show and shine event.

HAVERHILL – The Haverhill Hot Rods and Hogs Car & Motorcycle Show has grown every year since it began 10 years ago.

Created by Haverhill Social Club owners Barry and Emily Ewoldt, the Sunday event attracted more than 170 registered cars and motorcycles, compared to 128 last year. According to Ewoldt, that did not include the entries which were not registered.

“Car people just like to look at cars and show their wares off,” he said. “That’s why it’s a show and shine. There are no awards.”

Some of the wares included a 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle, a Ford Gran Torino, a Chevrolet Camaro and a 1929 Ford Model A.

Attendee Todd Lee of Ames said the show was half the size two years ago. Ewoldt attributed the growth of the event to word of mouth as he does not advertise anywhere.

He was very happy with the return of The Drive-Ins, a musical duo from Cedar Rapids, specializing in 1950s and 1960s music. Ewoldt brought them in after the deejay who usually provided the music at the show died.

t-r photo by lana bradstream
The Drive-Ins, a musical duo from Cedar Rapids, performs 1950s and 1960s music for the crowd at the car and motorcycle show in Haverhill. It was their third year performing at the annual event.

“The Drive-Ins do a great job,” Ewoldt said. “They have a nice following, and they play a lot of these kinds of events all over.”

In addition to the cars and music, the food made at the Haverhill Social Club was another highlight. Attendee Paul White of Ames praised the pizzas coming from the small town restaurant and bar.”

“As a customer, we come here because of the unique environment and it’s wonderful,” White said. “It’s a great atmosphere, great people. You’ll see stuff here you won’t see anywhere else. I know bars, and every time I come here, I see something different.

Lee praised the Haverhill Social Club pizza as “some of the best he’s ever had.”

“We have a very good following,” Ewoldt said. “We get a lot of people from the metro area and the surrounding towns. It’s a destination bar, instead of a local bar, so to speak.”

As it stands, there are no plans to expand the car and motorcycle show in the future. He said it is a small event, and thinks car people tend to appreciate that. It gives them an opportunity to reconnect with their fellow car enthusiasts.

“It’s been a really good year this year,” Ewoldt said. “It’s just a nice event. We’re just happy the people come here. I appreciate [everyone] coming down.”

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.