When we attended the Wisconsin Convertible Classic in 2001, which was headquartered in Green Bay, we made a 'side trip' to western Wisconsin to visit a friend. She lives in a small town, and one of the projects she was involved in was the restoration of a 1920's-era theatre. At that time, the restoration was barely under way, and she took us on a tour to see what was being done.
When we got the information on this year's event and saw that it would be headquartered in La Crosse, and that one of the events was a private performance at the now-restored theatre, we knew that we HAD to attend again.
Leaving home on Wednesday morning, we made a stop in Beloit and then headed for La Crosse on Thursday morning. The first event was the 'Welcome Buffet' that night...then on Friday morning the driving began. (If you've read about the 2001 event, this one was operated the same way) Once again, we were in a later run-group, which allowed for some 'sleeping in'. The drive ended in Viroqua, where the theatre event was held. The restored theatre is OUTSTANDING. If you'd like to read about the restoration you can find their website at http://www.temple-theatre.com/.
Saturday was another day of driving the fun, twisty roads of western Wisconsin, capped off by showing our cars on the streets in downtown La Crosse which the city had closed off for the showing. It was interesting to see all the various cars in one place, and the show drew a large number of local viewers.There were 42 makes/models of cars represented, ranging from a '54 Corvette to a Ferrari.
Sunday morning, all 200 cars lined up for a 'parade' from La Crosse, into Iowa, and back into Wisconsin for a farewell brunch and the awarding of the door prizes (nope...this year we struck out on the door prizes).
We rounded out the trip with an overnight visit with our friend and a stop-over in Moline, IL to spend a day with Carol's mother.
Once again, it was an interesting, fun event. The weather, however, could have been a bit more 'user-friendly', since the afternoon temperatures climbed into the mid-90's. Not exactly what you want at a 'top-down' event.
Here are some pictures from the trip. Click on the picture to see a larger version.
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The Welcome Buffet...hot...but nice breeze off the river. |
The Mississippi Mudcats SWING |
Sundown on the Mississippi |
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Lining up for the start |
Lots of convertibles |
Pay attention at the drivers meeting |
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The Saturday night car show on the streets of La Crosse |
Some people decorated more than others |
Lots of lookers |
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Lining up for the 200 car parade on Sunday morning |
Lining up again...this time to eat...and it was HOT out there |
La Crosse...from Granddad Bluff...you can see Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota from here |
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Sundown from Granddads Bluff |
