Hot Rods and Custom Cars Highlight Annual Stray Cats Show
Stray Cats HRA | Classic and Antique Cars | Batch #1 | Batch #2 | Batch #3 | Car Events
Fans of car shows have much to look forward to with regular Cars and Coffee events, impromptu nighttime meetups, and the occasional dealer-sponsored new vehicle showcase, such as the Detroit Auto Show. While we wholeheartedly enjoy any gathering of car enthusiasts, one of our favorite events is the annual car shows put on by car clubs. On the Saturday before Labor Day, the Stray Cats Hot Road Association had their turn as they hosted the 27th Annual Rod & Custom Charity Car Show.
Stray Cats Hot Rod Association
The Stray Cats Hot Rod Association is organized in Littleton, NC, a small town in Halifax County or just 10 miles south of the Virginia border. The 2020 U.S. Census counts just 520 residents, although the downtown is surprisingly large for such a tiny community. It is near Lake Gaston, a 20,000-acre body of water spanning both states.
My buddy Kevin Bell and I drove a 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4Xe (review pending) from Wake County to the event. It is a 90-minute drive from Cary, via Route 64, I-95, and then 20 miles of scenic backroads to the town center.
The club itself counts more than 60 members, including spouses. This year’s event was part of the wider 37th Littleton-Lake Gaston Festival that included a fair, a public library-sponsored used book sale ($1 per bag!), and merchants plying their wares.
We would be remiss if we didn’t recognize the Littleton Women’s Club (Facebook page) for their low-cost and delicious treats and drinks. We also paid a visit to Grandpa’s Kitchen (Facebook page) for lunch, a bustling BBQ restaurant with amazing food. A big thumb’s up on both the pork and chicken, as well as for the boiled potatoes, cole slaw, and, of course, hush puppies.
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Classic and Antique Cars
We know you didn’t stop by to read about the town, shopping, or even the food. Certainly, the 200 registered classic and antique cars and trucks on display were the centerpieces of this event.
We took dozens of photos, then chose 32 we think captured the heart and soul of this event. A few beauties didn’t make our cut, simply because by the time we stopped by to photograph them, the crowds were thick, or some participants arrived late. In any case, we divided our selection into three batches of 10 each. Simply scroll down or use the in-story navigation prompts to move around this page.
Stray Cats: Batch No. 1
Stray Cats: Batch No. 2
Stray Cats: Batch No. 3
Upcoming Events
Special thanks to the Stray Cats HRA (Facebook page) for putting on a stellar show and to a(Fll who brought their handsome rides to the event. We’ll be covering additional shows over the coming months, primarily in North Carolina, but with Virginia, Tennessee, and South Carolina possibly in the mix. Feel free to alert us to your event – we just may visit you. Finally, please peruse the links to other events we’ve covered over the past year. They are located at the end of this story; the list is not exhaustive.
References
(2021, August 20). Stray Cats Rod & Custom Show to be part of festival. Lake Gaston Gazette-Observer
(n.d.). Lake Gaston. Visitnc.Com
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Stray Cats Hot Rod Association
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Photos copyright Stumpwater Media Group, LLC. All rights reserved. If you own a vehicle pictured and would like a copy of the photograph, please reach out to us via the contact page. We’ll send a copy to you at no cost.
Logo courtesy of the Stray Cats Hot Rod Association.
