ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Detroit suburb of Rochester has built quite a relationship with auto enthusiasts, from its “Heritage Rod & Custom Car Festival” as part of a series of late-May weekend events known as the Greater Rochester Heritage Days to its "Rockin' Rods n' Rochester," an annual classic car show held in mid-August as a precursor to the famed Woodward Dream Cruise. We’ve covered the spring’s Heritage Festival on Ford Racing.com before, and after finding so many great Fords there it was a given that we’d have to return in the summer to check out the Rockin’ Rods show.
Like the heritage event, the Rockin’ Rods show is organized by the Rochester Lions Club, with proceeds to benefit charities such as Leader Dogs for the Blind. It drew hundreds of classic, custom, collectible and specialty cars and trucks to downtown Rochester where car buffs and the entire community enjoyed an eclectic automotive display as well as music, food, vendors, and prizes. Our own roving car-show photographer, Ford retiree Bill Cook, lives in Rochester – so we knew we’d be getting a collection of photos from the event. Indeed, that’s exactly what happened, as Bill sent us the following show report as well as his photos:
“I topped off my weekend by attending the annual Rochester Rock ‘n Rods car show on Sunday. It was a great location for me – only 10 minutes from home! It’s a great show and fundraiser that supports the Lion’s Club charities. It proved to be a great warmup for Woodward week!” (Check out some our favorite shots in Bill’s photo gallery below.)
FORD RACING PHOTOS / COURTESY BILL COOK
