COLLEGE PARK, MD – The very first car show I ever attended was way back in April of 1982 in my 1966 Sprint 200 Mustang. Since then, I have been to over 250 events in different Mustangs, but I had never gone to two different shows on the same day . . . that is, until this past fall. That’s when after a morning show I had attended was over, there was enough time for me to drive and compete in a second event that afternoon.
The forecast for that mid-October Saturday called for clouds in the morning, but turning sunny for the afternoon with temps rising into the '70's. By 7 a.m., the dark, long night gave way to gray morning skies that would later become a beautiful fall day here in central Maryland. I also knew that this would be a long day of driving in my 2011 V6 Mustang while covering many miles, while eventually finishing out the afternoon in southern Maryland. And so I was on the road just after dawn for my first show of the day.
My first event has to be one of the better Mustang shows in our area. This was the 2025 6th Annual Mustang & Fast Ford Car Show, hosted by Dave Alessandrini and the Knights of Columbus, Prince Georges Council 2809, located in College Park. It’s a short 24-mile, 30-minute run south of my home off Interstate 95 heading toward Washington. This event was first held in 2020 at the height of Covid and I did not attend because of the pandemic, but I have been to every one of their shows since then.
This was a popular-vote show that benefited the Special Olympics of Maryland. This was not a large event, but it was well-run and is always enjoyable. There were classes for the different Mustang generations and other Fords, with first-through-third place awards, as well as honorable mention trophies for all others. They even had a best-sounding exhaust competition, along with raffles and door prizes. It was a very good show to attend, and all for a worthwhile cause.
I was actually the first to arrive at just after 8 a.m., and soon thereafter my good friends, Leo Howard, Tony Cruz and others, pulled onto the lot. The weather was still overcast, which was good as it kept the temps down, and I could see my engine better to reclean everything. I realized, too, that I was also touching up my car for both shows as I knew there would be little time at the afternoon event for cleaning my car.
By 11 a.m., the sun came out and it got hot, so we now had a perfect autumn day for a show. In attendance were maybe 30-40 Mustangs and other Fords. We were later given our ballots to vote for the cars we liked, and after 1:30 p.m., we were called for trophy time. In my class, Tony took second place with his '06 Mustang GT convertible, Leo received the third-place award for his '08 Mustang GT convertible, and I was given an Honorable Mention trophy. These awards featured the styled, gold '70 Mustang trophy tops that are so popular at Mustang shows – it’s a great-looking award!
By now it was 2:15 p.m., AND I said goodbye to several friends. I packed, reprogrammed my GPS, and drove back to I-95 south for the 34-mile drive to Waldorf for my second show. The traffic on the interstates and the Capital Beltway was heavier, and this second trip took about an hour. I knew, though, that as long as I registered by 5 p.m. I could enter the show. I pulled onto the shopping center property, paid my entry fee in time, and carefully drove through the crowds of kids trick-or-treating among our show cars to find another good friend, Tom Smith, and his '06 Mustang GT coupe.
The DMV Rods and Classics Car Club had rescheduled their earlier April spring show because of the weather, and instead turned that into this Halloween-themed fall event. This show was a part of the Shops at Waldorf Center Classics Car Show Series, and was held on the same excellent parking area as before in the middle of the shopping center. This club runs three fine shows each year at this location with attendance usually around 125 or more entries.
What made this event so different from all past shows was that it was referred to as their 'Optional Trunk-or-Treat Edition' to celebrate Halloween, as a part of the '7th Annual Spooky Fall Fest,' held at the shopping center where there was also store-wide trick-or-treating, a petting zoo, a magic show and a costume contest, as well as crafts, games and other activities. And instead of this show running typically from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., it was now held from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
There were 104 awards available (which was generous), of which there was a Top 50 for all makes and models of cars, split into 25 trophies for the 2000-and-newer cars, and the other 25 for 1999-and-older. There were additional trophies for trucks, motorcycles and other special categories, as well as theme awards for Best Costume, Best Decorated, and Scariest Trunk.
When we registered, we were given our number cards as well as our scoring sheets. The club used a simplified, 50-point judging system, with 10 points each for Body, Interior, Engine, Paint, and Tires/Wheels/Hubcaps. Each area also had an added notation that the judges were looking for cleanliness, so the judging criteria was both that and the car's overall condition, which was a good way to evaluate the cars.
I parked my Mustang, and only a few minutes later a judge asked if my car was ready. He then saw that I was still setting up and said he would return. Fortunately, I had recleaned my Mustang at the first show and was mostly ready for judging. I placed my scoring sheet under my windshield wiper and then walked away for a few minutes to find a restroom. When I returned, I wanted to clean my wheels once more, but my scoring sheet was gone! My car was judged while I was away.
After that I had over two hours to swap stories with Tom about our cars as the sun sank lower in the west, the shadows grew longer and the temps fell. Soon we were sitting by our cars with the streetlights coming on as we waited to be called for trophy time. At about 6:30 p.m., Krasil Bradshaw, who runs the DMV Rods, called us for the awards presentation. Eventually he came to our class, and Tom received one of their trophies. I was the last one called in my section, and I was surprised to receive a three-post trophy, probably one of the nicest awards my car has ever been given. It was humbling to have this!
Later I went back to my Mustang and packed for the evening. It was 7:15 p.m., and I still had a 60-mile drive to get home. This put me at a favorite gas station some 10-miles from home by 8:45 p.m., after battling more heavy traffic. I ate a bag of M&M Peanuts for my dinner on the ride home, and finally arrived by 9:15 p.m. What a great day out in my Mustang! I would gladly do it all over again tomorrow.
Finally, I highly recommend any events held by either of these excellent organizations. If you have the opportunity to go to one of their shows, you will find them worthwhile and enjoyable – even if both are on the same day!
FORD RACING PHOTOS / COURTESY RICK MITCHELL
