BLOG POST: BOERNE TX OCTOBER 8-10, 2021.
The Boerne Key to the Hills Car Show 2021
WRITTEN & PHOTOGRAPHED BY: STEVE HOLLOWAY
Branded The Key to the Hills Rod Run, this car show marks a pivotal time in American automotive history
Imagine it’s 1945. World War II has ended. American Troops are coming home with accumulated combat pay to spend. One thing they’re not finding are new cars available to buy.
So they start building their own. They give us a lot of fast, cool cars. Reignite American automotive ingenuity and inventiveness. And make car culture a permanent part of the American psyche.
The Key to the Hills Rod Run focuses on this time in auto history.
Entries are limited to pre-1949 hot rods and, in 2021, over 300 of them lined Boerne’s Main Street and Main Plaza.
MAIN STREET, BOERNE, TEXAS.
UPDATED JULY 16,2023. For three days in October, the town of Boerne closed down most of Main Street including Main Plaza to make room for over 300 cars.
Also called The Hill Country Mile, this part of Boerne became home to cars from all over the country. Vintage. Restorations. Resto-mods. Coupes. Roadsters. Rat Rods. Pick Ups. Flat Beds.
The weekend started with registration on Friday followed by the car show all day Saturday, a Rod Run (in the hills of course) Saturday evening then showing again Sunday morning.
We found this restored tow truck and a very original business coup (complete with room for sales samples and suite cases).
And a nicely done US Army Bike/Jeep combo.
1939 OLDSMOBILE.
No matter where we looked, we found exquisite examples of the time, effort, skills and abilities that went into creating each owners’ vision.
We found this vintage Pearl Beer cooler, plus a drive in window tray (made me think of the old Bun ‘N Barrel drive in). Add the rock and roll music playing in the back of a pickup and the 1950s experience came to life.
REMEMBERING PEARL BEER. Most Texans have memories of Pearl Beer and of the San Antonio based Pearl Brewery. Today, the 19th century brewery “campus” has been given a whole new life as The Pearl. Surrounded with downtown condo living spaces, stores, restaurants and the San Antonio River, the original brewery has become home for Hotel Emma.
Hot Rod History.
I’ve always loved the Shelby Cobra. The first Cobra was built by Carroll Shelby in 1962. He put a Ford V8 engine into an AC Ace body/frame and created arguably the most iconic car in automotive history.
This American spirit of ingenuity and inventiveness has roots as early as the 1920s when cars were being modified during prohibition to go faster and to carry more illegal cargo.
It really came to life starting in 1945 at the end of World War II when American Veterans were coming home and finding there weren’t many new cars available. So they started building their own fast, cool cars. Their Military training helped these backyard builders develop their fabricating and engine-building skill set. They would spend the week wrenching on their cars then take them out on the weekend to race on the streets and at abandoned airfields.
1931 MODEL T.
Modifications included removing hard/convertible tops, windshields, bumpers, hoods and/or fenders, channeling bodies and modifying, tuning or changing out engines.
It was this automotive “primordial soup” that started car culture in America and created a market for specialized speed equipment companies, Hot Rod magazine and the American Hot Rod Association. It gave us everything from Route 66 and drag races to an appetite for speed and design that became the Shelby Cobra, Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Mustang.
The cars featured in The Key To The Hills Rod Run focus on this pivotal moment in American automotive history and feature perfect examples of the modifications that were commonly made.
1947 HUDSON PICK UP TRUCK.
Sponsored by The Pride Of Texas Street Rods, the annual Rod Run is a must see, family oriented weekend. If you’re a part of car culture at any level you’ll love this show. If you’re not a part of car culture, you’ll still love seeing this mile (or so) stretch of Main Street populated with hot rod after hot rod after hot rod. It’s as close to jumping back in time to the mid 1950s as you will be able to get.
Boerne restaurants and shops completed the weekend.
Boerne’s eateries and shops fed and offered the total Boerne experience for the crowds in town for the Rod Run Show.
We stopped to refuel at The Cypress Grill. We could have opted for a more traditional burger joint but wanted to try the Cypress’ awesome, chef-inspired twice baked, brisket smothered potato (a must-eat to add to your list).
Mark your calendar.
If you missed The Key To The Hills Rod Run in 2022, mark your calendar now. The Rod Run will be held October 13th, 14th and 15th, 2023.
When we were confirming dates for 2022, we got some sad news. Lanne Brehmer, one of the original founders of show’s organizers, The Pride Of Texas Street Rods, passed away a week after the 2021 show.
Lanne looked forward to this event every year. To honor him, his son Darren will be organizing the 2022 show.
Lanne’s passion and commitment to pre-1949 hot rods has grown into this one-of-a-kind experience. An experience you’ll love whether you’re a car enthusiast or not. His contribution to car culture is significant and he will be missed.
Car show comeback.
After COVID forced them to skip a year for the first time in their history, The 20th Annual International Route 66 Mother Road Festival was held in Downtown Springfield, September 24 – 26, 2021. According to the Visit Springfield Illinois website, the festival featured 1,200 cars cruising the downtown streets. 2021 attendance hasn’t been posted but organizers reported 80,000 spectators at the 2019 Festival.
The 22nd Annual International Route 66 Mother Road Festival will be held September 22-24, 2023, Springfield, Illinois.
More Shows.
The 2024 Annual Texas Packard Meet April 4-7, 2024, Salado, Texas.
The Lonestar Round Up at the Travis County Exposition Center, April19 & 20, 2024, Austin, Texas.
The Fredericksburg Classic Car & Truck Show September 16, 2023, Fredericksburg, Texas.
Local car shows are also enjoying a resurgence.
Wimberly Coffee & Cars 1st Sunday Morning Of Each Month 8:00 AM-11:00 AM, Blanco Brew, 14200 R.R. 12, Wimberly, Texas.
Starting in March, The Canyon Lake Hot Rod and Classic Car Cruise-In will be back in the Brookshire Brothers parking lot, 5pm to 8pm on the second Friday of each month.
Cypress Grill 170 S Main Street, Boerne, Texas. The Key to The Hills Rod Run Main Street, Boerne, Texas. The 43rd Annual Texas Packard Meet Salado, Texas. The 21st Annual International Route 66 Mother Road Festival Springfield, Illinois The Lonestar Round Up Austin, Texas The Fredericksburg Classic Car & Truck Show Fredericksburg, Texas.
Confirm dates with organizers before planning your car show experience.
The Key To The Hills Rod Run featured over 300 pre-1949 hot rods lining Boerne’s Main Street and Main Plaza. The Rod Run focuses on a pivotal time in auto history, giving us a glimpse into the American spirit of automotive ingenuity and inventiveness that was the start of car culture and a some very cool, very fast cars. UPDATED January 2, 2022 READ MORE
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