Chrome, metal and

rubber

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM--Saturday afternoon was cloudy and overcast with heavy gray clouds hanging over the city.

Just before a shiny line of vintage Buicks, Chevrolets and Fords came rolling into town, the clouds lifted -- if only for a half-hour.

It was the Itasca Vintage Car Association in full formation.

The chain rounded 3rd North Street and headed down Minnesota Street, stopping in the parking lot next to city hall, where one of its members put up the club sign.

On display were a 1963 Cadillac, a 1938 Buick coupe, a 1932 Ford hot rod, a couple Buick Super Sixes from around 1948-1952, a 1968 Oldsmobile Delton 88, an early-60s Corvette, a few Ford Fairlanes and a whole handful of Chevys from the early-to-mid-1960s.

Several locals who were downtown Saturday stopped by the lot for a look at the cars. The club's members took quick questions from small groups of young boys who stood on the sidewalk as the convoy wound its way through downtown New Ulm.

President Tom Chapin said the club has about 140 members from the area around Grand Rapids.

Chapin said the group takes an annual tour on the state's highways, stopping in towns and state parks along the way. The tour usually lasts about three days.

The club stopped in Hutchinson earlier, where its members met with two other car clubs.

New Ulm was the destination the club picked for this year's cruise because "it looked like a lot of fun," Chapin said.

The cruise is the reward for the club members who work at its annual vintage car show and swap meet.

Cars have to be at least 20 years old in order to qualify for club membership, Chapin said. Most of the cars in the Itasca Vintage Car Association were built between 1934 and 1973, he said.

The group spent the rest of Saturday eating lunch at the Kaiserhoff, touring Schell's Brewery and shopping in town. Chapin said the club plans to head back up to Grand Rapids today, making its 240 miles trek all over again.