31 YEARS OF THE EARLY IRON FESTIVAL
In 1981, a small club calling themselves the Car Crazies, decided to start an event for car enthusiasts to show off their vintage automobiles. That first year, they had 36 entries. In 2010, that number revved up to a staggering 518 classic, antique, and vintage automobiles. Situated on the banks of the Rio Grande, classic cars of all shapes, sizes, and colors imaginable line picturesque Cole Park.
“We absolutely could not put on this event without the support of this community and our sponsors,” says Early Iron President, Jeff Woodward. “The club and all of the participants are welcomed with open arms. Each and every year we know the participants return to Alamosa because of the friendliness of our community.” Nearly 500 sponsors stepped forward last year - it usually does not take too much arm twisting. A large group of volunteers also support the event, which is a good thing. On Friday evening, the club hosts a party just for the sponsors and participants. Serving approximately 2000 tacos, 1500 tostados, and 55 gallons of green chili, this dinner has become a favorite of the weekend. Participants rave about a meal that locals from the San Luis Valley take for granted.
The rodders circle Cole Park early Saturday morning looking forward to a day of talking, swapping, and catching up with old friends. Car buffs from Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Kansas swarm the park, oohing and aahing , choosing their favorite, and trading stories about their first car. After an enjoyable day, in the autumn sun, the Early Iron Club hosts a rodders banquet to a capacity crowd of 650. The most coveted award of the evening is the Rodder’s Choice Award, given to the favorite car as chosen by the hot rodders themselves. The car chosen for that award is traditionally featured in the artwork and promotions for the next years’ event.
“We have good years and bad years, but most people would not miss it for the world. One year it rained so hard we had to lay out plywood just to get the cars in the park”, remembers Jeff. “We have sponsors that have been with us since the very beginning, and we have rodders who have not missed the event in 30 years.”
Although this year may be “like any other”, the club will be featuring a few new activities and are always looking for ways to make the event better. The Early Iron Festival has come a long way since 1981, when the initial six members each threw in a hundred dollar bill to get them started. The crew from Early Iron is determined that the event will be around for at least another 30.
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