Hastings Car Show - Summer Family Fun Night Tradition

One of our favorite things to do in the summer, here in Minnesota, is visit the Hastings Car Show!

We've been doing this for years...and it's always a family favorite!

I love looking back to past visits...

Like when the kids were teeny tiny in 2008!

or Like this visit in 2009!

Sadly, we only made it once this year...

Life heads a whole different direction when your kids get older and the kids' calendars 

are more full than your own!

But, alas, we did make it out once!

Some of the classic cars are pretty awesome...

In their own, unique, special way!

It's always fun to see who and what might be out at the Hastings Car Show, 

Saturday nights during the summer!

Good weather, great food, amazing company.

Pin It

Family Date Night...

One last trip to the Hastings Car Show for this season

(we think anyway...full calendar abounds...)

Had us smiling at some of the new (to us) cars that were out there...

Recognize Eleanor? Gone in 60 seconds?
(& a little boy who did NOT (as per usual) want to be in a photo!)

Some of the new-to-us cars totally reminded us of our childhoods...

(meaning not much of anything to the resident 4 & 5 year olds of the house...)

The General Lee! YEEE HAW!

Funny how seeing an 'icon' like this immediately takes you back to your days of being a kid...

How it is possible, I wondered, that in a few short days,

we will have a school ager ourselves?

A school ager who spent most of this night asking me to take her picture...

and then posing for me. 

Wouldn't you know it...the one night I went without either of my cameras...

and had only my cell phone to rely on for picture service...

I love this little girl and her Independence. 

Her desire to wear what SHE wants, despite what anyone else might think.

How she isn't afraid to wear blue strips with red FLUFF with green pants with blue shoes...

and ask me time and time again to take her photo...

I love family date night and I love the amazing things happening in our lives.

Here's to you Little Miss H ~ And here's to you always wanting to dress your own way, and participate in family date night...long after you've joined the rat race of the school age kids!

 

Take II - Hastings Car Show...

Family Date Night -
Ah...how I love family date night...

The kids seem to enjoy it as much as we do...and I hope that one day they'll look back on these weekend excursions with fond memories...

This weekend was public service night at the Hastings Car Show - That's fun for ANY age!


Can you see our little man behind the wheel of the big rig? Fire hat on waving at me? Perhaps he'll be a firefighter one day?

Doesn't everyone wear velvet topped holiday dresses with high heeled shoes to the Car Show in June? If not...they totally should -

We snapped a few pics for Project Me. Project You -

Look at how big he is on the front of this truck...

Wasn't all that long ago he was standing in this exact same spot...

Ah yes, hott times, summer in the city...except it just doesn't feeeel like city when we're here...not to me...

I just love looking around...

seeing people just stopping to enjoy life...

Could I be so lucky that this will be me and the hubs' taking in the car show 50 years from now?

Hastings Car Show ~ Summer Kick Off

Something that has been on our Summer Bucket List for every single summer is a trip (ok, multiple trips) down to the Hastings Car Show. The car show kicks off on Memorial Weekend and runs every other Saturday through the summer months and into October...

Last year we were lucky enough to have family in town for the holiday weekend and we brought them along to the Car Show...

It's such a great way for us to spend an evening, as a family...

Admission is free...and there are blocks and blocks of old cars ~

The cars...

They are neat and cool and interesting...

Some are flashier than others...

But it isn't the cars that draws me here...

There's something else...

I love the small town atmosphere.

Walking down the quaint main street.

The river.

The people...they are all so friendly and nice.

And while I'm not into antiquing...there is just something about the numerous antique shops that dot the main street...

I walk through these stores and am instantly transported back to my childhood...
Small town -

Seeing certain things on the shelves of these stores...

I see things I didn't even remember I had, until I saw them...

I could spend hours snapping pictures of these old treasures...
If you add it all up, I suppose I do...


We wander back outside...

And inside again...

And even though the weather isn't the nicest it's ever been...

We still take the time to indulge in one of our favorite guilty pleasures of the car show...

Turns out, we aren't the only ones who enjoy our Ice Cream treats at the car show...

And I'm telling you - the people watching is second to none...

A couple of years ago...I was certain I was going to be on candid camera...

Ah...so much for a person to take in...

My favorite people watching is these folks here...

And doesn't everything taste better when you are eating it outside?

Yes, There's just something about this city...

Something I just can't quite put my finger on...

something I just don't feel like we get at home...

(For the record...we did drive out and scope out a property near here that sits on 5 acres that I've had my eye on...turns out, while I do like it...It really is pretty far out there...further south than I want to go...while 5 acres sounds delightful...getting to said 5 acres on gravel, winding, hilly roads with the winter conditions we deal with for 6 months out of each year...well, this particular one isn't for us...but we'll I'll keep looking...just in case!)