The Back to the 50’s Weekend in St. Paul, Minnesota, has grown since 1974 to become the largest 1964-and-earlier car event in the nation. With almost 12,000 vehicles covering the grounds of the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, it is a three-ring circus of hot rods, customs, and street cruisers. There are even some antiques thrown in just to show what the others looked like when they rolled off the assembly line. One of the most amazing things to keep in mind is that the entire event is organized by one car club. Obviously the Minnesota Street Rod Association is one special club.
A visit to the MSRA website tells the story of how the club came about and what it takes to put the Back to the 50’s Weekend together. The MSRA was formed in 1967. From its original beginnings it has grown to have a worldwide base of about 20,000 active members. If you have been involved in a car club before, you can only imagine what it takes to keep people happy in a group that size. It involves a Board of Directors, activity committees, and countless volunteers who devote time all year round because the MSRA is not just about the Back to the 50’s. It is a club that has events and activities and rod runs throughout the year—but without a doubt, the Back to the 50’s Weekend is their crowning achievement.
The first Back to the 50’s Weekend (known as BTTF) was held in 1974 in a shopping plaza parking lot in St. Paul with about 150 cars in attendance. Compare that to last year’s 45th annual event that saw 11,707 participants cover the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. It took 2,000 volunteers who worked 4,000 shifts to make it happen. More than 450 vendors displayed and sold their wares over the weekend. It is an amazing undertaking and from someone who has attended about a dozen BTTF weekends, it really does go unbelievably smoothly all weekend long.
It is one of my favorite events in the country and it has become one of the most popular Road Tours of the summer. We will be in St. Paul again this summer for the whole week leading up to the event. There is plenty to see and do in the Minnesota-Wisconsin-Iowa area. Over the years we have visited some fantastic private collections, amazing museums, tourist attractions, and one very cool junkyard. For this year, we are planning some of our greatest hits as we visit the Surf Ball Room in Clear Lake, Iowa, where Buddy Holly and others played their last concert. I could spend a month at Elmer and Bernadette Duellman’s mind-blowing collection of pedal cars, toys, and collector cars. We’re hoping that the new building will be ready at Veit Automotive Foundation Museum. We must head north and see our friends at AMSOIL in Superior. Yes, we will be visiting the coolest junkyard on the planet as we make a return trip to French Lake Auto Salvage. We also have plenty of new places to visit, so watch the website for updates.
Our MSRA Back to the 50’s Week kicks off on Saturday, June 15, and runs through Sunday, June 23. We have a great hotel lined up and of course we will have a hospitality tent and special parking at the fairgrounds all weekend. Go to the website and sign up to be part of the Back to the 50’s Road Tour leading up to one of the most amazing car shows on the planet.
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