Hundreds of Model Ts to pass through
Published 11:27 am Tuesday, July 19, 2011
From left, Model T owner and club chairmain Steve Boyd, Cheryl Corey, Dustin Heckman and Angie Himebaugh pose in front of Boyd’s Model T. Boyd and the club T Totalers will be in town Thursday with roughly 250 Model Ts. -- Photo provided
More than 250 Ford Model T cars will be in town on Thursday, July 21.
The members of the Model T Ford Car Club of America will hold their convention in Rochester this week. Their daily plans include ‘hub and spoke’ visits to several surrounding towns to tour local attractions. Austin has the rare opportunity to see these cars, and more than 600 club members will arrive that day.
Though the tour has been in Minnesota twice in its history, it has never been through Austin. Club members will be beginning and ending the day at the Mower County Fairgrounds. They will visit and eat lunch there, and the public is invited to see the cars and meet some of the drivers.
Throughout the day, the visitors will tour The Hormel Institute, the SPAM Museum, the Hormel Historic Home, and the Mower County Historical Society. Lunch will be served in the Plager Building for the car club from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. by RSVP only.
One of the objectives in the Model T organization is to promote the restoration, driving and enjoyment of Model Ts.
“It’s really gotten away from me,” said Steve Boyd, chairman and organizer of the club. Boyd started restoring Model Ts years ago, and now it’s his passion.
Currently, about 250 Model Ts are registered for the Austin visit, and nearly every body style ever made will be there. Attendees are from all around the US, and several have come in from the UK and Australia. This club represents the 15.5 million Model Ts that were produced from 1909 to 1927. At one time, 60 percent of the cars on the roads were Model Ts. Since members will have lunch at the fairgrounds, Boyd invites people to attend the event, of which the best time to attend will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
