This photograph of Glenn Kinsey’s hand-built street rod captures a classic moment in 50s Fest time. That’s Glenn behind the wheel wearing the 3nd annual T-shirt and John Schultz sitting on the running board. Dave Maset can just be seen crouching behind the open engine. The late Ernie Funk, Dave Loughman and George Kelley are stand beside Rodney Grimes wearing the 4th annual T-shirt. Thanks to Glenn’s wife Bonnie, who “saves everything” and Glenn’s mechanic’s memory for every detail, we have this blast from the past of the early days of the annual second weekend in September street wheels takeover of High Street, Waynesburg.
Glenn, a retired hydraulics engineer and salesman who got into building street rods and restoring vintage vehicles at his “hobby shop” garage in Waynesburg in 1996, doesn’t remember exactly what year he finished building this muscle machine. But he can tell you that it has a 1927 Model T body on a customized frame sporting a 1936 Ford front end, Chevy S-10 rear end and a 51 Ford Flat Head motor and transmission. He also knows the photo was taken for an article that appeared in the Greenesaver in 2006 – Bonnie has the clipping. And he remembers Greenesaver owner Shelly Brown who was involved in promoting 50’s Fest, calling in 2012, asking to use it for the 11th annual shirt. “She said it was getting late and they didn’t have any submissions,” so Glenn and his buddies got the spot of honor that year, with the image of George Kelley’s Point Auto Repair in the background.
Glenn gives credit to Mike Murray, a retired salesman who now lives and does vintage shows in Mississippi for making the first year a success. Waynesburg was ready to become a tourist destination and Mike was willing to spread the word with fliers and enthusiasm all over the Tri-State Area to bring in vintage vehicle owners. Mike’s selling point – come to a free festival in Waynesburg, park your wheels on the street, flip the hood and relax, grab a bite to eat, talk shop listen to music and be with friends rather than compete for trophies in a hot field. Plus, everyone who enters gets a free dash plaque!
For the hundreds who showed up in 2002, it was a done deal for coming back next year. And the next….
Glenn remembers he “stopped by George Kelley’s garage and they told me about it. I’d just sold my Model T pick up and didn’t have anything to enter so I brought ride-on toys – a Whizzer motor bike an Irish mail cart and a pedal tractor from the 1930s and parked them on the courthouse wall.”
By the second year, 50s Fest was off and running, Glenn joined the committee of ‘grumpy old men’ mechanical maestros and has been involved ever since. “I’ve never missed a show. When my son and daughter come up from Texas we bring out more than one. They’re going to both be here this year.”
Glenn admits the perfection of his finished projects owes a shout out to the help he’s received from his buddies, always ready to who stop by to give advice or pitch in and do a weld.
“The most skilled person I know is Dave Maset. He’s good at everything – welding, bodywork, mechanics, plus he’s very creative. He just built a 1903 Oldsmobile replica of a pie wagon and he tells me he’ll have it at 50s Fest.”
My dad’s favorite shirt. He had all the 50s Fest shirts. He’s standing in back, Dave Loughman. This will be the first show he’s missed, I believe. I’m sure he’s looking down with George Kelley and Ernie Funk.