Krusin’ Kustoms in the Lone Star Capitol…LSR 2010

text and images by Michael A. Marrs

Texas is the great Lone Star State, and known for a lot of things.  And Texans are often considered brash, bold, and boisterous, but it ain’t brag’n if it is true.  With a State Capitol that has the officially unofficial motto…”keep Austin weird”, it should be no surprise that Austin is also home to one of the fastest growing car shows in the Southwest.   This unique event is the once a year gathering of ‘Ol Skool Hot Rodders that build their Ol’ Skool Hot Rods using the Ol’ Skool style – and they build them to drive, with the Saturday night cruise being what many consider the highlight of the weekend. 

Starting out just 9-years ago as a simple gathering of friends and family on a football field for some old fashioned Hot Rod fun, the Kontinentals Car Club has continued to play host to the Lone Star Rod & Kustom Round Up in Austin, Texas.   From those simple beginnings came a few years of holding the event on the edge of beautiful Town Lake in downtown Austin, where the event continued to grow.  During one of the years when it seemed extra wet that the decision was made to make another move and on short notice, and the Travis County Expo Center came to the rescue with a 100-acre facility that includes asphalt parking for over 4,000 cars.  There are plenty of buildings on hand for the vendors, and exhibitors.  The center stage offers some great local talent that also can provide musical memories on CD for the road trip home.  Throw in a little bit of your favorite beverages and there is way more to see and do than can be done in a day, as evidenced by the monster crowds that were walking the grounds this year.  Of course as the end of the day approached, that is when the show hits the road – literally. 

That is when one of the great aspects of the Lone Star Round Up comes to life, with the Saturday Night Cruise on South Congress, and the event headquarters at the Continental  Club is always sitting right in the middle of the action.  The State Capitol building seemingly sits at the bottom of the long his, looking on in the distance, as there were Rods on the street, and Rodders on the sidewalks.  The four lanes of prime cruiz’n is in one of those South Austin areas with quirky stores, some unique restaurants that even offer outdoor seating that may be on the sidewalks.  There is a music scene that runs for blocks with the likes of Trophy’s Bar, or Jo’s Coffee Shop all providing a great musical background as the cool night air lasted into an early Sunday morning.  And of course, there are pizza by the slice joints, a little ice cream, and Fran’s Hamburger Drive in for a taste of the real thing.  By the time you walk down one side of the street for blocks and blocks, then back up for blocks and blocks, it is time to start over and see what is new on the other side of the street…again.

With a short time to recoup after a long Saturday night, Sunday Morning found the Rodders back on South Congress for a Hot Rod start to the day, as once again there was a chance to do some cruize’n.  About mid-morning, the Rods, the Kustoms, some muscle cars, and even the trucks lined up down the middle of South Congress for a daylight cruise out thru the Texas Hill Country to the waterfront of Lake Austin.  The end of the cruise is found at the classic burger joint aptly named ‘Ski Shores’, which has been serving the Austin area families since 1954.  An afternoon of rod’n in the sun, a few burgers, and plenty of good friends with a common interest is Just another part of the three days of ‘ol school Hot Rod fun in the Capitol of the Lone Star State.

  Now that the event has settled in to their new home for the second year at the Travis County Expo Center, it has plenty of room to continue growing, and so far, has not lost that laid back glad to be here feeling, even if it was a little crowded this year.  But there is plenty of room to grow, so if you are looking for something different for your Hot Rod fix, plan a visit to the 2011 Lone Star Rod & Kustom Round Up…for more information, visit the website www.lonestarroundup.com.  You can also email directly to beatnik@kontinentals.com to get the latest scoop.

For more images from the 2010 LSR Cruize, visit the automotive gallaries of Marrs Photography HERE.