By Sue Moore
Vicksburg’s nationally renowned hot rod restorers, Dutchboys Hotrods, will be bringing four of their specialty cars to Vicksburg’s Old Car Festival on Saturday, June 8.
These guys are so well respected for their work, that Chip Foose, auto designer, artist and reality TV star, recently stopped by their shop on W. Prairie to see what they were doing. He autographed their paint shop booth with artwork he is well-known for, said Skip Knowles, the Old Car Festival’s organizer.
The Dutchboys, Paul and Joe Van Nus, have a great reputation for building out old cars to make them operate like new, Knowles said. “When guys want to have a super car rebuilt that they cherish, the Dutch Boys are well known for their fine work.”
The four cars they will be showing in downtown Vicksburg will include a ’69 Camaro with lots of customization, a ’38 Buick that is owned locally, a ’69 Camaro with a V-28 engine that has won lots of awards, and a ’71 Camaro that Paul built for himself. It won awards when they took it to a show in Las Vegas. It’s now owned by a customer in Nashville, Tenn.
Other Activities Scheduled
The actual event gets underway on Friday evening, June 7 with lots of cars cruising downtown Vicksburg. It’s a time where people put the hood up, talk cars and have fun, Knowles said.
There will be an expansion of the performances on Friday to include “Arts on the Street” along with high school jazz bands performing in the evening and on Saturday.
The Tin Can Tourists will be camping out at the Historic Village on Richardson Street over the weekend with a steam and gas engine show on the grounds.
A pancake breakfast takes place early on Saturday morning at the fire station on S. Main Street.
The United Methodist Church will have its usual ice cream social across the street from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Vicksburg District Library opens its doors on Friday afternoon and all-day Saturday until 5 p.m. for its annual used book sale.
There is a craft show sponsored by the Band Boosters in Clark Park on Saturday along with the Duck Derby: The Vicksburg Community School Foundation sells chances on a rubber duck making it all the way to the finish line in the creek that runs through Clark Park. This takes place at 1 p.m. and lasts about an hour with several heats of ducks making it downriver.