Charities Benefit from the Pumpkin Run

Each year thousands of cars and trucks roll into the Clermont County Fairgrounds to take part in the annual Pumpkin Run Nationals. The show was started in 1975, missing only the year of the Covid pandemic, by the Fastiques Rod and Custom Car Club in order to raise money for charity. The primary benefactor to the event is the Shriner's Hospital which has seen in excess of one million dollars in donations over the years. Other local charities such as the Clermont Northeast School District whose students run the numerous concession stands through the fairgrounds for the event, also get support. It's the car owners and the guests who come to admire them that bring in the money. Some of the cars that were on hand for this past year's event include a Chevrolet Chevelle Super Sport, a Studebaker pick-up truck with a wild paint job, a Chevy Fleetmaster, a 1949 Ford Deluxe, a Ford Galaxie 500 XL, a Chevy Vega Stinger, and more. 

More MoPar Rolled Into the Pumpkin Run

 

The 49th Pumpkin Run Nationals, put on by the Fastiques Classic Car Club and held at the Clermont County Fairgrounds, attracted nearly 3000 cars and trucks over a weekend that saw near perfect weather. Among those vehicles on hand were quite a few MoPar rides from the Chrysler Corporation. Those included a 1971 Plymouth Duster, 

The Pumpkin Run Is More Than a Regional Show

 

Every year the Pumpkin Run Nationals is the region's largest car event. This past year saw nearly 3000 cars and trucks, all from 1974 or before, roll into the Clermont County Fairgrounds. Over the years the event has drawn from, not only the region, but from all over. There have been vehicles from Canada and from Florida that have come to Ohio for this show. There have been entrants from Maine and California. One gentleman drove a 1940s Ford across the continent from Alaska. Here are some that showed up for this past year's event, including a Ford Galaxie 500, a Chevrolet Biscayne, a 1966 Chevy II, a 1938 Plymouth, a Ford DeLuxe, a Chevy Nova Super Sport, a 1950 Ford Custom, and a 1948 Lincoln Continental.

Pumpkin Run Variety

 

As in year's past, the 49thh Pumpkin Run Nationals, held by the Fastiques Rod and Custom Car Club and held in the Clermont County Fairgrounds, drew a nice variety of vehicles among the nearly 3000 that attended over the weekend. Among them was a 1969 Mercury Cougar, a 1938 Ford special sedan, a 1967 Cougar, an Oldsmobile Cutlass, a Mercury Eight convertible, a Buick La Sabre, a Ford Maverick, and a Mercury Comet. 

Mustang at the Pumpkin Run

 

The story of the Ford Mustang is well known. Introduced as a 1965model. It was a sporty car designed for a younger crowd. Brought to market in the summer of 1964, prior to usual launch of the 1965 models, those early models have been called 1964 1/2. Basically a "parts bin" car that relied on a great deal of existing Falcon items, the car outsold all expectations and has become Ford's longest running name plate. There were quite a few Mustangs at the 49th Pumpkin Run Nationals. Here are just a few of them.

MoPar Added to the Pumpkin Run

 

Most people associate the term MoPar with the Plymouth and Dodge divisions of the Chrysler Corporation. While technically the name, which stands for Motor Parts, was coined to encompass all of Chrysler's vehicles, the performance bent of the name perfectly adapts Dodge and Plymouth. There were plenty of MoPar machines at the49th Pumpkin Run Nationals. Among them was a 1969 Dodge Charger, a Plymouth Duster, a 1967 Dodge Coronet R/T (the R/T was a performance designation standing for Road and Track), a Dodge Dart Demon (which was the Dart performance package), a Plymouth Starliner convertible, a Dodge Dart Swinger, and a Plymouth GTX. 

Foreigners Came to the Pumpkin Run

When an event only allows cars made from 1974 or earlier, one would suspect that it wouldn't be that big. Yet the 49th annual Pumpkin Run Nationals, like its predecessors, managed to attract nearly 3000 cars and trucks to the Clermont County Fairgrounds. Sponsored each year by the Fastiques Rod and Custom Car Club, the vast majority of those vehicles were American made. But not all. There were a few foreign imports in the crowd including a 1972 Honda Z600, an Opal GT, a Datsun 260 Z, a resto mod Austin Seven, an Allard, a Saab 93, a 1969 Fiat 850 Sport Spider, and a 1964 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud which belongs to my friend.