LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Street Rod Nationals draw thousands of people and cars from across the country.
This is the 26th time the National Street Rod Association has held this event in Louisville.
Carol Jutte and the Fort Street Car Classics Club drove 250 miles from Fort Recovery, Ohio.
That drive in her purple 1948 suburban was 30 years in the making for Jutte.
“My husband and I hauled it home from Topeka, Kansas [in] about 1991,” Jutte said.
Her husband Jack had big plans for the car. But life got in the way – work demands, household upkeep, kids’ activities.
Then in 2011, he Jack was diagnosed with cancer. Chemo didn’t help, and in 2012 Jack passed away.
But his three sons and his car club family wouldn’t give up on his dream.
With a lot of hard work, the car is now ready to drive.
“It meant a lot not only to [Carol], but to a lot of us,” car club member Mike Thien said.
Jutte drove it to a car show for the first time ever this weekend. She’s been coming to Street Rod Nationals for years.
“I just was shaking when I came through the gates because I was like, ‘It’s here. It’s on the ground,’” Jutte said. “It was wonderful.”
These shows are a tradition not only for the Jutte family, but for the club too.
Thien knew Jack since he was just a kid. Having the finished car there was like having a piece of his old friend with him.
“It’s part of Jack, it’s part of the club, Jack was there when the club started,” Thien said. “It’s sitting in the middle of the group for a reason.”
►Contact reporter Rose McBride at rmcbride@whas11.com or on Facebook or Twitter.