Havin' Fun in the Midwest Sun!   If John Wells wrote up a recipe for the perfect hot rod event, it would look something like this:   Take one large bowl of tradition Fill it with real hot rodders   (no fillers, posers or fakes, please) Add in heaping helpings of patina, chrome and some shiny customs Pinches of flirty pinups, great vendors and some parts swapping welcome Surround the whole thing in excellent tunes and activities that can be enjoyed by the whole family and… We got us a hot rod festival!    A little indoor action as well   You have to wonder if John is just a little obsessed as the details for these shows is becoming legend. Worked heavily by volunteers (myself included!), the Vintage TorqueFest for 2014 in Dubuque, Iowa May 2-4, drew hundreds of vehicles and vintage bikes and thousands of spectators from 9 states, all carefully orchestrated so there was ample parking, great food available and a vibe that you just couldn’t help but enjoy.  These old Lincolns are custom from the factory!   The sun shown brightly Saturday when the bulk...

What Makes This Show So Different?   It's not  just a show! It's an all-out, ultra-cool festival!!!!   Artists, live bands, swap meet, vintage apparel and furniture dealers, classic pin up girl contest, vintage motorcycles, hot rods, and custom cars will all join in one group at the Dubuque County Fairgrounds.   Cars and motorcycles are already registered from MI, OH, IL, MN, KS, MO, NY, MA, SD, TX, OK, IN, and of course many from WI and IA.  The car count is expected to be around 600-750 classic hot rods.   This show strives to bring back a specific time in history.  A period before muscle cars, and before old cars were brought up to date with digital technology.     In an attempt to solidify this specific era there is segregated parking.  There will be a Friends parking area for the cars that don’t meet the entry guidelines. With the inclusion of the Friends parking area (an area designated for cars that were made after 1964) there could be 800 cars rolling into the Fairgrounds!   Live music from internationally known music acts will be playing at the...

 Hot Rods, Cold Weather... Now We're Talkin'!   John Wells definitely lives a life of danger. Putting together a first-time indoor hot rod show in the midst of a Midwest winter is bordering on madness, but watching Wells work, you know there's just a bit of madness lurking in that fast moving director of organized mayhem.   Retro Rewind 2014 is now in the history books, an event only Wells could conceive, plan and implement as a sibling event to his already successful TorqueFest and Iron Invasion gatherings. Retro Rewind brought together an amazing collection of traditional hot rods, custom cars, vintage bikes and go karts, classic guitars, pinstripers, pinups, hot rod films, high jammin' rock and roll, food, art... hey, you could even get yourself a super cool haircut by a real barber! Wells thought of everything and the packed event center in Dubuque, Iowa was diggin' it.     Of course it was the cars that headlined the event and there was enough diversity that anyone with a pulse of any kind could appreciate the mix of good old school, flat out cool hot rods and custom...