Feature stories

A Missing Piece of the Show For me, attending a car show has always been about much more than the rows of classic vehicles, the brilliant paint jobs, or the photos I capture. The true heart of these events lies in the stories parked beside the vehicles: the conversations shared with the owners who pour their souls into preserving history. For years, one of the … [Read more...] about R.I.P. Dick Besler 1933 – 2026

I was heading for the Didsbury car show on the morning of Saturday, May 9 when I got the call. I backtracked home, packed a bag, and was off to Regina.  I arrived in time to reminisce with my older brother who owned some pretty nice cars in his younger days. He even trusted me enough to let me take his '68 Firebird to town once.  Back then, he was working in … [Read more...] about In memory of my brother: Charles Truman (1949 – 2026)

It's amazing to see how many classic cars are in my Calgary neighbourhood but are never seen at a car show. While walking my dog, or riding my bike in the 'hood I have seen many interesting vehicles. The '59 Olds Ninety-Eight was just spotted yesterday. I've been following the restoration work for about four years on the '62 Chev Impala which is located about a block from my … [Read more...] about Curbside Classics

As the Chinook winds start to carry the scent of spring, the hibernation is almost over. After a long winter of wrenching in the garage and dreaming of open roads, the 2026 Southern Alberta car show season is officially on the horizon. The work behind the scenes hasn’t just been happening in the garages. For the past three months, I’ve been meticulously compiling this year’s … [Read more...] about Countdown to the 2026 Car Show Season

The other day, someone asked me about my vintage Thunderbird. I didn't know what they were talking about until they explained to me that it was posted on the internet. I thought I better do a search and see what Google and AI were saying about me. It was mostly accurate except for being a photographer and the last bit about the Thunderbird.  … [Read more...] about No, I don’t own a vintage Thunderbird

If you are trying to find a suitable date for your 2026 car show, I can send you a copy of the 2025 calendar with all the shows and dates. Send me an email requesting a copy of the 2025 calendar and mention which organization you are with. bobtruman@shaw.ca There were some Saturdays with an overabundance of shows, so it would be nice to see some of the Saturday … [Read more...] about Planning your 2026 Southern Alberta car show

The Southern Alberta Car Show Calendar looks pretty forlorn and bleak with nothing listed. At one time, there were 220 shows on the calendar, exactly the same number as 2024. I created posters for 75 of those shows. That doesn’t count all the weekly shows which would add dozens more to the schedule. The 2023 calendar had 193 shows and in 2022 there were 145 shows. I … [Read more...] about 2025 Season in Review

Nothing is more disappointing than showing up at a car show and.... no cars. There are some shows in southern Alberta indicated on various calendars which are not proceeding or have the incorrect date listed. If you know of any others, contact me.  Western Pacific Cruise Calendar has a show listed for Aug 9 at Youngstown, Alberta. Don't go. There's no show.  … [Read more...] about Calendar corrections for August 2025

Joel Fillo wrote the following: "Bob only cares about cars that are old, original, slow and owned by an 80 year old." When I started this website in 2021 I posted a statement of its purpose: "My foremost consideration in creating this website was to offer a non-Facebook site for people to see photos of old cars from the various shows which I attend." Fundamentally, … [Read more...] about Whiners and Complainers

(Updated) There were some unique cars at the Morrin car show today but none more interesting than Wayne's 1950 Ford. It's becoming increasingly rare to hear of an actual barn find anymore but this car was recently found in the Morrin area, just a few kilometres from town, in an old barn which had collapsed around the car. The car had sat lonely and unloved for 59 years. The … [Read more...] about Wayne’s Barn Find – 1950 Ford