Blast to the Past Cars lookin' good!

WEST SILOAM SPRINGS, Okla. -- The 9th Annual Blast to the Past car and truck show took visitors on a trip down memory lane. With more than 300 entries of classic and custom cars and trucks at the Aug. 9 show, there was a little something for everyone.

Melvin Mounce, of Springdale, was a car collector, but sold most of them as the cost for parts increased.

He is down to one -- a custom 1955 Chevrolet Cameo pickup. The truck, laden with burgundy flames, is his prize possession, and he enters it in car shows throughout the state, where he said he always placed in the top three of his division.

However, at the Blast From the Past show, his truck didn't place.

His truck was judged alongside Custom cars and trucks from 1900-1960.

"If I were somewhere else I'd be able to compete against pickups in my class," Mounce said.

"Most car shows have different classes of cars for different models, but this one here is all together," he said. "I don't like it because I can't compete here."

Unlike many car shows across the nation, the Blast From the Past car and truck show has free entry, said Shannon Jennings, marketing manager for Cherokee Casino.

The casino sponsors the event and the prizes, which makes for smaller categories, she said.

Johnny Shackelford of Elkins has owned his 1956 Ford Crown Victoria since he was 12. His father bought it for him in 1960 for $250.

"I drove it to school," he said. "Back then you didn't need a driver's license."

Shackelford said that every car show he has shown it in, the car has placed first.

The Blast From the Past was no different -- his cruiser placed third in Classic: 1900-1960.

"Every bit of it is original," he said.

There were 18 winners across the three categories:

Classic: 1900-1960

First: Steve Perry, 1955 Chevy Bel-Air

Second: Luther Taylor, 1929 Ford Model A Coupe

Third: Johnny Shackleford, 1956 Ford Crown Victoria

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Classic: 1961-1980

First: Jeff Johnson, 1971 Chevy Camero

Second: Gerry Zanger, 1971 Pontiac GT-37

Third: Phillip Culpepper, 1967 Plymouth

Classic: 1981- Present

First: Manny Windham, 2007 Ford stage 3 Roush Mustang

Second: Lynda Beason, 1999 Pontiac Trans Am

Third: Danny Andreasen, 2009 Ford Mustang GT

Custom: 1900-1960

First: Olive Wofford, 1940 Chevy Coupe

Second: Luther Taylor, 1929 Ford Model A Coupe

Third: Melinda Owen, 1932 Ford 3 Window Coupe

Custom: 1961-1980

First: Kenna Reynolds, 1969 Chevy Camaro

Second: Dan Beason, 1968 Pontiac Firebird

Third: Fred Rosbrough, 1963 Ford Fairlane 500

Custom: 1981- Present

First: Meghan Placek, Chrysler 300 S Mopar edition

Second: Shawn Hellebrand, 2013 Dodge Challenger R/T

Third: Dennis Butt, 2014 Ram Express

People's Choice:

Dale McFarlan, 1962 Buick Invicta Convertible