Thursday, April 26, 2012

MisFink - Sara Ray contributes to the art auction

Sara Ray is contributing to the Vintage Torque Fest Original Art Auction!  Pretty cool huh?
Vintage Torque Fest is not just a hot rod show........
come and see the art that has been coming in from around the world.  If you are an artist that has a Rat Fink still - please send it! The art auction is 2pm on May 5. 
http://www.sararayart.com/
http://www.vintagetorquefest.com/

Rumble Seat Riot - Saturday Night at Torque Fest

Playing Saturday Night!
If you have not seen them lately - you are in for a treat - AND be sure to purchase their CD - chock full of original Iowa Rockabilly Goodness!

http://www.facebook.com/rumbleseatriot

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Heroes at Vintage Torque Fest

We hope to get a special speaker to come to Vintage Torque Fest this year.....
this is a lady that is a total hero in the Wells household.
Dr. Vickie Pyevich will say a few words before the art auction. She is a member of the foundation and she will be one of the people that will help guide the $$$ that will be given to familes in need of financial assistance.
I hope everyone will welcome her and give her a heroes welcome........because she was one of the main people that saved our Hannah.
We are forever grateful to her and the rest of the staff from University of Iowa.
In addition - Char McGovern needs to be acknowledged as key to spotting the initial problems with our baby.
And of course the entire team at Childrens Hospital in Boston.
The gate proceeds from the show go to the foundation. Of course we have to pay for the show before we can start to distribute funds....
but we hope to be able to do this soon.
We will keep everyone updated here and on the site:
http://www.helpinghannahsheart.org/

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

when was the last time you had a chance to see 16 bands and a classic pin up contest for $10?
May 4/5
http://www.vintagetorquefest.com/

Sunday, April 22, 2012

May 5 Davenport - Burlesque Le' Moustache

Not sure if you need another reason to come to Iowa May 4/5.......
but here is another event happening on the evening of May 5.
Davenport Iowa - Adler Theatre - Show is at 8pm

And if you wanna see a bit of this in action......
check out the Dirt Daubers video - those in the know may recognize a certain someone from the Legendary Shack Shakers......
http://youtu.be/1GG7j9A2jA8

http://burlesquelemoustache.com/

Saturday, April 21, 2012

VON DUTCH - History comes to Torque Fest - thanks to Antique Archaeology

History is revered here at Vintage Torque Fest. Trying to capture a bit of the magic from back in the day is exactly what we are trying to do..........
It is also what Antique Archaeology does on a daily basis.
Mike Wolfe has been kind enough to bring the Von Dutch XAVW to Vintage Torque Fest.
We do not know if he will be there this year....his shooting schedule is often very hectic. We appreciate the fact that he will display this bike for the first time at a show in over 40 years!!!!
Come by and check it out - an ORIGINAL piece of auto/motorcycle history - the Von Dutch XAVW
and remember - Le Claire IA is only about 40 miles from Maquoketa so you can go check out the shop!

http://www.antiquearchaeology.com/

Friday, April 20, 2012


If you are in Wisconsin - you should be HERE this weekend!!! Gonna be a good time fer sure.

http://www.wisconsinhotrodradio.com/News5Year.html

Clean out your garage.....

OK - if you are in the Chicago area....you need to get to Addison this weekend!

Spring Garage Days Swap Meet is coming up, Sunday April 22.

HELD AT HOT ROD CHASSIS & CYCLE located at 59 Factory Road, ADDISON, IL 60101.
630.458.0808
$5 FOR A SWAP MEET SPACE and spaces are limited.
Traditional hot rod and custom parts
Call or paypal to websales@hotrodchassisandcycle.com to register your spot.
8am

Sunday, April 15, 2012

SIGNED Von Franco piece to be Auctioned at Torque Fest!

Here is one of the pieces that will be in the auction at Vintage Torque Fest - hope you can come and bid - this one will be framed and ready to hang! Opening bid will only be $25!!!
We hope you will take the time to come by and check out all the pieces - prints, lithos, and originals.......
we thank all the artists that have contributed!
All proceeds from the art auction go to:
Hannah Wells Medical Trust

you can read about her story at:
www.helpinghannahsheart.org

Friday, April 13, 2012

Torque Fest Art Auction - Originals and Signed Lithos!!!

Some of the gearheads out there have told us they dont care about the art.......
well....
we do.
And so do a LOT of people that come to the Vintage Torque Fest.
The above is an example of a piece that will be auctioned off at the Vintage Torque Fest Art Auction.
This happens at 2PM.
All proceeds go to the Hannah Wells Medical Trust.
This pays for past medical expenses that have been incurred with the heart surgeries as well as future heart surgeries that will have to take place.
More info can be found at
http://www.helpinghannahsheart.org/
If you can't buy anything - at LEAST buy a coloring book.
It is only $5 and all the contributions help out.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Pin Up Contest - Saturday May 5 - Maquoketa IA

Sasha has the right look! We hope you will join us for our Pin Up contest at 1pm on Saturday in Building 1.
Details on the site:
vintagetorquefest.com
If you need to ask specific questions:
chezschweikert@yahoo.com

Monday, April 9, 2012

Lucky Tubb - Just one of the 16 bands playing Vintage Torque Fest



Oh yes - Lucky Tubb is gonna bring the real outlaw country vibe to the Vintage Torque Fest May 5, 2012.
I have yet to see him play live. Everyone I have talked to that has says you will not be disappointed.
Cant Wait.
Seeya there.
16 bands for $10
Maquoketa IA

http://youtu.be/mIDNAnKEWfA

http://www.vintagetorquefest.com/

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Happy Easter

Happy Easter.
Marco Almera did the art on this one........
he will be one of the many artists that will have something in the art auction at Vintage Torque Fest. We will have hand signed prints by Von Franco, Dirty Donny, Kruse, Eric Pigors, etc.
Stay Tuned - more to be announced!

Friday, April 6, 2012

GRIMB contribution to the art auction at Torque Fest



GRIMB sent this amazing piece of art all the way from Japan!!!
Amazing.

We hope that all the other artists out there who have not sent in the Rat Fink for the art auction will complete their contribution and send it back soon.

The show is less than one month away!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Vintage Torque Fest Press Release - Pass it around to anyone that doesnt know what the show is all about......



With close to 50 traditional car clubs represented at the Vintage Torque Fest in 2011, the word on the street is that the 2012 Torque Fest will be THE place to be the first weekend in May. These car clubs are like advance scouts in the Army....They head out to see what is worth going after, and then report back to the troops and come up with a plan onhow to seize the oppurtunity that is in front of them. In this case - it is a hot rodders dream show.


Hundreds of real hot rods and kustoms, vintage racing, flat track motorcycle exhibitions, and the chance to take your own ride out on the track for a few laps. The purists love this show because of the entry guidelines that state new billet wheels and digital guages are for the special parking area only. The car count last year was at 545 with another 100 cars that were in the VIP parking area.With all the positive word of mouth and coverage in national/regional magazines, there is no doubt the car count will increase.


Mitch Huffington of Tin Militia states "The great thing about this kind of show is that these guys are committed. Weather is a non issue. They decide they are going to show up and that is what they do. The first year of Torque Fest there was 4 inches of rain & a tornado 15 miles away and they still had 400 cars show up!" This is true - 2011 weather forecastfor the show was 70% chance of thunderstorms which kept the spectators away....but the hardcore hot rodders were there in full force. License plates from Florida, Ohio, Michigan, Kansas, South Dakota were seen as well as many from Minnesota, Missouri, & Indiana. Of course the major pull of cars and bikes comes from the Chicago, Milwaukee, and Des Moines area. All are within a 3 hour drive. Many in the Chicago area may not realize that Maquoketa is only 45 miles from Galena, IL - a popular day trip destination for antique hunters.


Antiques will be on display with the different vendors that will be attending the show. The antiques on display and for sale at the Vintage Torque Fest are going to be automotive related. Sam Boelens of the Tin Butchers states, "We have our annual Scrap Drive over here in Belvidere every year and we do not allow in "new" parts or things that are not automotive related. This keeps the vendor numbers smaller - but people know that our show is going to be full of real vintage car parts. John Wells liked our format and asked us if we would run the same kind of set up at his show and we felt it was a natural fit for our car club. We want to support the cause and keep the Torque Fest pure and stay away from the flea market atmosphere that is so apparent at so many other swap meets these days...."


Sam mentions "the cause", and this sometimes gets lost in the excitement of the show. All gate proceeds go to a 501(c)3 non profit corporation. This has been set up by John & Kim Wells to help families with children that have congenital heart defects. This is a cause that is dear to them since their daughter has had open heart surgery and will have to have more open heart surgery in the future. Artists from around the globe help pay medical bills for the Wells family by donating their time to the art auction that is held every year at the Vintage Torque Fest. Last year an original Keith Weesner painting sold for $1500. Who knows what will be available for purchase this year, but all the art auction proceeds go directly to the Hannah Wells Medical Trust. This helps pay for all the incidental expenses related to the past medical bills and prepare for the upcoming ones as well. More info can be found at www.helpinghannahsheart.org. This is the same Foundation that will be starting the Iron Invasion in Woodstock IL on October 6, 2012. See www.ironinvasion.com for details.

There are a few additions this year that the public has asked for from the beginning. The main one being a classic pin up contest.2012 will see the first Miss Torque Thrust crowned in the main hall at Vintage Torque Fest. The name comes from the classic style wheel that was so prominent in the 60's. The vintage thread will continue with this new part of the show as well and only girls in vintage attire will be allowed to participate. This will a family friendly pin up contest and those that are expecting a biker rally type contest will be disappointed. More details on this contest are found on the website.


Many motorcycle enthusiasts are excited about the burn out pit that has been created. This will be the Torque Fest Forque Test! An area where people can smell the rubber and have it be a controlled environment so that no innocent bystanders are hurt. The entry guidelines for the bikes will be more strictly enforced this year. The motorcycles that are allowed to participate in Torque Fest are pre 1975 choppers, bobbers, and customs. Any stock bike that is 1965 or older is OK as well. Foreign bikes are not a problem at this show either. As long as the ride has the right kind of look - then it will be a part of the show. Further details are on the website.


Bus racing will return on Friday night at Torque Fest, as well as the flat track motorcycle exhibitions, and Midwest Jalopies racing on Friday night. Another addition for Friday night this year will be the Voodoo Kings Ring of Fire. Anyone that has ever seen the show they put on in Gas City Indiana will tell you the fire rolling out of their tail pipes is impressive.
There is also a second stage this year and there are going to be a minimum of 16 bands playing Vintage Torque Fest this year. There will be red neck metal, honky tonk country, rockabilly, and surf bands all in the mix this year. These are not cover bands from a couple of miles away. These are international acts that have toured the world and one rockabilly band is from Spain. More details on bands and schedules can be found on the website.


Vendors from around the country will come to Torque Fest to share their wares, and one of the newest additions that many people are buzzing about is Trophy Queen will be here selling hand bags that are custom made from vintage material. There will also be an addition of an artist alley in Building 1 to showcase the talent of the different artists from around the country as well. Overall the show brings all the elements of a great car show together in one place....and for an amazing price. $10 is the price for the entire weekend. No hidden fees - no charge for parking - no extra charge to bring in your car - no extra charge to take your car out on the track. $10 gets you access to all of the bands, art show, swap meet, and racing. It is an amazing deal for the consumer. In today's market place $10 barely gets you a movie that lasts 2 hours. At Torque Fest - $10 gets you everything- all weekend long.


Make May 4/5, 2012 the beginning of your hot rod season and come to the Vintage Torque Fest in Maquoketa Iowa. It is an event that will bring a smile to your face all weekend long.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Volunteers - THANKS!!!!




Well - it looks as though we have filled the necessary shifts in the merch booth...the inspectors...those responsible for insurance waivers....parking...etc.




Special thanks go out to the Tin Militia for organizing all this and getting everyone in line.




Remember if something comes up - PLEASE let us know that you can not make it and we will have someone take your place.




We are still taking volunteers - but at this point you will be on a reserve list.




What this means is that you may or may not get to be a volunteer.




We will let you know as the dates get closer.




Thanks again to all that have volunteered!!!!


www.vintagetorquefest.com

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Motor Psycho Image is HERE!




Leave it to Keven Carter from Car N Art to come up with another amazing image for the Vintage Torque Fest.


This one is for the motor psychos that dig the ride.


It is worth the ride out to Maquoketa.......


on the way you can stop by Savannah IL where they have a couple of really famous bike bars.......


if you are coming from the OTHER way - do NOT miss the National Motorcycle Museum. It is only 30 miles from the show - so plan on hitting it on Sunday or Friday before the show......


The crew from Half Fast Chicago will be handling the bike section this year, so a big thanks go out to them.................


See ya - hope you can make it!














Sunday, April 1, 2012

Old Timey Country - Represent at Torque Fest



A blast from the past! Hope you dig old school country. We got it for ya at the Vintage Torque Fest. Davy Jay Sparrow....
and
the grand nephew of the man you can hear right above....Lucky Tubb.
Ernest Tubb was the Texas Troubadour and Lucky is carrying on that family tradition.
take a listen to Lucky here:
http://youtu.be/LDPWYDwhp4c

and for the eye candy....
http://youtu.be/mYFwkpNQbxU