Like Uncle Bob I don't know of a single event that triggered my infatuation, but when I was 9 we moved to a small town, only about 500 people but they had both a Chevy and Ford dealership. Around September both covered their windows with butcher paper covered with signs hyping the new cars coming soon, both on the same Saturday when the '57 Chevy's and Fords were unveiled! As a pre-teen I listened to the AM radio late at night, when the "bounce" would bring me WHB out of KC, WNOE New Orleans, and WLS Chicago with the SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY AT US30 DRAGSTRIP!! BE THERE OR BE SQUARE and then announcing the headline teams that would be there. When I was 12 my parents decided to take a drive after church and we ended up in Joplin at a cafeteria that Dad liked. After lunch they discussed what to do before the hour drive home and I was being the typical pre-teen, grumpy about everything. Dad looked in the mirror, and asked "Well, what would YOU want to do instead?" I mumbled that the radio had said that the Cam Twisters were hosting a car show downtown, and the next I knew we had pulled up to the curb, I had a Half Dollar for admission and a Coke and was told to be back in two hours or less. I was in HEAVEN! Wandering around ogling the hot rods and customs, and picking up free brochures, decals and anything else that was being given away to promite something. I was HOOKED!