A classic Summerfest
Springfield man details his 1931 Model A
Staff photo by Fritz Busch Sleepy Eye Medical Center Summerfest Grand Parade participants include these individuals wearing large fish costumes.
Staff photo by Fritz Busach A man and woman hand out U.S. flags at the Summerfest parade Saturday.
Staff photo by Fritz Busch Gary Widmer of Springfield sits next to his 1931 Ford Model A street rod at the Classic Car and Cycle Roll-In Friday.
Staff photo by Fritz Busch Schell's Hobo Band perform at the Summerfest Grand Parade.
Staff photo by Fritz Busch Schell's Hobo Band performs at the Summerfest Grand Parade.
Staff photo by Fritz Busch The St. Peter High School Marching Band performs in the Summerfest Grand Parade.
A man and woman hand out U.S. flags at the Sleepy Eye Summerfest Grand Parade Saturday. Below, Beow, Gary Widmer of Springfield sits next to his 1931 Ford Model A five-window street rod at the Summerfest Roll-In Aug. 15.
Staff photo by Fritz Busch Sleepy Eye Medical Center Summerfest Grand Parade participants include these individuals wearing large fish costumes.
Staff photo by Fritz Busach A man and woman hand out U.S. flags at the Summerfest parade Saturday.
Staff photo by Fritz Busch Gary Widmer of Springfield sits next to his 1931 Ford Model A street rod at the Classic Car and Cycle Roll-In Friday.
Staff photo by Fritz Busch Schell's Hobo Band perform at the Summerfest Grand Parade.
Staff photo by Fritz Busch Schell's Hobo Band performs at the Summerfest Grand Parade.
Staff photo by Fritz Busch The St. Peter High School Marching Band performs in the Summerfest Grand Parade.
A man and woman hand out U.S. flags at the Sleepy Eye Summerfest Grand Parade Saturday. Below, Beow, Gary Widmer of Springfield sits next to his 1931 Ford Model A five-window street rod at the Summerfest Roll-In Aug. 15.
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SLEEPY EYE -- Summerfest 2025 featured a good-sized classic car, truck and motorcycle roll-in Friday.
Saturday afternoon events included a variety of music, food and kids activities at Allison Park before the Grand Parade featured 85 units Saturday night.
Dozens of classic cars, trucks and motorcycles rolled into the Summerfest Roll-In outside the Dawg Haus Bar & Grill late Friday afternoon.
Among the participants was Gary Widmer of Springfield who drove his maroon and gun metal grey 1931 Ford Model A street rod.
"It'll go 130 miles per hour and it's mine and I own all of it," said Widmer. "My dad, Wilferd, who they called "Wimpy," bought it for $15. He owned a Standard Oil station in Springfield for a long time."
Widmer said he put an air conditioner, a new heater, headers, bucket seats, a 302 Ford V8 engine and power steering in his Model A.
"It'll go 130 miles an hour, according to GPS. It only weighs about 1,800 pounds," he said.
Widmer said he's driven the Model A to the Wabasso Road House Bar & Grill roll-in on Tuesday nights. He's also been to the Minnesota Street Rod Association Back to the 50s Weekend at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
The Model A which replaced the Ford Model T, featured a more modern, streamlined design with more interior space than the Model T, but was still priced affordably in its day.
Dawg Haus part-owner and a hot rod owner himself, John Bendix, said he was very pleased with the roll-in turnout of what he estimated to be 50 to 60 vehicles.
"I think it's the biggest roll-in turnout here yet," said Bendix.
The band Kinda Fonda Wanda followed The Broken Oak, a Southwest Minnesota-based, contemporary folk/rock band in Allison Park. Kinda Fonda Wanda featured a Minneapolis threesome featuring Amanda White singing rockabilly, rock and country music from the 1950s.
"We're a tribute band for Wanda Jackson, who fronted for Elvis Presley," said White.
The band also performed tunes by Patsy Cline, Barbara Mandrell and Johnny Cash including "Cool Love, Discount Love, Savin' My Love, Funnel of Love, Back in Baby's Arms, Brown-eyed Handsome Man, Oh, Lonesome Me, It's So Easy, Maybe Baby and Hard-Headed Woman."
A good number of youngsters tried a rock climbing wall including Reed Arkins and Beckett Severson, both of Sleepy Eye.
The Grand Parade featured the St. Peter High School Marching Band, a man and woman handing out U.S. flags, the Schell’s Hobo Band, other music and 85 units.