Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, July 11. Reprinted with permission and gratitude.
By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy
Lovejoy Come on, guys and gals, get in your little deuce coupe and get downtown.
There’s a whole lotta shakin’ going on, and it’s also about to get fiery.
“This is our eighth annual Fins and Films, and there’s a wide variety of events – a car show with lots of cars, trucks and bikes, a flyover, the drive-in movie as part of Kids’ Night on Friday, the mini pinup and greaser show on Friday, live music, food trucks and stands, the pinup show on Saturday, and new this year, the ‘Night of Fire’,” stated 2024 Fins and Films Board President Doc (Josh) Shipton, anticipating Spring Valley’s annual car culture convention complete with classic rides and campers, an outdoor movie, a pinup show with lovely ladies dressed to the nines and tens, and the riskier excitement of cars throwing fire from their exhaust pipes so that some bystanders may clutch their pearls and others may have to reread the “do not try this at home” warning.
Shipton highlighted that Fins and Films was founded in 2017 by Spring Valley resident Greg Melartin, a lifelong car tinkerer and collector who saw potential in Spring Valley’s drive-in movie and automobile history for his dream car show – one at which anyone who has any kind of vintage transportation may choose to put it on display, no matter the condition, and educate others on how vehicles changed how people live their daily lives. Fins and Films has gained the attention of car collectors from across the tri-state area and beyond, as well as promoting Spring Valley’s businesses and providing a midsummer hometown vacation for anyone interested in the shine of chrome and the rumble of engines. Shipton noted, “I think there will be about 100 cars at the show this year – we have someone from Grand Meadow who’s bringing ten to twelve of his cars. We’ve got a bunch coming from Prairie du Chien, Des Moines, from the Twin Cities.”
He added, “This is not your typical car show. Most car shows, people bring their cars, walk around, talk with their friends about cars and then go home. This car show has pinups, live music, a burnout contest – that’s my favorite because it’s something that you don’t see every day. You’re filling the whole area with a smoke screen, and you can hear the roar of an engine.”
This Friday, July 12 is Kids’ Night at Fins and Films, with vendors and food, a kids’ carnival, photo booth and Sharp Sound DJ. The mini pinup show, a gathering of simply adorable young ladies and greaser gentlemen, takes the downtown stage at 7:00 p.m., allowing for applause for every cute and sassy participant. An airplane flyover buzzes historic downtown Broadway as pilots venture approximately 500 feet from the pavement to salute the people below. Being that it’s the evening devoted to little ones, the kids’ dance party starts at 8:00 p.m. and sock hops until 9:00 p.m., at which time the Fins board of directors fires up the movie projector and shows the animated movie “Elemental” and movie-goers grab a blanket or chair and pull up to the big screen to enjoy a flick under the stars.
The cruising and grooving continue on Saturday, July 13 as Fins grass drags participants and spectators take an 11:00 a.m. drive to Ostrander for drag-racing on a field on the outskirts of town. The flag girl signals the race start at 11:30 a.m., and from there, it’s anything goes as the mud flies. Once the wild ride’s done, it’s time to return to Spring Valley for good eats from the likes of the Popcorn Wagon, Stellar 181, a cotton candy and mini donut cart, and most downtown eating establishments keeping regular hours. Fins and Films has traded its annual cratebox derby for daredevils rolling down South Broadway for a Pinewood derby for those who still like a good hotrod race, but this one’s on a much smaller scale. At 1:00 p.m., there’s a vintage market, the car and truck show, a roller rink for guys and gals who want to lace up and coast, and live music by Bob Schlief. More aviators will nearly scrape the ground as another flyover happens at 2:00 p.m., and Spring Valley quartet “Sister Luv” – Xena, JLee, Elsie and Michelle, daughters of Amanda Watson – appear on the music stage to offer all the oldies at 3:00 p.m. Next, it’ll be time for hot wheels at 5:00 p.m. as the burnout contest skids and smokes its way into impressive view. Speaking of hot – or just plain cute – a long lineup of ladies hailing from near and far are set to enchant an audience during the pinup show at 6:30 p.m., and the contest’s winner gets the “Miss Fins and Films 2024” title and sash. Band “Mercury 3” fills the air with good tunes at 7:30 p.m. between the pinup show and the “Night of Fire.” Shipton remarked that the first-ever “Night of Fire” is slated to start at 10:00 p.m., and while he gave few details about the full spectacle, he is certain that there’ll be a spark of interest, as “it started with Christmas on Broadway when Greg was spitting fire…and it kinda escalated from there.”
Sponsors of the 2024 Fins and Films activities include Bloomfield Mutual Insurance, Bluff Brothers Brewing, Carr’s Bar & Grill, Chateau de Chic, Chevrolet of Spring Valley, Edina Realty, English Electric, Essig Agency, First National Bank, Grand Meadow License Bureau, Home Federal, Kingsland School Parents, LWJM Tax, Marburger Insurance, Matt’s Body Shop, McConnell Electric, Mettler Chiropractic, Minnesota Metals, NAPA, S&S Bait Shop, SATA USA, Scott’s Auto Works, Shiny Hiney, Some Like It Hot, Southland Auto, Stellar 181 Taphouse, Stier Steel, Sunshine Foods, Spring Valley Chamber of Commerce, Spring Valley Dental, Spring Valley Lifetime Eye Clinic, Spring Valley Sales Company, Spring Valley Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), TJ’s Liquor, Tracker Industries, United Fund of Spring Valley, Valley Diner, Valley Lanes, Valley Overhead Door, and Wolf’s Den of Ostrander. Admission to Fins and Films 2024 is free, as Fins and Films is a nonprofit organization that strives to educate about motorized history and its effects on the world, from how people got to work to how they spent their weekends at the drive-in movies. For more information, log onto the Fins and Films Facebook page, or find Fins and Films on Snapchat or Instagram. Shipton invited anyone and everyone to get downtown because there’s a whole lotta shakin’ going on, and better yet, it’s fun for the short quarts all the way up to the gallons because “it’s all family friendly, with neat people and a really fun atmosphere.”
Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325
