After a two year hiatus due to COVID, the Rolling Sculpture Car Show returned to the streets of downtown Ann Arbor. I was excited to get my Shelby out – it had been sitting unattended for three years due to the pandemic and my husband’s open heart surgery last year. Just 10 minutes from our home, the show is one of my favorites – it runs on a Friday evening from 2-10PM and the crowd, while not particularly car savvy, is enthusiastic, inquisitive, and out for a good time. I was worried I wouldn’t remember the car’s shifting pattern – but like riding a bike it came back to me as soon as I got on the road. We pulled into a great parking spot on Main Street, unfolded our chairs, and had pleasant conversations with passers-by while enjoying the Ann Arbor ambiance. Once the majority of cars arrived in town, we took our own walking tour among the vehicles on display. The cars at Rolling Sculpture are always quite eclectic – you never know what you will find. There are no rules – folks bring their new fancy sports cars as well as 50s classics. It looked like it had all the makings of a beautiful evening – until it didn’t.
At around 5:30PM, folks started looking at weather apps; the radar showed storms rapidly approaching. Some got out of town quickly; we waited until the rain seemed eminent, then reluctantly packed up and headed back to the garage. Our timing was impeccable; the drops started falling just as we pulled into the driveway. As was reported by the local media outlet [WDIV] the next day, many car owners opted to stay. The photographs [borrowed here] show folks in umbrellas strolling down a very wet Main Street to look at the cars. Cleaning up a classic car is no fun, which influenced our decision to leave Ann Arbor before the storms hit. I was disappointed that our evening ended so quickly; I had been so looking forward to Rolling Sculpture as it is a fun, local event. But it was great to finally get the car out and I was happy I remembered how to drive it.