Joe Mamma’s in Jerome in August, Hagerman Blast on the Grass in September
There’s something about those super shiny, classic cars that makes car-lovers melt on the spot. And then if you get to ride in them, it’s even better!
“I remember in the early 1960s, my brother came home from the Marine Corps with a ’58 Corvette,” says Buck Bland, an organizer for Joe Mama’s Car Show in Jerome on Aug. 17-18. “He took me for a ride, and it snapped my neck in all three gears. From that point on, I was hooked.”
Bland has a 1970 Chevy C-10 pickup that he’s restored, and he’s got a Corvette that he’s updated with modern technology to increase gas mileage (it gets 31 mpg on the highway).
Joe Mama’s Car Show is expected to have 400 classic cars on display at Jerome City Park on Saturday, Aug. 18. Thousands of people are expected to attend. There will be a classic car parade at 6 p.m. on Friday night, Aug. 17, starting at Con Paulos Chevrolet and going down Lincoln Street in Jerome. Police close main street for the parade, and there’s live music and a poker run.
This is the 20th anniversary of the Joe Mama’s event.
“We’ll have Model T’s, muscle cars of the 1960s and 1970s, low-riders, something for everybody,” Bland says. “There’s no minimum year. If your car means something to you, it’s going to mean something to everyone else, too.”
The Hagerman 19th annual “Blast on the Grass” Car Show is set for Saturday, Sept. 15, on the soft green grass in Hagerman City Park. About 250 cars are expected to participate; more than 1,000 people are expected to come by to gawk at the sparkling beautiful cars.
“People come from all over to our car show,” says Tommy Mallane, one of the organizers. “We have people that come from Nevada, Eastern Idaho, Boise, you name it.”
A full variety of cars will be on display in Hagerman. “You’ll see pretty much everything,” Mallane says. “From the early years – we had a 1909 Buick last year – to sports cars and dragsters. I’ve got a ’55 Buick that will be on display.”
A full slate of vendors will provide food, drink, arts and crafts at both car shows. The Hagerman show will have live music on Saturday, a Scavenger hunt, and card games. Plus, the Boise State vs. Oklahoma football game will be broadcast on a big screen in the park. Now that’s planning ahead!
Both shows also have raffles and Best of Show awards.
Plan ahead to make lodging reservations because both of the car shows are very popular. For the Joe Mama’s car show, the Best Western Sawtooth Inn in Jerome is the main lodging sponsor. Additional lodging options can be found here.
For the Hagerman Blast on the Grass car show, organizers recommend the Hagerman Valley Inn, Hagerman RV Village, Billingsley Creek Lodge and Cabins, 1,000 Springs Cabins, Feathered Winds B&B at Thousand Springs Winery, the Gooding Hotel or Amber Inn in Bliss.
See the photos of 2017 winners from the Joe Mama’s car show.