KINGMAN — 835 classic cars descended on Kingman over the weekend for the 36th annual Fun Run. The three-day event featured cars from all over the country cruising from Seligman to Topock in a celebration of historic Route 66.
The event officially began on Friday in Seligman with a series of events, followed by the official start of the cruise the next morning. The first leg of the Fun Run began at 9 a.m. on Saturday, when participants cruised from Seligman down Route 66, passing through Peach Springs and Hackberry, which each had events going on as well.
Cars arrived in Kingman throughout the day on Saturday and joined Kingman’s Show N Shine Car Show. Cars were parked along Beale Street and Andy Devine from the water tower down to the visitor’s center.
This year’s fun run featured cars from every era. There were classic cars, muscle cars, hot rods, and even some rat rods.
1952 Jaguar XK120 TS Roadster. It is known as the 8th rarest car in the world, and was the first ever to reach 120mph.
The Sock Hop theme, which appeared the day before during First Fridays, was everywhere during the Fun Run. Mr. D’s Diner on Andy Devine also had a special performer singing classic 50s tunes to the public.
The Fun Run concluded on Sunday with an award show, followed by the second leg of the Fun Run which continued south past Oatman to Topock. The award ceremony featured 56 awards, including everything from Best Muscle Car to Best Ford Truck.
There were also awards for things like Bad Luck, in which participants with the worst stories about things that happened to them during the Fun Run would come up and share those stories. Another award involved the best story overall. That award went to an owner whose car left the family decades ago and found its way back into the family unchanged from when the patriarch sold the car years ago.
The big award for Best in Show went to Tony and Joanie White for their car, a 1941 Studebaker Champion. They said it was their first time entering this car into the Fun Run. They said they were paid $50 to dispose of the car twenty years ago, but chose to rebuild it instead.
The Fun Run began back in the 1980s when Route 66 was officially declared a historic highway, and it’s been bringing car lovers together every year since. Organizers say they are already planning next year’s Fun Run, which will mark the 100-year anniversary of Route 66. Custom Hawaiian shirts will be made to commemorate the event, along with many more things to be announced throughout the year.
