Rod & Roll celebrates 25th anniversary
Published 10:20 am Monday, August 17, 2015
On the quarter-century birthday of the automobile celebration he and his wife Sue created, longtime Dowagiac business owner and car lover Ed Kazlauskas received a pair of special distinctions during the closing moments of the 2015 Rod & Roll Classic Auto Show Saturday afternoon.
The first was the opportunity for he and Sue, owners of Jim D’s Body Shop and The Marshall Shoppe, respectively, to present the Best of Show trophy to the top vehicle on display at this year’s show. The couple presented the prize, which was custom-made by high school student Chris Symonds, to Watervliet’s Steve Gagliano for his 1956 Chevy Bel Air.
Kazlauskas’ other treat was a trophy of his own, as Miss Dowagiac 2015 Tori Smith picked his 2015 Dodge Hellcat as her choice for the Queen’s Choice Award.
Kazlauskas was one of several Dowagiac residents who did well during the annual Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce car show, which took place from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. in downtown Dowagiac. The hot temperature outside was only matched by the designs and horsepower of the many classic and contemporary cars, trucks, motorcycles and other automobiles lining Front and Commercial streets that day.
The other top placers of this year’s show were:
20: Dan Mourey, of Three Rivers, for his 1972 Plymouth Duster
19: Rolland Yeske, of Benton Harbor, for his 1969 Ford Mustang
18: Richard Szotek, of Paw Paw, for his 1951 Studebaker Champion
17: Tom Meiser, of Dowagiac, for his 1916 Ford T
16: Gary Shindeldecker, of St. Joseph, for his 1934 Plymouth Coupe
15: Don Wroblewski, of Niles, for his 1955 Chevrolet 210
14: Richard Engel, of Berrien Springs, for his 1934 Plymouth PF
13: Bruce Gooding, of Stevensville, for his 1955 Ford Sunliner
12: Bill Bellaire, of Niles, for his 1937 Chevy Master two door
11: Jim Rock, of Kalamazoo, for his 1953 Ford F100
10: Steve Lutes, of Dowagiac, for his 1954 Chevy Sedan Delivery
9: Richard Bender, of Vandalia, for his 1968 Chevrolet
8: Jim Wood, of Osceola, for his 1948 Chevrolet Wagon
7: Ken Lane, of Niles, for his 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air
6: Barb Ameling, of Eau Claire, for her 1951 Chevrolet 3100 Pickup
5: Roger and Joyce Yerington, of Benton Harbor, for their 1965 Ford Mustang
4: Dick Bragagnini, of Schoolcraft, for his 1957 Chevrolet Corvette
3: Buzz Meyer, of Eau Claire, for his 1931 Ford Roadster
2: Phil Hughes, of Stevensville, for his 1963 Cadillac 1963 Eldorado Biarritz