Bonners Ferry is a small town in the Kootenai River Valley. It’s quite close to the Canadian border, which is less than an hour’s drive away. It is also the closest town to my home.
For the past 25 years, on the first Saturday in June, the town draws in several hundred classic cars from Idaho, Washington, Montana and British Columbia. The event is known as the Borders 3 Jamboree Car show. It’s held on Main Street and is hosted by the local Rod Benders Car Club. The event is not as large or “fancy” as the Lost in the 50s show in Sandpoint, which we’ve previously discussed on this blog. But it still is a lot of fun.
Like me, there are hundreds of people who enjoy the artistry of old cars, and the show is a family friendly small-town gathering. There are events for kids, prizes, street food and lots of conversations between friends meeting friends.
My wife and I spent a few hours in town, studying the interesting assortment of trucks and cars. Below are some of my favorites (just a fraction of the displayed vehicles), arranged chronologically:
1932 Ford Pickup (a “rat rod”)
1935 Ford Coupe
1940 Ford Pickup
1947 Ford Flatbed Truck
1948 Chevy Business Coupe
1948 Chevy Master Deluxe
1948 Mercury Coupe
1950 Ford Convertible
1957 Chevy BelAir
1957 Chevy Delivery Sedan
1957 Ford Thunderbird
1960 Chevy Corvette
1963 Ford Galaxie
1963 Ford Pickup
1963 Plymouth Fury
1967 Plymouth Belvedere
1979 Pontiac Firebird
1981 Blakely Bearcat
The final vehicle in this post is an unusual custom 2001 PT Cruiser
Love classic cars – much more inspirational than today’s characterless models. But aside from the cars, Bonners Ferry looks delightful.
Some lovely specimens there – thanks for the post!
Thanks for your comments, Prof Abe and Barry. Love the old cars too. We’ve definitely lost some of the artistry and creativity that used to define car manufacturing.
Bonners Ferry is a S-M-A-L-L town, but it’s a nice place to live and raise a family.