Des Moines Concours 2024

When we were invited to the 2024 (24th consecutive) Concours de’Elegance in Des Moines, Iowa, I was unsure what to expect. I grew up in Iowa and lived in Des Moines for over a decade before giving up the snow for the sunshine in California. The city is not known as a car town even though there are a lot of great cars and car collectors there. The most exciting part of the event from a participant’s perspective is the unique Concours site. The entire show takes place in the heart of downtown Des Moines in the wonderful and beautiful Pappajohn Sculpture Park. The cars park around the outer edge of the Park while spectators (no charge for entrance) can walk in the closed off streets or sidewalks.

We entered our 1969 Dodge Daytona. I was a big hit with the locals and competitors alike. There was constantly someone stopping to ask questions and many simply stood back and studied the car’s every detail.

We were fortunate to have also been one of four cars invited to the Cars and Cocktails event on the night before the show. This was a very enjoyable event which was available for a small fee for the public to see select cars up close while enjoying hors d’oeuvres and beverages. The real highlight of this pre-event was listening to presentations from the owner of the cars and a detailed history of each by Luke Chennell, Associate Professor of Technology at McPherson College.

For us the Show began early on Sunday morning around 6 am! The show field opened at 7 am and the cars all had to be in place by 9 am for judging starting at 10 am. Katrina and I always attempt to have the car as clean as possible before the event but detailing is still required due to travel and local weather conditions.

We heard from several participants and spectators alike that the quality of cars was much higher than in previous years. That did little to ease our pre-judging nerves. Then there is the long wait until the afternoon announcements of winners. We always like the approach they use to announce the Class Winners. In the early afternoon, judges place blue ribbons on the windshields of the 3 top placements in each class. This makes 3 people in each class ecstatic but greatly disappoints everyone else. We made the top 3 for the “American Muscle” Class.

Then it is time for the trophies to be awarded. Each of the top 3 from Class start their cars and parade to the winners’ circle where a large crowd of spectators has gathered for the announcements. The top 3 then line up in the staging area like it is a 3 wide drag race. Remember, this is in blocked off city streets. Every time the traffic signal in front of us turned green I wanted to floor the accelerator and drop the clutch. Luckily, I did not embarrass Katrina and me with such a childish action. Then it was our time to find out where we were placed. Winners were called in reverse order. As the names were called, the car and its owner would proceed to the announcer’s stand and pick up their award, get their photo taken, and proceed back to their show location.

The first announcement was for third place going to a beautiful and rare 1966 Olds Hurst 442 owned by a good friend and high school classmate from many decades ago. This is where the nerves go bonkers, will we be first or second? The announcer pronounced the 1970 Chevelle SS LS6 the second place award. It was a great car.

We were elated and could not wait for our turn to drive our pride and joy up to the announcer’s stand and collect our award! The plaque is very unique and will be treasured for years. It will also have an appropriate spot in our man cave. It was a wonderful, fun, and relaxing weekend. We want to commend all the folks in Des Moines and surrounding communities who put this show on and for doing such an excellent job. They always made us feel special and needed. Not once were we treated badly, everything seemed to go smoothly and without tension. We were invited to go back next year and take our Talladega as a non-judged “Star Car”. Like they say in Iowa, “God willing and creek don’t rise, we will be there.”