Events Open to the General Public

The 32th annual Wilhelmina Rod Run will be held August 24th thru August 26th.

On Friday evening there will be the traditional "Show and Shine" held downtown in Mena at the KCS Depot.  This event is open to the public and is a great way to renew old acquaintances, admire the street rods, ask questions, and listen to some music.  This event usually has several of the street rods who have already arrived in the area shown.  This event usually begins at about 6:00 pm and lasts until about 10:00.

On Saturday and Sunday, the activities move up on the mountain to Queen Wilhelmina State Park.  The Saturday activities begin at 9:00am and are open to the public for the showing of the street rods.  Keep in mind that this show is for the people who own and build these cars and you are there as a guest.  Please don't touch the cars, climb on them, sit in them, or let your children do any of the above.  The people who own these cars have a large investment of time and money and love to show them off, they truly enjoy your coming to see them but please don't touch.  Also, there are a number of activities that are for the registered participants, such as games and the fish fry.  You are welcome to watch their fun and games but remember these are for the registered street rod owners only.

On Saturday night there will be a "Show and Shine" for the street rods held on the south end of Mena Street (Main Street) this usually starts around 6:00pm and is open to the public. Sometime around 8:30 there will be a presentation of the Mayor's Choice Award and the County Judge's Choice Award.  This event usually winds up around 9:00pm.

On Sunday morning there will be a religious service early and the Awards Ceremony will be held at about 10:00am.  Most of the cars will still be available for viewing during this time and for a while afterwards.

If you have never been to the Wilhelmina Rod Run you are missing a great event.  The mountains are beautiful and the people are friendly and helpful.  Be sure to stop by the "ESSO"(click for tour) station on Mena Street, look in the window at the Studebaker Building next door, drop into the restored KCS Depot (click for tour) and see the artwork and memorabilia, drive thru historic Janssen Park (click for tour) and see the first building in Mena, and take enough time to enjoy the drive up the scenic Talimena Drive to Queen Wilhelmina State Park (click for tour) as you go up for the show.  If you would like to see virtual tours of other area attractions go to: www.menaarkansas.us/tours/

If you have additional questions you might want to contact the guys at Street and Performance, I'm sure that they would be glad to help.