Lone Star Classic Chevy Convention

LONE STAR CLASSIC

CHEVY CONVENTION

The Lone Star Chevy Convention is a yearly gathering of Classic Chevy Tri-Fives not only from Texas but all 50 states.  Arguably the Lone Star is Texas' Premier 1955, 1956 and 1957 Chevrolet Event. Bill Whaley said, "The Lone Star is a total celebration of the golden years of Chevrolet."  

The Classic Chevy Clubs of Texas invite you to the LONE STAR XXXIV June 3-4, 2016 in WACO, Texas.

Below is a history of the Lone Star Classic Chevy Convention taken from: http://www.lonestarchevys.com/

History of the

Lone Star Classic Chevy Convention

In the mid 70’s, a national Classic Chevy Club had been formed to bring ’55-’57 Chevy enthusiasts together nationally.  From that spawned local Classic Chevy Clubs all over the country and around the world.  The mid fifty Chevy was the hottest collectable car and they were plentiful and cheap.  The national Classic Chevy Club began having ‘Classic Chevy Conventions’ for these shoebox Chevy fans and each year you could find usually 3-5 meets across the country each year.  The first was in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1975 and this event featured car judging, swap meet and other events all related to the mid fifty Chevrolet.  These became very popular and the judging at these events became the yardstick to measure your ‘55-’57 Chevy to.  Cars were built (and still are) to compete and score well in these conventions as this status can bring more value to a restoration should it score well.  The ’55, ’56 and ’57 Chevys found themselves organized and represented well in the old car hobby with this structure. Texas has always been a hotbed for Classic Chevys (as Tri Fives are referred to) and in the early 80’s, Texas enthusiasts and clubs needed an annual event that they could count on each year to get together, show off their cars and visit with friends.   Texas had hosted a couple of these national conventions over the years but there were years when there were no events within a day or two of driving time.  The Texas Classic Chevy Club State Rep felt that Texas deserved a convention each year and the only way to make sure it happened was to create an annual Texas event, thus Lone Star was conceived. 

How it Began

As the Texas State Representative for the Classic Chevy Club, David Graves began to throw the idea around in the fall of 1982 to the various Texas local chapters about having a convention like those larger events held by the national Classic Chevy Club.  But, this would be different and ‘independent’ and would be held in Texas and hosted by a Texas local chapter of the Classic Chevy Club and most importantly held each year, guaranteeing that Classic Chevy enthusiast in Texas would have an event of their own to attend.  San Antonio express an interest but they were not ready for the task in 1983 and they volunteered for a future event should one occur.  David Ebert of Austin’s Central Texas Classic Chevy Club was most receptive to the idea and as further discussions were held with all the leaders of the clubs in Texas, it was agreed that Austin would host ‘Lone Star I’ in 1983.  If the event were successful, then we would look to continue the event next year in another Texas location and hosted by another Texas Classic Chevy club.  The date was set - June 17^th - 19^th and the location confirmed - the Villa Capri Hotel in Austin.  Now… will they come? 

Lone Star gets underway

This first Lone Star Convention was an overwhelming success!   The Central Texas Classic Chevy Club did a great job of putting together a program that would set the standard for Lone Star for years to come.  Austin President Dave Ebert, Convention Chairman Larry Igo and Austin VP Jim Rankin lead the group and put together ‘Lone Star I’ with only 4 months notice!  With over 50 cars in attendance, the show judging went well and the entire weekend was nothing but a success.  This event feature Show-N-Shine judging using the same guidelines and judge sheets as the national Classic Chevy Club.  After such a successful event in Austin, the other clubs started lining up to host future conventions and we haven’t missed a beat since!

Lone Star through the years

‘Lone Star I’ was a special and memorable event, being the first of the series.  But there have been many great events through the years and many many great friendships have been made and re-made at this annual event.  The eighties were a busy time for summer Classic Chevy Conventions as the organization at the national level was focused and driven to have successful events.  This focus was also at the state level in Texas and the eighties were a time of some of the favorite Lone Stars for many.  The momentum continued into the 90's and now the 2000's to where today the Lone Star Classic Chevy Convention is the longest running annual independent event for the ever popular 'tri five' shoebox chevys in the country! 

It is a tribute to these clubs and the Classic Chevy enthusiasts that have attended one or more of these past Lone Star Conventions that this event continues today.  While there have been some ‘lean’ years for this great event, today it appears to be stronger than ever.  With the continued support of Classic Chevy enthusiasts and those great Classic Chevy Clubs in Texas, we hope to be celebrating Lone Star L in 2032  (that’s number 50 for those not familiar with roman numerals!) and if all goes well we will be doing it in the state capital of Texas, where it all began!