Back in the 1960s, Ralph Muller of Monticello rebuilt a 1937 Chevy coupe for drag racing at strips near Port Byron and Cordova in Illinois, as well as Cedar Falls and other sites. He also took it to car shows in Des Moines and Rock Island in the late ’60s as well as inside Veterans Memorial Building on May’s Island in Cedar Rapids.
When his mother, Catherine Muller, suggested he start a car show in Monticello, he and two buddies did just that. Bob Oeschger of Cascade and Rick Heeren, now of Springville, joined in the effort, and the trio staged their first show in February 1970.