Holy macaroni! We’d been counting the days leading up to this year’s Battle In Bama event and we were psyched to finally get on the road to Mobile. Our 13-hour journey from Central Ohio to the Gulf Coast of Alabama was relatively seamless and uneventful, albeit somewhat snooze-worthy, but he lack of touristy roadside scenery was soon forgotten as we rolled into the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park for setup day on Thursday.
The show area is directly adjacent to the Gulf waters and final resting dock to the USS Alabama battleship and a multitude of other breathtaking military war-issue aircraft, machinery, and relics. The size, scale, and power of the hardware on display at this park are more than enough reason to pay a visit to Mobile. But when you add the Gulf Coast’s finest show into the mix, you’ve said a mouthful.
Craig and Rosalyn Rowley and the Battle in Bama crew stepped it up for the 2021 event and the crowd they drew in was very indicative of the efforts of their well-oiled machine. We heard reports of a show vehicle count in the neighborhood of 1,500. The park was packed with everything from slammed 60’s Lincoln’s and Caddy’s to wild mini trucks and even a huge gathering of insane pro street cars. It was a feast for the eyes, but we were there for the trucks. And we were not disappointed.
The C/10’s of the South event is an event within an event and held every year “inside” Battle in Bama, if you will, and it’s a good reason why the entire event is somewhat C10-centric. There are plenty of other cars, trucks, and bikes to look at, but the concentration of GM haulers on hand is always spectacular, and this event will continue to be on our calendar, year after year.
As our country begins to lighten up a bit from the constraints of the pandemic, it remains very clear that enthusiasts in our community are ready to get out and show off their wares. So much so, in fact, that the attendance at this event was so high that it caught the BiB team a bit off guard. As Craig explained, “We invited as many food vendors as we could, and we even OVER estimated the number of rental restrooms we thought we might need, but we were still completely blown away by the number of people and cars that showed up. We’re already working on 2022 event planning and we guarantee that we will be prepared and ready for whatever comes our way!”
While walking the show field, familiar faces and trucks were everywhere and folks were having a great time. The weather was warm and breezy and the sun peaked in and out enough to sunburn our necks. Top notch conditions.
A few new builds popped out of the woodwork and we were thoroughly impressed with the quality and craftsmanship we saw. The guys from Todd’s Rods out of New Market, Alabama, showed up with their latest, a dark blue ‘52 3100 on RGV wheels with a killer interior from Big Body Custom Interiors. Randy Fortenberry and Steel Works Garage from Moody, Alabama, did not disappoint with their Dirty 30 Evel Knievel tribute dually. This thing was swimming in Evel branding and is a definite must-see truck if you have the chance. Mike Barcia’s flippin’ fantastic OBS/Cat-eye dually was on hand to take Best of Show honors and knock everyone’s socks off for the second year in a row. The details in Mike’s truck vindicate its No Compromize moniker to the fullest extent.
Do yourself a favor. Go ahead and put next May’s Battle in Bama on your calendar. You’ll thank us later.
