Hall O’ Wheels called a roaring success
Mike Fahnlander was certainly a blessed man Saturday evening as he looked up at the sky.
Not only did the expected late-afternoon rain not show up, but the sun shone through in the west as the summer-long haze and humidity lifted, leaving cool, autumn-like conditions for his inaugural Hall O’Wheels event at the North Fort Myers drive-in.
To say it was a success would be an understatement. Thousands crammed into the old theater with their classic cars and “hogs.” About all that was missing was an old “B” movie playing on the crumbling screen.
That was just fine, though. They had something real entertaining in its place – Molly Hatchet.
The legendary southern rock gods entertained the masses along with three other bands, Swamp da Wamp, which fuses Southern Rock with New Country; Rednek Messiah, a southern rock meets metal act; and Maiden Cain, which played ’70s and ’80s “corporate rock” from Journey, Night Ranger and others.
The event was a fundraiser for the Rotary Clubs of North Fort Myers, Goldcoast and Cape Coral North, which support the Alvin A. Dubin Alzheimers Resource Center and the local and international projects they do year round.
And thanks to a timely change in the weather, everything turned out dandy.
“That’s a lot of praying, and thank the Lord, we give Him all the praise,” Fahnlander said. “What more can you ask for? Hopefully, we can do this again next year. It’s a very encouraging start in our first year and I’m tickled to death.”
There were other charity events going on. 96 K-Rock, one of the main promoters of the event, held a fundraiser where for $2 you could hit a loved one in the face with a pie.
It was to raise money for a trip to Florida for a teen with autism who had human waste dumped on him for what he thought was an ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
There was also plenty of vendors for everything from boots to booze. The mobile Military Museum was there, as was an act that danced with fire as the sun went down.
There weren’t quite as many classic cars as originally hoped, but there were still some dream rides, mostly Chevys from the ’50s and ’60s, as well as hundreds of motorcycles and dune buggies.
Jim “Bear” Gibson, who said he nearly stayed away because of the threat of rain, came with his 1969 Chevy El Camino, fresh from a complete restore to see his favorite band.
“I saw this in the biker magazine and saw that Molly Hatchet would be here. I’m from the old school and I’ve seen them a few times, so I thought I would see them again,” Gibson said. “I could have brought this or my Harleys but my wife was sick.”
Bert Adkins, from West Palm Beach, brought what is a dream ride for many, a 1957 Chevy that he bought a decade ago for $850 when it was little more than a shell. More than $10,000 and eight years later, he has an amazing ride.
“My brother-in-law lives in Naples and we did his Chevelle last year,” Adkins said. “We take this car out weekly for cruise nights. We came because of the concert. We were all raised on Molly Hatchet and that’s what we’re about.”