MOSES LAKE — The threat of rainy weather may have kept a few cars at home at the annual Moses Lake High School car show, but there were still some sweet rides on display.

The 33rd annual car show drew muscle cars from the 1960s, modified street rods from the 1930s, a classic ’57 Chevy Bel-Air, among others. Proceeds from the show are used to send MLHS auto tech students to Skills USA competition – the program’s state competition – later this spring. It’s the club’s only fundraiser, said instructor Rich Archer.

“It’s the weather,” Archer said of the relatively low turnout. Rain was forecast for the day – it actually held off for a few hours – and rain is one of the things that causes classic car owners to stay home, even when the show is held indoors.

The long winter caused even more problems than that – the auto tech club that sponsors the show lost a lot of prep time for the show to bad weather and snow days, he said.

Tony Budiselich owns a classic Mustang, and he said it’s in the garage when the weather’s bad. “It’s a spring and summer car. This is pretty much its first outing.” And indeed, a restored original color (light steel blue) Pony probably wouldn’t like a lot of spring rain and mud.

There was an early ’60s Ford Fairlane and – bucking the classic trend – a 21st-century Mini. And there was the 1936 Dodge coupe with a rumble seat, one of about 1,300 manufactured. The engine and the paint color were newer, the paint color dating from 2007, 70 years after the car was built.

The ’57 Bel-Air also has a better engine than it would’ve had when it rolled off the showroom floor. But just looking at the paint job, it might have come off the showroom floor a few days ago. “It took me a year to do this car,” said owner Steve Gordon.

Then there was the “side by side” proudly displayed by Tom Shimura, Jr. What’s a side by side? “It’s considered a motorcycle,” Shimura said, although it looks like an off-road vehicle, which it is. Shimura has owned it for six weeks, and he really wants to ride it, but the weather hasn’t cooperated. “The days I get ready to ride, it’s raining. Or snowing. Or blowing.” So it was fun to show it off at the car show, he said.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.