SEPTEMBER 2016 | 17
CHINOOKOBSERVER.COM
Beach Barons: A decades-long tradition of pride
Beach Barons:
In memory
D
uring the 1950s the Beach
Barons Car Club was formed
by a bunch of local fellows
involved in street racing flat-head
Fords, small-block Chevys, and
a few Oldsmobile-powered hot
rods. The club flourished during
its first years. The “Hangout” was
Ferguson’s Richfield gas station in
Long Beach near the intersection of
8th Street and Pacific Highway.
Memories
Long-time Beach Barons mem-
ber Duey Ames recalled those early
days: it was 1957 and at 16 years he
had just been admitted to the club.
“The club wouldn’t let me vote until
I was 18, but they let me in because
they figured I’d be hanging around
anyway-and they were right.”
Meetings took place at the service
station, and the Barons would plan
dances that were held in Ryan Hall
above a pharmacy that was located
where the Long Beach City Hall
parking lot now is.
“I don’t think I ever slept,” Ames
says of his teen years. “I went to
school, helped my dad cut wood and
clean fish, and worked in the oysters
during the summer.” Of course he
spent all of his spare time tinkering
with his 1950 Ford 2-door.
“Right from the start the Beach
Barons motto was a pledge to safe
driving,” according to Ames. Orig-
inal members were Al Degenhart,
Monty Baker, Bill Morse, Bill and
John McNamara, Brian O’Neall,
Dave Gradt, Mike Connolly and
Jack Mosher. Some were stationed
here with the Air Force, serving at
the radar station near Naselle. Jim
Howerton has sometimes been in-
cluded in this original group.
In 1962 Ames left to seek his for-
tune in Alaska, and he says, “About
that time the Beach Barons sort of
folded.” He returned to the area in
1964.
Back to life
In 1982 the Ocean Park Area
Chamber of Commerce looking
for ideas to encourage visitors to
the north end of our peninsula ap-
proached Bob Langendorfer and
Max Morehouse, two local car
buffs. They came up with the idea
of a car show. With Max’s sugges-
tion of “The Rod Run to the End
Duey Ames, one of the orginal Beach Barons, showed off a 1930 Ford Model A sedan “hot rod” a few years ago.
of the World” as a name, the show
was born. A total of 68 custom cars
arrived that first year on Labor Day
weekend. The following year 120
attended.
With this growing interest some-
one suggest reforming the old car
club using the Beach Barons name.
Along with Morehouse and Lan-
gendorfer, John Fredrickson, Gene
Andrews, Larry and Gary Wirkkala,
Dan Gove, Bill Snook, Jay Stayton,
Tyler Payne, Stuart Clark and others
were key to the revival.
The first few years the event was
held on the field across from the
Ocean Park School at Roy Sheldon
Field. With the growing number of
spectators and participants in 1986
the show was moved to the old
Klipsan Airport. In 1991 with 700
entries and the first engine raffle, the
Beach Barons were faced with find-
ing another location and a lease was
signed for the field on “U” Street.
Again in 1998 with 1,500 entries the
Beach Barons were forced to find
a bigger location. They were also
asked to move their event to another
weekend due to the number of par-
ticipants and spectators.
Move to the big field
In 1999 the show was held on
the current Wilson Field and on the
weekend after Labor Day. On Oct.
27, 2001, Beach Barons gathered at
the clubhouse to celebrate the burn-
ing of the mortgage papers. The 27-
acre Wilson Field was now property
of the Beach Barons. The club is one
of few in the U.S. that owns its own
grounds.
Today the End of the World Rod
Run is recognized throughout the
Northwest as a premier car show last-
ing two days hosting over 900 cars.
On Friday night there are slow
drags in Ilwaco, Saturday is show
and shine with an auto swap meet,
brick-it car, and lots of music, and on
Sunday more show and shine, music,
a poker run, seafood barbecue, and
trophy presentations. There is a swap
meet, numerous food purveyors and
other vendors, and ATMs near the
north gate and the souvenir T-shirt
booth.
With Langendorfer as its first
president, the Beach Barons Car
Club was incorporated in 1985 as a
non-profit group to promote interest
in various forms of street rodding
and ownership of a special vehicle
is not a requirement for membership.
Today’s membership is about 100
individuals and families throughout
Washington and Oregon.
The Beach Barons take pride in
planning and presenting a show that
offers tourists an exciting event —
one they look forward to coming
back to each year. The club gives
an enormous amount of support and
recognition to the businesses in the
area promoting tourism on the Pen-
insula and the neighboring cities.
They donate funds to local groups
and charities, and sponsor higher-ed-
ucation scholarships.
Contact information:
Beach Barons Car Club
P.O. Box 237
25515 Sandridge Rd
Ocean Park, WA 98640
360-665-3565
www.beachbarons.com
Deceased Beach
Barons Members
John Fredericks -1987
Bob Slagle - 1990
Louis Jaren Andrew - 1997
Wayne Lokkeburg -1998
Genevieve Caldwell -1998
Art Alexander - 2000
Bernda Englehart - 2001
Caroline A. Welsh - 2002
Everlyn Walker - 2002
Erv Neff - 2004
Bill Harkins - 2005
Darlene Andrews - 2006
Judy Klingler - 2006
Truman King - 2008
Lance Iiams - 2009
Bobbie Mathews - 2010
Candy Benning - 2011
Larry Wirkkala-2011
Dee Ellenwood - 2012
Keith Mahoy - 2012
Rich Hall 2013
Roxy Snook - 2013
Dick Bonney - 2014
Bill Snook - 2014
Don Higdon - 2014
Tracy Davis-2014
Fred Karthauser - 2014
Sandy Welsh - 2014
Dan Brooks - 2015
Gene Andrews - 2015
Jerry Benning - 2015
Marian Morehouse - 2015
Lee Scheeler-2015
Jerry Davis - 2016