Chrome & Sirens: Highlights from Hastings’ 2025 Car-Show Kick-Off—and a Road-Trip Invitation from the Minnesota Fire Engine Club
A quick look back … and what’s next
Historic Downtown Hastings fired on all cylinders last Sunday, May 18, as the 19th Annual Historic Hastings Car Show rolled out its 2025 opener. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., pre-1985 beauties—shimmering Bel Airs, snarling GTOs, even a fin-tailed Cadillac—lined 2nd Street while visitors browsed chrome, food trucks, and shops. The scene repeats every third Sunday, May through October Hastings Downtown Business AssociationHastings Downtown Business Association:
June 15
July 20 (Rivertown Days edition)
August 17
September 21
October 12
All shows remain free to spectators; owners simply cruise in and claim a spot the morning of. Expect food-truck aromas, classic-rock, and storefront deals at every date.
Len Schrader & the siren call of antique pumpers
Amid the sea of muscle cars, one exhibit drew a different kind of crowd: a gleaming yellow fire engine—its brass bell polished to mirror shine—crew-cap doors hanging open as kids climbed aboard. The rig belongs to the Minnesota Fire Engine Club (MnFEC), and Len Schrader was there to invite everyone to Pumpers in the Park.
“On Saturday the 24th, we’ll be hosting Pumpers in the Park in Northfield’s Sesquicentennial Park from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.,” Schrader said, inviting Hastings families to “stand behind a charged hose and watch the water-and-light show dance across the river.”
Founded as a 501(c)(3) SPAAMFAA chapter, MnFEC preserves and operates antique fire apparatus so Minnesotans can experience these mechanical lifesavers—not just look at them in museums. Membership spans retired firefighters, mechanics, and history buffs; dues and donations keep vintage pumps and ladders road-worthy Google Sites.
Why Pumpers in the Park belongs on your calendar
When & where: Saturday, May 24, 2025, 5–10 p.m.; Sesquicentennial Park, 5th St. & Water, Northfield (30 min south of Hastings).
What to expect: At dusk, multiple 1940s-to-1960s pumpers draft water from the Cannon River, spraying synchronized arcs through colored spotlights. Volunteers coach kids (and curious parents) on nozzle control, while food vendors dish brats and shaved ice.
Cost: Free admission; donations welcome.
Details & updates: mnfec.com or the Facebook event listing Facebookkymnradio.net.
Bring lawn chairs, a light jacket, and a camera ready for rainbow mist and glittering sirens.
Scenes from opening day
Photo above: Len Schrader, a Minnesota Fire Engine Club member, shares stories with a fellow exhibitor while a teal ’50s pickup glows in midday sunlight.
Second Street pulsed with sensory overload: the burr of a small-block Chevy idling, the scent of street food colliding with fresh tire black, laughter as visitors walked down main street. Owners happily fielded questions—gear ratios, paint codes, childhood memories.
Plan your perfect car show day
Arrive before 11 a.m.; many prime spots fill by 10:30.
Free public parking sits east of Tyler & 2nd—watch for volunteers in yellow vests.
Pets are welcome on short leashes; hydration stations are placed every block.
Most food vendors accept cards, but cash speeds the line for mini-donuts and kettle corn.
Exhibitors driving pre-1985 vehicles simply pull up to the check-in cones for staging. No preregistration, no entry fee—just shiny fenders and smile power.
How to support MnFEC (and maybe drive a fire engine)
The Minnesota Fire Engine Club operates entirely on volunteer elbow grease and community donations. Contributions fund:
Fuel & insurance for parade appearances and water shows
Parts sourcing for century-old pumps and ladders
STEM outreach for classrooms curious about hydraulics and history
Donate or inquire about membership at mnfec.com.
Mark the rest of summer
With Pumpers in the Park igniting Memorial-Day weekend and five more Hastings shows queued up, the region’s car-culture calendar looks as polished as a freshly chromed bumper. Watch HastingsNow.com for monthly photo dumps. Tag your own shots #HistoricHastingsCarShow and #HastingsNow for a chance to be featured.
Whether your heart races for tri-power carbs or twin-stage pumpers, one thing is clear: chrome and sirens make great neighbors. See you on 2nd Street—and in Northfield—soon.
