Shades of the Past 2022: The Last Roundup

In 2022, the annual Hot Rod Roundup in Dollywood’s Splash country makes its final appearance. The Shades of the Past contract with Dollywood ends in this year and unfortunately, can’t be renewed.

The organizers say there’s no equivalent location in the area that can hold this large-scale event, and think they couldn’t better it elsewhere, so they have decided that this is the Last Roundup for this long-standing Pigeon Forge event. It will be long remembered after this final year.

This year’s event happens Friday and Saturday, September 9-10, 2022, from 8 am to 5 pm, and it’s the 39th year of the Roundup. Some of America’s greatest cars ever built will be there, as contestants and proud owners arrive from all over the country to display the gleaming chrome and paint jobs, as well as the loping, throaty rumble of the motor.

Prizes this year in a variety of categories will be generous as ever, with multiple awards and free publicity to the various winners, and a Second-Place prize of $10,000! The only way to beat that is with a First-Place prize of a ’32 Ford Hi-Boy Roadster – one of America’s most highly regarded motor legends, and this year again provided by Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop.

Categories for awards include the Triple Crown of Rodding: the Street Rod of the Year, the Street Machine of the Year and the Street Cruiser of the Year. And there are a good half-dozen more awards, with chances to parade those muscle cars around for the spectators’ viewing pleasure. Usually we see over 200 entrants, with no vehicle younger than the magic cutoff year of 1972.

This huge event is one of the country’s greatest, and will again host a giant swap meet, where you might find those elusive parts, and loads of vendors selling everything from clothes to accessories to food. The exhibitor area is huge and allows visitors to browse to their heart’s content (rental scooters are available for the large lots, as well as indoor restrooms).

Get the full skinny on this street rod extravaganza at the Shades of the Past website.

About Tony Perez

I'm a people person, and I enjoy the atmosphere that working with Cabins Of The Smoky Mountains entails, interacting with different types of people and trying to relate to each one uniquely. From Michigan originally, I've been coming to the Smoky Mountains since I was a child, with family in Wears Valley. Summer fun for me is exploring the Cades Cove area, swimming in the creeks, and hiking Mount LeConte and many other trails. I love the Smoky Mountains.