Driving the Future

This young couple is set on keeping Henderson’s classic car culture alive.

A red 1962 Ford Galaxie 500” is not something that most teenage boys can say they own, but for Dillon Rouse classic cars is a way of life.  “My grandfather got it in the late 80s and my dad, Larry Rouse, painted it in the 90s.”  Dillon boasts, “I got it in 2013 and built a motor for it.  I tracked down the guy that bought it brand new.  He used to drag race it.  He came to my house to look at it and to tell me stories about things he did in it.”  Dillon, in fact, has built two motors for the car and has “reworked almost everything under the hood.”  The 19-year-old, who works at Lefler Collision & Glass Repair in Henderson, plans to pursue a career in body work and paint. His love of automobiles comes as no surprise to most given that he was born into a family of car lovers. Spending large portions of his childhood in a junkyard, he learned how to work on cars that predate 1970.  “Papaw had a 1966 Ford Fairlane,” Dillon recounts. “I used to play in it all the time and shift the gears.  I wasn’t even big enough to reach the pedals.  Now I get to drive it around.”  His grandfather, Kenny Laughary, known to Dillon as “Papaw,” owns roughly 40 classics and is one of the founding fathers of Klassix Kruisers.  Dillon’s great-uncle is the president of the club this year and his grandfather is vice president.  

“The Klassix Kruisers car club, based in Henderson, is one of the biggest classic car clubs in the tristate area,” says Annie Bentley, classic car enthusiast and Dillon’s girlfriend.  “Older people, showing off their cars, telling stories and listening to old classic music” is how she describes the affair.  The couple, who began dating shortly after graduating from Henderson County High School in 2017, say that their favorite thing to do together is attend area car shows.  “Many of the Klassix Kruisers members are owners of multiple classics, entering different ones at every show, which keeps the events fresh and exciting,” Annie explains.

“Keeping the classic car culture alive” is the goal of the club’s two youngest members.  “There are very few people in this generation who take interest in the classics and even fewer who are passionate about learning the mechanics of them,” observes Annie.   

Klassix Kruisers loves Henderson and gives back to the community.  The group’s proceeds from the monthly Cruise-Ins go to support the Henderson County School’s backpack program.  The backpack program provides nutritious meals for students who rely on school breakfasts and lunches, to ensure that each student has food to eat when school is not in session.  A backpack full of food is sent home with the student on Friday and returned on Monday.  Proceeds from the group’s annual downtown car show, which takes place in June and features upwards of 100 classic vehicles, goes to create food boxes that are distributed to area families in need around the Christmas holiday.    

The club’s Cruise-Ins are held on the first and third Saturday of the month at local restaurant parking lots in Henderson, from 6pm-9pm.  Information on location can be found by liking Klassix Kruisers on Facebook or by picking up a book of events at Laughary Auto Salvage in Henderson.  A little friendly competition offers bragging rights for the winners and facilitates the energy of the night.  “Everyone who registers a car or truck gets a voting slip.  They then can vote on their favorite old car, 1976 and older, and their favorite new car, 1976 and newer. The same awards are given for trucks,” says Bentley.  Entering a classic isn’t required to attend the event and “spectators are always welcome,” she adds.

The young couple hope to see the club expand its appeal to a broader range of people in 2019 and are excited to see everyone at their next event.  Annie promises anyone who hasn’t tried it out yet that “It’s like a blast from the past and will put a smile on your face.”  

Amanda Waggener is a blogger for the Huffington Post, author of No Grit No Pearl blog site and is a native of Henderson. She and her husband are the parents of two teenagers who they are raising with as much zeal as they can muster.