Drag Raceway Reunion Roars Into Oswego Saturday

If you plan to be in town this weekend it’s unlikely you’ll miss the hundreds of classic cars crowding the downtown streets during the seventh annual Oswego Drag Raceway Reunion.

“It’s quite a large event,” said Larry Ricken of , who is co-chairing the event with Harry Warner. “There will be cars everywhere.”

The show, set to take place from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, celebrates the nostalgia of Oswego's raceway, a staple of racing from 1955-1979. The event will include hundreds of classic cars, food vendors and music.

Two of the cars on display Saturday will be Ricken’s own 1970 ½ Chevrolet Camaro Z28, and his wife’s 1969 Mustang convertible.

While many of the car owners come from the Chicago area, Ricken said a few are coming from Mississippi, Minnesota and North Carolina.

“A lot of these cars used to race at Oswego so a lot of those people still come,” he said.

At 3 p.m., there will be about 50 nostalgic race cars known as dragsters all firing up their engines at once.

“If you’ve ever heard a race car, they are loud,” Ricken said. “The town just goes nuts. That’s one of the best attractions we have for the day.”

A group shot will also be taken of those who used to race in Oswego.

“Last year 150 people were there for the photograph,” Ricken said.

More than 1,000 people generally attend the car show.

The event is hosted by Carousel Sound Company.

The reunion is free to spectators and participants pay $15 to register their vehicles. For cars entering the show, there is a drive through check-in from noon to 2 p.m. at .