| EVENT:. | 2002 Prowl/M•E•L & Ford Picnic |
| SPONSOR:. | Cascade Cougar Club |
| DATE:. | July 28, 2002 |
| LOCATION:. | Cedar River Park - Renton, Washington |
| During
the seventeen years since its inception, the Cascade Cougar Club's annual
Prowl show and picnic has become a tradition among Pacific Northwest Mercury,
Edsel, Lincoln and Ford enthusiasts. In 2001, the Prowl teamed up
with the annual IKEA Renton River Days celebration, adding to the prestiege
of both events and providing the Prowl with an outstanding venue at Renton's
Cedar River Park.
In spite of a little dampness in the air, the 2002 edition of the Prowl/M•E•L & Ford Picnic attracted 168 entrants, including 47 Cougars. Of special interest at this year's Prowl was a rare appearence by Cougar #1 (the first production Cougar, owned by CCC members, Elaine and Jim Pinkerton). |
 |
| Cascade Cougars sparkle against an emerald green backdrop unique to the Pacific Northwest. For the second year, the Prowl was held in conjunction with the IKEA Renton River Days festival. |  |
 |
Something you don't see everyday (unless you happen to live in the Land of Oz): Five Australian Falcons, including a clone of the Mad Max movie car. |
| The Cascade Seniors: One of the largest and nicest displays of Senior Division cars you'll ever see at a club show. |  |
 |
Jim Pinkerton (left) presents The Classic Cougar Network's Vendor of the Year award to West Coast Classic Cougar owner, Don Rush. |
| COUGARS AT THE PROWL: |
| Bill Herbert's 1969 standard rag top (with '70 tail light bezels). |  |
 |
KATATAK: Mike and Jennifer Hainsworth’s beautiful modified ’67 Cat in Cayman Green. |
| Rich & Karen Morehouse’s ’69 standard in white with pearl. |  |
 |
This all original 1968 XR-7 belongs to Fordnutz C/C President, Scott Ferguson. |
| Karl & LaDonna Gehlhaar's 1967 XR-7 is a beauty. |  |
 |
Cara Chapman's, '70 XR-7 hardtop has come a long way since its first appearance at the 2001 Prowl. |
| Denise & Randy Smithhisler’s ’67 standard in black cherry. |  |
 |
Although still early in its restoration, John Howell's recently acquired first 1967 production GT made an appearance sporting new yellow paint. |
| M•E•L & FORD MARQUES AT THE PROWL: |
| Moving on to the MEL & Ford parts of the show, we come to this beautifully executed '91 Thunderbird custom with '49 Ford front end sheet metal. The car is owned by Wayne Wilcox. |  |
 |
Even with its top up as protection against the drizzle, Bob & Jill Jordon's 1959 Skyliner retractable hardtop was worth a closer look. |
| Two generations of Continental Marks. On the left, a 1959 Mark IV Landau and, on the right, a 1956 Mark II. |  |
 |
A rare car and an even rarer custom: This 1954 Merc Sun Valley has received the full treatment, including hood scoop, lake pipes and a continental kit. |
| No show featuring classic Mercs would be complete without a lead sled or two. This custom 1950 two door coupe owned by Jay & Karen Murphy would have made James Dean proud. |  |
|
PHOTOS
BY BECCI TOMLYN & STEVE EITZEN
|
