Rat Fink Reunion
Contents
The First Annual Rat Fink Reunion in 1977
Every Christmas, the last Friday before the Christmas holiday, a spontaneous party took place at Ed Roth's shop. That party ended when Roth went out of business in 1970. Robert and Suzanne Williams kept in touch with all the people that had worked for Roth in the 1960s, and in 1977 they found out that it would have been cool to host a Christmas party like they did back when Roth was in business or at least a reunion of the people that worked there. Robert and Suzanne approached Jim Bruckner about having a big party at his Movie World Cars of the Stars museum. Bruckner, who had taken Von Dutch under his wings, liked the idea and let them use a big warehouse that he had next door to the museum. "So some of Bruckner's friends said they would buy a couple of pigs to roast and Suzanne and I figured out some 50 people," Robert told Laurent Bagnard when he interviewed Williams for the book GO with MOON! - 1950-2010. "They made a barbecue out of a Datsun pick-up bed, for the cooks to cook their pigs on charcoal." Robert made a big banner that said "First Annual Rat Fink Reunion" in big letters, "which shows a Rat Fink pulling a pig by its guts - a real gore looking thing." He also talked to the people at Roth's Studios about letting him use one of their shirt presses, ironing machines to do T-shirts, "and I got some old artwork and did the Rat Fink Reunion T-shirts." According to Robert and Suzanne, it was quite a get-together, "lots of people there!"[1]
Several car magazines sent writers to the first party, and they got write-ups in the press. "At the first one, Ed wouldn't be in," Robert Williams told Laurent Bagnard. "So we said, "Ed if you'd like to come, we'd be honored, you're kind of a central figure but you're not a necessity... We're gonna get together anyway! Ed couldn't stay away! He brought one of the early Hell's Angels president with him.""[1]
The Third Annual Rat Fink Reunion at the Elk's Lodge in Fullerton
The first Rat Fink Reunion at Movie World was a success, and after the second one, Ed Roth] took over the thing and turned it out into a big "pinstriping party." It was held a the Elk's Lodge in Fullerton, and he and Von Dutch attracted a lot of pinstripers that were looking for senior inspiration. "By this time, it's completely out of my hand; me and Suzanne we're just guests, selling posters," Robert Williams told Bagnard. Williams remembers that they brought in a brand new Lincoln, that they had rented under an assumed name, and that everyone pinstriped the shit out of it.[1]
Moved to the Bonneville Salt Flats
After the Elk's Lodge party, the Rat Fink Reunion was held at Kevin's Sign Shop for 5 years or so. Then it went to Moon's. This was after Dean Moon had passed away, and Shige Suganuma had bought the company. As the show kept growing, Ed Roth didn't like the rat rods, the tattooed kids, the drinking, the dope-smoking, the fallen language, so he decided to move the party to the Bonneville Salt Flats, while Shige continued to host his Mooneyes X-Mas Party.[1]
Utah
In 2003 the Rat Fink Reunion was moved to Manti, Utah, where it was held at the home of Eileen 'Trixie' Roth, Ed's Widow. Prior to the 2006 Reunion a convention center and museum was built on the land directly behind the home. That has been the location for the festivities since that date. Many of Big Daddy's artworks and mementos are featured in the displays which are changed from time to time. A gift shop and a picnic area are also housed in the building.[2]
In 2005, a cruise up and down the main street of Manti became part of the celebration. This was expanded in 2007 to include a day-long car show, known as "Rat Fink's Car Show." The show attracted cars from many parts of the western United States. The turnout in 2008 was dampened somewhat by a snowstorm, but the hard-core Rat Finks attended anyway and by the end of the day the weather was beautiful.[2]
Photo Features
2nd Annual Rat Fink Reunion, 2004
3rd Annual Rat Fink Reunion, 2005
4th Annual Rat Fink Reunion, 2006
5th Annual Rat Fink Reunion, 2007
1st Annual Rat Fink's Car Show, 2007
6th Annual Rat Fink Reunion and car show, 2008
8th Annual Rat Fink Reunion, 2010
Sources
Ray the Rat's Chevy Asylum
Events page at ratfink.org
References
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