COLUMBUS, OH. – There are many long-established Mustang clubs all across the United States that have enjoyed strong relationships with their local Ford dealerships which have lasted for years – some even decades. In exchange for promotional exposure to a club’s brand-loyal membership base, most dealers provide meeting space, financial sponsorship, and quite often the use of the dealership’s own facility and parking lot as the venue for the club to host its big annual Mustang and Ford car and truck show. But few of these kinds of relationships can boast 50 years of continued co-support and interaction. Except for the Mustang Cub of Ohio (MCO) and Krieger Ford in Columbus, that is, who just marked their 50th year of cooperation with the club’s big annual show at Krieger.

To help the club celebrate this longstanding relationship as well as the Mustang’s own 60th anniversary, MCO president David Grawe invited Ford Performance to come out to the show and experience his club’s special brand of car show camaraderie. It was also a chance to meet up with owner Doug Krieger and his son, dealer principal Ryan Krieger – both of whom happen to be club members. It was Doug who helped establish the first MCO show at Krieger Ford 50 years ago, and now son Ryan keeps the show and club relationship going strong a half-century later. So we came to Columbus in our Ford Performance Club Connect Transit van and set up our meet & greet display for a day of car show interaction. We handed out our new Ford Performance wristbands (this year’s color is Jet Fighter Gray) as well as our exclusive, limited-edition Mustang 60 Years mini-poster that features thumbnails of more than 400 owner Mustangs, thanks to our partnership with the Ford Special Vehicle Registry.

It was a comfortable, sunny day to see the fine array of more than 200 Mustangs and Fords on the Krieger lot – with display cars spilling onto the front lawn and some even indoors in the dealer’s main showroom. We were set up right across from the club’s cool generational Mustang display, nestled between the DJ and Unbridled author Robert Kennedy’s book-signing tent – all while being joined by Karen Halderman, daughter of the late Gale Halderman (principal designer of the original Mustang) who manages the Halderman Mustang Museum, about an hour away in Tipp City, Ohio.

This 50-year club celebration show had it all, including 25 Ford car and truck classes for more than 100 custom trophies, plus the Ford merchandise trailer, food trucks, music, a sponsored Club Challenge, a Pedal Car Reunion, raffle baskets, and a 50/50 drawing, But we were most impressed by the club’s incredible youth program that included MCO-produced Mustang & Ford coloring books and crayons, a model car contest with four classes (6-and-under, Ages 7-8-9, Ages 10-11-12 and Ages 13-14-15), plus face-painting, a balloon artist, a visit by Andy Armadillo, special goodie bags and even club youth membership. We got the chance to talk Mustangs with the of all energetic kids in the program and witness that they were having as much fun at the car show as the adults. Hats off to the MCO’s Pam Rose for heading up such an all-encompassing and inclusive youth program!

Of course the cars were the stars of the day, so we made sure to head out on the show field and take photos of some of our favorite Fords on display, We hope you enjoy our selections in the galley below:

FORD PERFORMANCE PHOTOS COURTESY JOHN M. CLOR and DAVID ROSE / MUSTANG CLUB OF OHIO