Lynn Steele’s 1931 Cadillac that started the company.

National Collector Car Appreciation Day was celebrated all over the country recently, and Steele Rubber Products went all out with two separate events. They started on Friday with an After-Hours Cruise-in at the office in Denver, North Carolina.Steele Rubber turned up the music, grilled up some hot dogs and invited the whole community to bring their family. The weather was abnormally cooperative and the turnout was good. The staff and guests had a great time. There were free refreshments, hot dogs, popcorn and Icee treats. Raffle prizes and goodie bags made it just that much better. Prizes included Lynyrd Skynyrd concert tickets, local summer baseball passes and Jay Leno- and Dennis Gage-autographed DVD sets. Sen. David Curtis (R-NC) and SEMA PAC Manager Christian Robinson each made a speech to the crowd before mingling and chatting with attendees.

Estimates had the car count at about 50-plus, with rat rods from the ’30s joining mostly cars and trucks from the ’50s through the ’70s. There were about 150 people there.

On Saturday morning they were at it again. The doors were opened bright and early to welcome the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) for a factory tour and mini car show. The group drove classics from the ’40s and up.