Storm wrecks Minnesota V-8 Ford meet
John Alinder's 1947 Ford woody wound up under a fallen tree.
By Jim Davis
The Central National Meet of the Early Ford V-8 Club Of America that was scheduled to be held at Cragun’s Resort on Gull Lake in Brainerd, Minn., from July 12-16 was canceled when the resort closed due to a storm that blew through the area with little warning on Sunday, July 12. Dutch Cragun, owner of Cragun’s, said this was the first time the resort had been forced to close.
Around Gull Lake, more than 900 vacationers were displaced after 100-mph straight-line winds tore through the area. The storm pushed trees on top of cars, overturned boats, twisted metal decks and blew the roof off a building at nearby Madden’s resort, which also closed.
No injuries were reported but several V-8s were damaged by fallen trees. An unrestored, 45,000-mile 1950 Mercury sedan owned by Gary and Sandy Nielen of Willmar, Minn., suffered the worst damage among the V-8s already on site when it was crushed by an oak tree.
A 1950 Mercury belonging to Gary and Sandy Nielen of Willmar, Minn., took a big hit from an oak tree.
