Spring flowers aren’t the only bright colors in Knoxville this week as more than 3,500 street rods roll into town for the 31st annual NSRA Street Rod Nationals South. The event combines car show with commercial exhibits, vintage swap meet, arts and crafts plus food, games and live entertainment for an enjoyable and entertaining experience for the whole family.

"Annually, it's the largest automotive event in the region," said Jerry Kennedy, Event Director for the NSRA.

A street rod is a modernized vintage automobile that was originally manufactured prior to 1949. An anticipated crowd of more than 20,000 is expected to accompany the painted and chromed beauties to the event’s headquarters at Knoxville’s Chilhowee Park.

The street rods in attendance are expected to range in value from $8,000 to $100,000 with an average value of $28,000 per vehicle. Many include modern chassis features like four-wheel disc brakes, air conditioning, cruise control, tilt steering and exotic stereo systems.

All activities during the show are open to the public. Show hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are on sale only at the park gates during the event and admission is $12 per adult, $3 per child (6-12 years). Children under five are free when accompanied by an adult.

The NSRA Street Rod Nationals South is the largest street rod sport sanctioning organization in the world with more than 53,000 members.

The KTSC projects that the NSRA Street Rod Nationals South will have a local economic impact of $27,600,000.