For over 50 years, the Ford Model T, manufactured between 1908 and 1927, has been a part of Kewanee Hog Days. The story goes that in 1968, a meeting was held in Cambridge to coordinate area events to honor Ilinois’ 150th year of statehood, and Kewanee’s Ray Behnke attended. While other communities were planning fun events like softball games and Rolle Bolle tournaments, someone asked Behnke what Kewanee was planning?
Ray replied, “We’re going to have a Model T race.”
Today, that tradition continues during the Hog Days Festival, Labor Day weekend. The event was renamed “The Ray Behnke Memorial Road Rally” after Ray passed away, and Ray’s children and grandchildren, along with support from other local families, have kept it going. In 2019, a new organizer offered his help.
Dave Bystry credits the hard work of long time organizer’s Ruth Ann and Bill Scott. Mrs. Scott is the daughter of Ray Behnke, but when the couple decided it was time to step back from the event, Bystry stepped up.
“At that time, I volunteered to organize the event. The face of the event is still the Scotts,” he said. “I work behind the scenes but they are still active.”
Originally the event was a race and the course ran through every small town in the county. Timing included rest stops at every town with a timer to clock drivers and record the time in and back out. The first three years, a 150-mile race was run on Sunday before Labor Day and on Monday a 50-mile race would go another direction, according to the history of the event recorded by Bill Scott. Local residents of towns along the course always had iced tea, lemonade and cookies to offer the drivers.
The race is now a rally, said Bystry. It’s a card-drawing rally where drivers have chances for prizes along the way.
“It’s really not a competitive event at all. It’s the luck of the draw,” he said.
Over time, the event has changed in other ways. Several years ago, Bystry said that since many of the Model T cars are over a hundred years old, there’s fewer and fewer of them on the road, so Model A cars were added to the rally. The Model A cars are a little newer and manufactured from 1928 to 1932.
At its heyday, the rally drew around 50 antique cars. That number has dropped off to around 20 to 25 cars. A major change was made in 2023 in an effort to increase participation by including all makes and models of cars from the mid-1930s and earlier. Bystry said he hopes owners of classic cars made during that time period will join them.
The course will stay the same. The rally begins in Kewanee at Jager Agency parking lot and from there goes to a Galva checkpoint. From Galva, drivers head to Bishop Hill for another checkpoint. Next, drivers will head to a check point at the Galva/Atkinson blacktop before returning to Kewanee. The rally is two laps and nearly 80 miles long, with an opportunity to win several prizes along the way, Bystry said. But there’s not any set rules.
“If you want to come and not do 80 miles and just do one lap, that’s fine,” said Bystry. “If you want to just come out and display your car, that’s fine, too.”
It’s not too late to enter the rally. Drivers are allowed to show up the day of the rally on Sunday, Sept. 3 and register. The rally begins at 11 am, and the entry fee is $15. A potluck dinner will be held at the Elks Club in Kewanee afterwards, and a drawing for prizes will be held then. Early registration can be made by contacting Bystry at (309) 883-4754.
