​Gopher State Timing Association

The Scavengers Car Club

The Scavengers Auto Club Inc.
A Brief History

 

The Scavengers history dates back to 1956 when a group of car crazy students at Albert Lea (MN) High School decided to form a car club.  The Scavengers Rod and Custom was born with the help of the Albert Lea Police Dept with the local Optimist Club as the sponsor.

 

The club went through some growing pains early on but by the mid 1960’s we were flourishing.  Meetings were held weekly at a rented Club garage.  Dues were $1.50 a week and if you had a car in one of the 7 stalls in the garage you paid another $1.00.  If you occupied one of the 7 stalls, you had to give the club a progress report weekly as to what you were doing.  If no progress was being made, you had to remove the vehicle so somebody else could get the stall.  One stall was kept open for quick, one day jobs, like oil changes.  There was also a lounge with couches, a black & white TV, and a pop machine.  The club sponsored teen dances, car shows, rod runs, and rod campouts to raise additional funds.  However, the pressures of new families and careers were beginning to affect the membership.  Many members had left Albert Lea for the more lucrative Twin City job market.  By the late ‘80’s the club had basically gone dormant.  But not for long…

 

In the early ‘90’s a group of Scavengers who had migrated to the Twin City metro area began contacting other former members of the Albert Lea car clubs to see if there was an interest in resurrecting the club.  Most of those contacted jumped at the chance and after a brief hiatus, the Scavengers were back!  We knew that we had to include younger members for the club to remain vibrant.  Some of the members had high school age sons who were now members and the club had a father-son aspect to it.  The young kids were asked to recruit other high school age prospective members and they did.  One of the clubs early objectives was to get these kids involved in a club and let them experience a little of what the older members had “back in the day”.  Today the club has members ranging in age from the 20’s to the 60’s and it works.  Early on, the club capped the membership at 20.  This encourages accountability and participation.  In April, 2006, the Scavengers realized a long time goal with the purchase of a ’53 Studebaker gasser style drag car with enclosed trailer.  The car and trailer are wholly owned by the club and any member can drive it.  The race car activities are supported by proceeds from our annual car show.  Many of the younger guys in the club would never have had the opportunity to run a car on a drag strip if not for this car.  The Scavengers joined the Gopher State Timing Association in 2008 and helped with the GSTA show for the first time in 2009.  Interestingly, the Scavengers and the GSTA were both born in 1956.  In 2009 the wives and girlfriends of Scavengers members formed their own club within a club when the Scavengerettes were formed.  The ladies have a bake sale each year during our annual car show and donate all the proceeds to charity.