Car show season is here again. Time to remind everyone that, starting in May, Auto Scene will again list area car shows every Friday.

Show sponsors should e-mail information about their show to: jamesbohen@yahoo.com. All of the following information should be included:

The car show's name, city, location (park, fairgrounds, auto dealership, etc.), date(s), hours and sponsoring organization.

Admission information for the general public only (NOT for those entering vehicles; include what various age groups pay and what ages get in free).

The brands or types of vehicles expected at the show, plus any additional features the show offers (music, swap meet, part of a town or church festival, etc.).

Please note that space limitations will determine how much information is used.

VERY IMPORTANT: E-mails should be sent AT LEAST FIVE (5) WEEKS BEFORE THE SHOW DATE and should include contact information (phone numbers, e-mail and/or website addresses). Volume precludes responding to e-mails unless more information is needed. That's why phone numbers and e-mail addresses are helpful.

Due to all the e-mails that car-show contacts send each year and the large number of shows each summer, it's not possible to list all shows during the busiest weeks. "Auto Scene" lists as many shows as possible, giving priority to metro-area shows, followed by outstate shows based on size and distance from the Twin Cities.

To see a car show outside the greater metro area, including shows around the country and in Canada, visit www.autoswalk.com and www.hemmings.com.

The 52nd Annual Rod & Custom Spectacular, put on by Gopher State Timing Association, the state's oldest organized car club, is at the State Fair Coliseum tomorrow and Sunday, which sort of unofficially kicks off the car show season.

Here are some other local shows in the near future, plus some highlights from the metro area's car-show calendar this summer:

Midwest Drag Racers Association swap meet/show (April 26, Anoka County Fairgrounds).

First Fifty Auto Club swap meet/show (April 27, State Fairgrounds).

The local Buick Club's Spring Extravaganza (May 4, State Fairgrounds).

The Intermarque Council's "Spring Kickoff" (May 17, Plymouth Radisson). Highlights vintage foreign cars.

"Mopars in the Park" (May 31-June 1, Dakota County Fairgrounds).

The "Back to the `50s Weekend" (June 20-22, State Fairgrounds). The largest show of its kind in the country has 11,000+ street rods, customs and classics, plus celebrities, music and more.

The "Iola (Wis.) Old Car Show" (July 10-13).

The "Car Craft Summer Nationals" (July 25-27, State Fairgrounds).

"Muscle Car Classic," (Aug. 3, Waterford Park Office Complex, Plymouth).

The "New London to New Brighton Antique Car Run" (lunch break at Buffalo on Aug. 9).

The "Summer Spectacular" (Aug. 22, Dakota County Fairgrounds).