Vickie Bruski of Rapid City may always wonder if her husband Dennis married her for her pickup truck. She learned to drive in the 1956 red Ford F100 that her father bought brand new, and her husband admitted that he always wanted to own it, even back in high school.

The Bruskis proudly displayed their pickup Saturday during the Mustang and Ford Club of the Black Hills' 14th annual All Ford Car & Truck Show. Theirs was one of 53 classic Fords on exhibit at Wilson Park, but theirs was the only one to win the Sponsors Choice Award. McKie Ford in Rapid City donated the trophies to the winners.

The Bruskis don't consider themselves collectors; this truck is more a part of the family, and they keep it for their own enjoyment.

"We see a lot of the Hills in it," Vickie Bruski said. She said the grandchildren ride in the back of the truck's long bed in the Kool Deadwood Nights parade. "We get a lot of attention in it, too."

She said the truck feels different to handle today than when she learned to drive it, especially since the transmission has been changed from standard to automatic.

This is the third year the show, open to members and non-members, has been held at Wilson Park.

Club president Leah Lutheran said it attracts a lot of spectators, drawn to the eye-catching line of Mustangs and muscle cars parked along Mount Rushmore Road.

"We had some people from Germany on vacation and some people from Tennessee and Texas who were driving by and stopped," Lutheran said.

She said the club originally formed as a Mustang club in 1990 and later opened up to include all Fords, Lincolns and Mercurys. She said the club is very family-friendly and has quite a few active women in the group. She and her husband, Dale Lutheran, own a 1967 and a 1968 Mustang convertible.

Curt Simonson of Rapid City sat in the shade as car buffs peeked inside his white top, candy-apple-red 1965 Mustang Coupe. A photo album next to his car cataloged the stages of restoration his car has gone through since he bought it four or five years ago.

"It was in bad shape, and I got it relatively cheap," he said. It took him a couple of years to get it to what he calls "mostly original" condition.

"Those aren't the original rims," he said pointing to the tires, "and the steering wheel is different." He also changed the car's original Rangoon red color, which was too orange for his taste, and swapped out the engine and transmission.

Simonson said he started with the mechanics first, then the interior, and ended with the exterior. He hired others to do all of the work except the decision-making, which was all his.

He said he shows the car at this show and another one in Rushville, Neb. And even though convertibles appear to be more popular than his hardtop, he isn't crazy about them.

"They are too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter," he said.

John Suprock of Missoula, Mont., and his son, whose name is also John, sat under a tent canopy behind their 1964 red Comet Cyclone. This show is their last stop of a five-week father-son trip around the country visiting classic car shows in Kentucky, Indiana, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Ohio and Michigan. The trip was a graduation gift to the younger Suprock, who even got to drive the car around Bristol Motor Speedway and Salem Speedway on the journey.

Kent Larson of Rapid City has brought his 1965 baby-blue Thunderbird to the Ford show each of the three years he has owned it. The odometer shows 67,000 miles, and he believes his eyes. "Judging by the interior, I'd say they are original," he said as he demonstrated the steering wheel that can slide sideways, out of the way when the driver gets in and out of the car. Larson said the car reminds him of when he was growing up, and he enjoys cruising the Hills in it.

The park was busy with car enthusiasts of all ages who studied each car carefully and asked the owners about their classics. Unlike the adult spectators, 6-year-old Jesse Leipold of Rapid City didn't have to worry about restraining his enthusiasm for a car that caught his eye.

"Oh, wow, look at this one," he said excitedly as he pointed and ran toward a 2005 black Saleen Mustang Convertible. He was at the show with his father, Chuck Leipold, who said he used to own Fords and now has a Pontiac LeMans.

But it's only Mustangs for Jesse, who said he has several at home - Matchbox car Mustangs, that is. He said he hopes to have the real thing one day.

The winners of Saturday's Mustang and Ford Club Show by class were:

Ford truck: 1948 Ford owned by Joe Reinart

1965 and earlier classics: 1933 Ford owned by Dave Hill.

1966 to 1967 classics: 1966 Fairlane GTA owned by Milan Varholdt.

1968 and up classics: 1969-1/2 Maverick owned by Larry Cuka.

1964-1/2 to 1966 Mustang Fastback: 1965 Mustang Fastback owned by Scott Pearson.

1964-1/2 to 1966 Mustang Coupe: 1965 Mustang Coupe owned by Dick Peter.

1967 to 1968 Mustangs and Shelbys: 1968 Shelby GT 500 KR convertible owned by Joe Harris.

1969-89 Mustang: 1969 Mach I owned by Scott Nixon.

1990 and up Mustang convertible: 2006 GT Mustang owned by Judy Lawton.

1990 and up Mustang Coupe: 2006 Mustang owned by Yvonne Tripp.

1990 and up Saleen and Roush: 2007 Saleen owned by Ed Hunter.

2006 and up Shelby: 2008 GT 500 KR Super Snake owned by Jeff Westberg.

Sponsor's Choice Award: 1956 Ford F 100 owned by Dennis and Vickie Bruski.