Amid the sounds of revving engines and loudspeakers, waves of people strolled down Main Street in Mandan, eyeing row after row of gleaming cars that all begged for attention. The swaggering, bone-jarring lowriders or the sleek, sculptured sports cars - in addition to souped-up engines and loud paint jobs, these machines had personality to show off.

Spectators with a range of car know-how, from "I can identify the make, model and year of any car blindfolded" to "That car is pretty" all got to admire to their hearts' content.

More than 1,000 attended the annual Buggies-n-Blues event Sunday, taking advantage of the mostly cooperative weather.

The sun shone until early afternoon, and gray skies and windier conditions later on didn't slow the influx of people.

June Vetter, of Minot, had brought her son, Broch, and niece, Mikki Carow, for a soccer tournament in Bismarck. But the group got sidetracked when they found out about Buggies-n-Blues.

"We passed all these old cars and said, 'We have to be here,'" she said. Vetter had always wanted to see the car show, but the soccer trip had been a lucky coincidence. The group didn't have any car experts in tow, but to admire the machines was enough of a diversion.

For Carow, the main attraction was the lowriders.

"I love these cars," she said, grinning.

Jerry Schmidt, of Mandan, said looking at the different engines called to mind his own cars from years past - the old 1960 Chevy and the 1968 Caprice, for example.

"It brings back memories," he said.

Vendors set up shop among the vehicles, doing brisk business as the multitude went by.

"We always do real well," said Norm Stetson, owner of Norm's Diecast in Mandan. He sets up tables with higher-end collectible toys from brands such as NASCAR. He said Buggies-n-Blues is a social event as well as a business day.

Vendors see a lot of familiar faces, and usually get acquainted with more people every year. Stetson's tables were set up next to friend Randy Love, the general manager for Dakota County Spas.

Dakota County Spas also sells four-wheelers and other small vehicles at the event, but some people get confused about the presence of hot tubs.

"The biggest thing we hear is, 'Hot tubs? Hot tubs at a car show?'" he said.

Nonetheless, those people sometimes take advantage of the lower prices for Buggies-n-Blues, and buy their spas right then and there.

Love said the event bought in a good mix of people to do business with, especially since the event was so popular.

"Where can you get a better crowd?" he said.