Rockin’ and rollin’ with Bolin

A few weeks ago, we gave you a look at the rebuilding of the Bolin Ford dealership, next to Route 66 in Bristow, Okla.

Bolin Ford was heavily damaged by a huge fire in December 2008, and it vowed to rebuild in a nostalgic style that paid tribute to Route 66 and Bristow’s historic downtown buildings.

On Saturday, Bolin Ford officially celebrated its grand reopening. Sales coordinator Kathy Wisotsky said the interior still needs a few finishing touches, but the complex is essentially finished.

Bolin Ford laid out a huge spread of free food, including the regional staple of tabouli salad (Bristow and several other nearby towns are home to many Lebanese-Americans). Locals streamed through the front doors the entire time we were there:

It even had an Elvis Presley impersonator on hand for entertainment:

Between sets of The King, we checked out the middle portion of the Bolin Ford complex, which still was being rebuilt a few months ago. The Chrysler Building-inspired lighting fixtures were in place:

Here’s a closeup of one of those fixtures:

Outside, several vintage cars brought to the event. Yes, that’s a Ford Edsel, with less than 60,000 original miles:

And this is an old Buick. Bolin Ford also formerly was a Buick dealership:

A modified old Ford flatbed truck also made an appearance:

The Bristow News also surprised Bolin Ford with a 12-page special edition marking the dealership’s grand reopening.

The special edition contains photos from the fire and the subsequent rebuilding:

The newspaper also included a couple of vintage Ford advertisements, including this one:

Wisotsky said that though Saturday was described as a “reopening,” Bolin Ford never actually closed. She said the dealership was open the very next day after the blaze. In fact, it drew in potential customers with humor, by advertising “hot deals.”