It all started in 1999. Running off an inspiration by Skip "Fatfenders" Whitfield, we wandered into our first Stovebolt.com contest. We were looking for photos that best captured the Big Lie we've all heard when calling on a truck for sale ad -- "It Ran When I Parked It." Of course, we all know that IRWIPI is just a euphemism for "The truck's locked tighter than a bull's butt at fly time and you'll be lucky to get any useable parts of it, let alone restore it! And when when you show up back home, your wife, kids and dog will walk out on you the moment they see it."

     We've had a wonderful bunch of judges each year, some good prizes, and some excellent entries and always lots of fun. Once we got warmed up, each year had it's own theme. Except for 2006. We had such a hard time coming off of the election year theme ... couldn't get a good thought started. It was about that time when one of our Bolters outfitted "Sam" with his double action 'Bolt cameras and the new icon for the contest.

     Then we warmed up even more. These were not mere still photos of a pile (perhaps an old truck, not real sure on some), many of these trucks had stories. The submissions started to arrive with stories about the trucks and the adventures in getting the photos. So, we started to expand! Information pigs we are!

     In 2007, we gave out the "straight dope" on IRWIPI winners. John detailed the different genre that submissions normally arrive and gave some tips on how to "catch the judge's eye." So, we decided to keep that list as the categories for the contest beginning in 2008. This gave us a chance to give out more prizes to those who enter!

     Also in 2008, in an attempt to keep from taking 15 minutes to download the photo submissions page, we decided to get with this technology stuff a little. We were uncertain and approached with caution. We got a dedicated IRWIPI Photobucket account. Wowsie dowsie, very cool. So much easier to get the submissions up for folks to look at. Enough space for short anecdotes. The slideshow feature is pure picturesque! It works!

     We did miss out on the 2009 contest in 2009. The end of the year was found us low on personal bandwidth. We kept pushing the contest back, but still hoping to get it IN 2009. We finally got to the point where we thought 10 years running may be all we could do. Then, we thought we'd try one more trick. Moving it to the forums. It opened up a lot of possibilities. So (now that the contest is about to begin), we'll see how that goes.

     So, when the contest is over and the winners have received their awards, the lights are turned out and the floor is swept. The ballroom is dark, quiet and deserted but the photos remain as a photo essay, if you will, that delves into the heretofore uncharted depths of the human soul that dares to dream ... ouch! (Assistant editor just whacked me)

     Ahem, well, the photos remain as a reference for your significant other to use when he/she is not able to share your vision or dream -- "Honey, you think my truck is bad, look at this."

     Feel free to wander around the It Ran Gallery -- maybe you can get a few winning ideas of your own!