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STURGIS -- Dan Jacobsen didn't buy his first Ford Mustang until after the inaugural Mustang rally four years ago.

"I had to," Jacobsen said. "I couldn't just watch from the sidelines."

"Ghost" is a white 2005 Mustang and will be just one of hundreds of the iconic American muscle car that will take over Sturgis Labor Day weekend.

The fourth annual Sturgis Mustang Rally runs Sept. 2-6, with activities each day.

Jacobsen spent about three months planning the 2010 rally and is impressed with the growth.

"We're on pace to have 500 to 550 cars," he said. "Could be almost 600."

To meet the growth, a few new activities have been added. The first cruise will be to Devil's Tower on Thursday.

"We used to start with the reception Thursday night, but we had all these people in town already we thought we'd give them something to do," Jacobsen said.

A Friday Poker Run was also added. The expanded events have helped get more of the Black Hills involved. He said that Custer will award every Mustang that comes through 10 Custer Bucks. Saturday's Mustang parade will cover the Northern Hills. And with Kool Deadwood Nites the weekend before, some classic Mustang owners choose to stay.

"Last year there were some people who bought Mustangs at Kool Deadwood Nites and came back with them for the rally," Jacobsen said.

Offering something different than just a car show has been Jacobsen's goal.

"We have auto cross, drag racing, a poker run and a show in between," he said. "We're redefining what people want from a car show."

Jacobsen gets excited for the drag racing, in particular.

"These guys are pros. It's not just you and me getting out there and dragging," Jacobsen said.

The pro drags run Friday-Sunday, with street legal races Saturday night.

The show and shine features 58 classes for Mustangs from different years and includes a "survivor" class for those cars that saw more daily use.

Having a variety of Mustangs is part of the car's tradition. Jacobsen's "Ghost" is just on of the latest branches on the Mustang family tree.

"Just like in 1964 when the Mustang started this, the same thing happened in '05," he said. "There was no Camaro, there was no Charger. And now you see the Camaro and the Challenger getting back in the game. The Mustang started it all. The icon has never died. Nobody else has done that."

For Jacobsen, getting to see all the cars lined up on Main Street will be a treat.

"Just being able to get on the photo tower after having all the cars parked on Saturday will be a joy," he said. "I get about two minutes to spare on Saturday and that's how I spend it."

Jacobsen will drive his Mustang in the parade. The red Mustang that will be offered in the "one roll to win" event, driven by his parents, will lead the parade followed by two white Mustangs and a blue one.

Like the logo for the rally and the emblem on the sides of many Mustangs, Jacobsen knows the Mustang is a pure product of America. It's as American as the signed Barrett-Jackson electric guitar and the commemorative Jack Daniel's Single Barrel whiskey made just for the Sturgis Mustang Rally. Jacobsen wouldn't have it any other way.

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