Who says the Leavenworth Cruisers don't get a good turnout? The cars were there in Haymarket Square

A few weeks ago, I was talking to a guy at the Parkville Cruise, and we got on the subject of the Leavenworth Cruisers monthly cruise.  The guy told me that they really didn’t get many cars there, and since I’ve never been to it, I obviously believed him.  But this week my wife actually noticed it on the HMC weekly calendar, and suggested that we go check it out.  I’m really glad she did, because that guy was all wrong.  They had a great turnout Friday night under the canopy of Haymarket Square.

Disneyland's Cars Land puts you in a Pixar animated movie set

About a year ago, the Hovers headed to Disneyland.  And although it claims to be the Happiest Place on Earth, there was something decidedly non-happy about that visit.  Pixar’s Cars is BHo’s favorite movie.  It was the first one we ever took him to at a theatre in 2006.  We’ve watched the DVD fifteen billion times.  And Disneyland had a brand-new “Cars Land” addition to the theme park.  The only problem was, we were there about a month before it was to open to the public.  All our little eight-year-old Cars fan could do was look at it through a construction wall.

2014 Ford Fiesta / Fiesta ST test drive review. The party just got better

Over the next several weeks, I’m going to have the opportunity to try out several new cars from various manufacturers.  But I doubt any of them will be as fun as the 2014 Fiesta ride and drive that I recently attended in Malibu, Calif.  I was able to experience a genuinely competent and surprisingly affordable compact car on one of the most scenic driving routes in the country.

Seventh-Annual Art of the Car Concours brings fine cars to the Kansas City Art Institute

Every weekend throughout the summer we visit car shows and cruises full of run-of-the-mill muscle cars, old trucks, and rat rods.  And I do love all of these events, which is why I keep going back.  But once in awhile, it’s nice to class it up a bit and check out some really fancy stuff.  The annual Art of the Car Concours is just such an event.  This is an opportunity to see local and national fine automobiles that rarely see the light of day.  But here they were, all on the manicured lawn of the Kansas City Art Institute for everyone to see.  Yeah, it was hot, muggy, and even a little rainy.  But it was worth a little discomfort to experience this very special show.

Quite the variety at the Sam's Club Car Show in KCK

Last weekend while I was taking pictures at the Tonganoxie Days Car Show, someone handed me a flyer for the “first annual” Sam’s Club Car Show, which took place at the Sam’s Club in Kansas City, Kan.  I thought that sounded interesting, so this weekend I grabbed the camera and headed out to The Legends.  It was a pretty hot and muggy day, but they still got a nice turnout for their first-ever event.

Heartland Chevrolet loaded with Corvettes during the Touch of Glass Corvette Show in Liberty

My mother-in-law had a garage sale in Liberty this weekend, which gave me a good excuse to go check out the Touch of Glass Corvette Show at Heartland Chevrolet.  Not that I really needed an excuse.  Any time a bunch of Corvettes are in one place, I am going to try to be there.  This wasn’t a huge show, but there were definitely some nice examples of Chevrolet’s flagship sports car.  There was even a handful for sale.  If only I could win that lottery.

Festival on the Trails Car Show worth the trip to Gardner

I learned something about Gardner on Saturday.  It is a lot farther away from Parkville than I thought.  My plan was to just “run over there” and shoot some pictures, and 45 minutes later, I was still running.  They were having their Festival on the Trails celebration over the weekend, and while most people were probably excited about the Tracy Lawrence concert, I was naturally more interested in the car show.

Scratching that late model itch with the K&N Pro Series at Lebanon I-44 Speedway

Kansas City used to be a hotbed for asphalt late model short track stock car racing, with at least two tracks here in the area.  Over the years, those tracks have either closed or been covered with dirt, so now the only asphalt circle track is the big one-and-a-half-mile Kansas Speedway.  But I’ve been jonsein’ to see some good late models on a paved track lately, and the only way to do that is to hit the road.

Tonganoxie Days puts on a nice car show ... when it doesn't rain

It seems like every year when it’s time for the Tonganoxie Days Car Show at VFW Hall #9271, it rains.  And every year, I say something like, “they had a good turnout for the rain, but just imagine what it could have been if the sun was out.”  Well guess what.  When they held the show last Saturday, the sun was out.  And guess what else.  There was a park full of nice cars.  Turns out this can be a top-notch show with a little help from Mother Nature.

Cars are the best medicine at the Lee's Summit Medical Center Car Show

BHo and I were on a car show mission Saturday, and one of the events that we hit was at the Lee’s Summit Medical Center. But we had to take pictures quick, because they were just finishing up the awards when we rolled in.  Luckily, we were early enough to take in the wide-variety of vintage iron that this show had to offer.

Exotic cars and chicken spiedini at the Fiesta Italiano Car Show in Zona Rosa

It’s not too often that I go to a car show and know virtually nothing about any of the cars that are on display there, but I stepped outside my wheelhouse a bit for the Fiesta Italiana Car Show at the Zona Rosa shopping center over the weekend.  The car show was part of Fiesta Italiana, which was a celebration of all things Italian.  They had everything from wine experts to spaghetti eating contests.  Oh, and the food—lots and lots of food.  I know the Hovers all left the event pretty stuffed after sampling several of the vendors’ offerings.

Dad nails the Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Cadillac Car Show in Colorado

I have made fun of my dad’s photography skills for most of my life.  He hardly ever took a car picture that didn’t have half the car cut off.  I just never thought he was any good at it.  But last weekend, dad went to the Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Cadillac Car Show in Colorado.  He was willing to take a camera along, but honestly, I didn’t expect much.  I was dead wrong, though.  I have to give him credit; he took some great pictures.  Turns out the ‘ol man can find his way around a camera after all!

Relaxing by the river at the 36th-Annual Show-Me Rods Car Show

Several years ago, back when I didn’t realize how lucky I was, I was the manager of I-70 Speedway.  One of my many duties there was to schedule car clubs to come and display their cars.  Then they could drive around the racetrack at intermission.  One club that seemed to make it every year was the Show-Me Rods.  They were always great to work with, and they brought some very nice cars to put on display.

Pontiac Trubute Day brought pretty Ponchos and GMCs to Westfall

It couldn’t have been a more perfect day for the Fourth-Annual Pontiac Tribute Day at the Westfall GMC Truck Center on Saturday afternoon.  There was plenty of sunshine, it wasn’t too hot, and the parking lot was full of fine Pontiacs and GMC trucks.  In all, I’d say it was a pretty successful event for the KC Arrowheads Pontiac Club.

Hometown happiness at the Parkville Cruise

I’ve been dragging my family to car cruises all over town for years, but the one I almost never miss is the monthly event in Parkville.  For one thing, it usually has a great turnout, and for another, it’s only five minutes from my house.  I can’t even get the truck warmed up before I’m surrounded by fun stuff in English Landing Park.