29th-Annual Stones River Region AACA Swap Meet at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds

Swap meets. I do enjoy them. They’re like the flea market, which I also like, but without all the antique furniture and vintage Christmas decorations. Nothing but the car stuff. Heaven. I’ve been to hundreds of automotive swap meets over the years, and although I don’t tend to buy all that much, there is that occasional treasure I can’t live without. But more than that, it’s just fun to walk around and look at everything. The Stones River Region AACA held their annual swap meet at the Tennessee Fairgrounds last Sunday, and of course, I was there. And thanks to the power of the Internet, you get to go there too. 

Dale Wilch's Man Cave is the cure for winter carlessness

You’ve seen me complain about the lack of winter car stuff to do around Kansas City before.  Well, this year, I’m doing something about it.  Wednesday night I joined the ranks of swap meet merchants at Dale Wilch’s Man Cave, a 15,000 sq/ft treasure trove of car parts and other eclectic junk located near the Fox 4 Television studios.  Once a week, Kansas City’s car community converges on this eerie underground lair, buying parts, sharing stories, and just spending time in one of the only places that never gets colder than 70-degrees.

Ararat Shriners continue Kansas City swap meet tradition at the Antique Fairgrounds

For as long as I’ve lived in the Kansas City area, there has been a tradition of annual automotive swap meets, and the biggest ones are usually hosted by the Ararat Shriners.  They have been held everywhere from the Crown Center parking garages, to the Woodlands, to Worlds of Fun.  There were two such events this year, and the last one was at their new location in the Antique Show Grounds in Lathrop, Mo.  This venue is a little out of the way (especially with the road construction on I-35 north of Liberty—ugh!), but once you get there, the trip is worth it.

Own a piece of Kansas City's automotive history at Dale Wilch's Man Cave

I admit, I haven’t been writing as much as I probably should here lately.  My excuse is that there aren’t enough car shows and other automotive-related activities to cover this time of year.

But then my excuse gets blown out of the water when you consider that Dale Wilch’s Man Cave is open for business every Wednesday night, snow or shine.  15,000-sq/ft of vendor space is crammed full of car stuff.  And since it actually takes place in an underground cave, the thermometer always hangs in at 68-degrees no matter what’s going on in your neighborhood.

Don Dougan estate auction marks the end of an era

Don Dougan was livin’ every car guy’s dream. Just one look around the large, fenced-in yard of the World War II veteran’s estate, and you can see that he was completely submerged in the things he loved.

The large, grungy, three-bay shop was stocked with every tool, engine hoist, and welding rig anyone could ever need. The land around the shop was crammed full of old cars and parts. And whether they were waiting for the day they would find their way into the garage, or halfway through the process, every car and truck had a story to tell.