2013 Turner Days Car Show - good news/bad news

I always feel mixed emotions when I go to the annual Turner Days Car Show at Turner High School.  On one hand, I’m happy, because there are always a bunch of really cool cars and trucks out there.  But on the other hand, I’m sad, because it usually means we’re getting to the end of the car show season here in Kansas City.  But for the purposes of this story, let’s focus on the positive, and take a look at some of the rides on display at Sunday’s big event.

The Gladfest Car Show has nothing to do with Gladfest anymore, but it's still a great event

For years, the Gladfest Car Show was one of the crown jewels of the Northland.  But they eventually outgrew their location, and last year the event dropped from the schedule.  Don’t get too upset though, because it was back again this year and better than ever.  They moved it to the Antioch Worship Center, and despite the name, it is on a different weekend than Gladfest now.  If you were there, you know that moderate temperatures, copious sunshine, and plenty of space made for a top-notch event in Happy Rock.

Ararat Shrine Swap Meet was the place to see a bulldog riding a rocket

If you woke up and realized you needed to buy some 8-track tapes, a Mack bulldog riding a ’56 Chevy rocket bolted to an International truck radiator shell, or the tail-end of a ’59 Buick that had been converted into a couch, where would you go?  Well, if it was last weekend, you could have acquired all of those treasures at the Ararat Shrine Swap Meet, of course.  Held at the Antique Show Fairgrounds in Lathrop, Mo., the swap meet had a little something for everyone.

Australian hybrid. History of the Chevrolet El Camino

It’s a car! It’s a truck! No—it’s an El Camino! Chevrolet’s light duty hauler is one of the most versatile machines out there. From hauling hay to heading to church, the El Camino is one of the best examples of sport plus utility ever to grace America’s highways.

The idea for the El Camino isn’t exactly American, though. Long before this concept had legs in the U.S., Australia had fully embraced the car/truck concept. Known down-under as the “Ute,” these hybrid Fords and Chevrolets were rolling through the Outback as far back as the 1930s. Even today, long after the El Camino’s exit from the American market, Utes are still a popular mode of transportation in Australia.