Better late than never for the North Ridge Church Car Show

I know I’ve been neglecting my writing duties here lately. Things have been busy, and I’m sorry to say that when I have a little time to write something, I’ve just been too lazy to do it. Take the North Ridge Church Car Show. I was at this thing all the way back on October 27, so I’ve been sitting on the pictures for over two months. It was a pretty decent little car show, too, so there really isn’t any excuse for my not getting this done. I actually drove the truck to White House to participate in this one. It was a cool, overcast day, but actually perfect for an event like this. Here are some of the show cars that caught my eye.

Somernites Super Cruise takes over Somerset, Kentucky

When you approach Somerset, Ky., the sign on the highway declares that you are entering the “Official Car Cruise Capital of Kentucky.” When it comes to the monthly Somernites Cruise, these people aren’t messing around. It kind of reminds me of a NASCAR event. There are Somernites souvenir trailers, printed color programs, and many displays, activities, and vendors to keep everyone entertained. Oh, and there were lots of cars—1,500 of them according to the P.A. announcer. Somerset’s entire downtown is blocked off for this, and they manage to fill every parking lot and street corner.

2018 Lebanon High School Car Show makes good use of their parking space

Lebanon High School held their annual fundraiser for the marching band last weekend, and lots of great cars showed up to do their part. The sun was as bright as the sun could be, but the temperatures were fairly reasonable for Tennessee in July. A high school is a pretty good place to have a car show, because when the students and teachers go home, there’s a huge parking lot that isn’t being used on the weekend. Every empty parking lot should be filled with cool old cars. I have decreed it.

2017 Nashville International Auto Show

The Nashville International Auto Show is sort of an interesting affair. You can go there and find two McLarens, a half-dozen vintage Ford Broncos, and a Bentley SUV, but there’s not a new Cadillac in sight. Want to take a glimpse into the future with a concept car? Nope. But there is a replica of Buford T. Justice’s Pontiac police car. As auto shows go, this one seems to have limited support from the OEMs, so they make up for it with other things. I guess that’s OK, though. I’d rather look at the vintage Mustang club display than have to endure a bigger Toyota space.

2016 Nashville International Auto Show

If you were reading an article about an auto show that took place in 1969, complete with photo slideshow, you would think that was pretty cool, right? That’s why I keep covering the local new car show. Someday, someone is going to look back on this, and they’re going to love it. In the context of today, the Nashville International Auto Show is fairly weak. Several key manufacturers didn’t even bother to participate. There were no concept cars. The most interesting display was the “DuPont Registry Live” exotic car collection, and you had to subscribe to a $45 magazine to get close to it. Sure, there were some cars there that any red-blooded enthusiast would like to have, but come back to this in 50 years and you’ll really appreciate it.

Tom's Cruise reaches boiling point

These guys standing around this ’60 Chevy Biscayne as all the water boils out of the radiator pretty much sums up last week’s Tom’s Cruise-In. It was stinkin’ hot in Germantown; there’s no other way to say it. They had music and karaoke and a few cars showed up, but everyone out there was wishing the parking lot behind the Jimmy Johns was air-conditioned. It obviously wasn’t, but that didn’t stop everyone from having a good time. Luckily for you, I took pictures of everything, so you can enjoy this car cruise sitting inside. Check it out!

2015 Nashville International Auto Show

November means auto show season in Nashville, so we headed out to the Music City Center last weekend for the 2015 Nashville International Auto Show. This is one of the smallest new car shows I think I’ve ever been to. It also boggles my mind that Elvis’ Solid Gold Cadillac is on display just down the street from here at the Country Music Hall of Fame, and there was not one trace of Cadillac at this show. There were also quite a few more cars than I have pictured, but I made the determination that they were not interesting enough to feature. If you want to see Hyundais and Hondas and stuff like that, you’ll have to hit this show yourself next year. If you like sports cars and American pickups, you’re in the right place.

28th-Annual McKendree Village Car Show in Hermitage

For 28 years, the Exchange Club has been hosting their annual car show, and when I found out it was at McKendree Village in Hermitage, just five minutes from my house, you can bet that I was in. Not only was it convenient, but it had a bunch of nice cars. And not only did it have nice cars, but it had nice weather. And not only did it have nice weather, but it raised money for the Exchange Club, which helps abused kids. This is the kind of situation that’s impossible to pass up. Of course, if you couldn’t make it, don’t worry. I’ll show you some of the stuff that was there in this story, and you can make sure to attend the 29th-Annual Exchange Club Car Show next year.

Mt. Juliet Chick-fil-A Fourth of July Cruise

2015 marked our second-annual tradition of bringing the old truck out on the Fourth of July to watch the Mt. Juliet fireworks show. It was also Saturday night, which meant the Chick-fil-A in Mt. Juliet was holding their weekly car cruise. The turnout was light, partly because people were celebrating the Fourth elsewhere, and partly because a massive thunder storm was moving in. There were still some nice cars before the sky opened up, so let’s take a look at some of the standouts.

2015 Gallatin Square Fest Car Show

The annual Gallatin Square Fest is a fun event for the whole family. All around the historic downtown square you’ll find food trucks, craft booths, and live musical acts. There’s going to be something there for everyone. Of course, in my case, that something was the Gallatin Square Fest Car Show, which draws in a nice assortment of old iron to a parking lot adjacent to the actual festival. This year, the weather forecast was a little ominous, which no doubt kept a few participants home. But in reality, the rain stayed away, and it was a perfectly nice day for this popular gathering.

Old Skool and New Kool Car Show survives the storms

As I was pulling into the neighborhood to check out the 2nd-Annual Old Skool and New Kool Car Show at the Life Church/Broadmoor Family Worship Center, the rains came. I don’t mean a light shower or sprinkle, either. This was a deluge. I could barely see two inches in front of my face, not much less get out and take pictures of all the old cars that were sinking in the grass. But the thing about Tennessee rain showers is, once they do what they’re going to do, they’re done. It didn’t take long for the faucet to shut off, the sun to come out, and the car show to resume.

Quality trumps quantity at the Grace Church Car Show

I’ve been itching to check out a good car show lately, so I was pretty excited to see a listing for the annual Grace Church Car Show in Nashville. This wasn’t a huge event, but the cars that were there were definitely worth looking at. If I know there’s going to be a ’54 Corvette on the premises, that’s an automatic must-attend event right there. So, BHo and I jumped in the Camaro (it was an air conditioning-type day) and headed to church. Here’s what we saw.

New cars from the 2014 Greater Kansas City International Auto Show

As you drive around Kansas City on a normal day, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that all new cars are boring.  It’s tough to get excited about silver Corollas and neutral-colored Accords and whatnot.  But when you get under the bright lights of the Greater Kansas City International Auto Show, suddenly you realize that there’s a whole world of interesting new cars out there for sale.  People aren’t necessarily buying the interesting stuff, but they are available if you want them.  Let’s check out a few of the fun new rides from Kansas City.

Ponies for Patriots honors veterans with Mustangs at Kansas City's Liberty Memorial

The Liberty Memorial is Kansas City’s monument to honor those who fought in World War I.  That’s a pretty good place to turn our attention on Veteran’s Day, and it even makes more sense here because the festivities were car-related.  The Mustang Club of Greater Kansas City hosted “Ponies for Patriots,” where club members and the Wounded Warriors High-Five Mustang all came out to show their support.  There were Mustangs in and out of here for two days, so this club was obviously very committed to this display.

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.

The stars were aligned for the August North Kansas City Cruise

With only one North Kansas City Cruise under their belts, the Golden Oldies Car Club headed into August with perfect weather and the full support of the Mustang Club of Greater Kansas City.  And everything came together beautifully to make this one of the best cruises in this area for years.  Swift Avenue was lined on both sides as far down as you could see with a full selection of Kansas City’s nicest rides.

C.A.R.B. Race-On Car Show and Snake Saturday Parade bring lots of great cars to North Kansas City

Since 1977, the Central Auto Racing Boosters (C.A.R.B.) has hosted a racecar show in conjunction with the Snake Saturday parade in North Kansas City, and as usual, there was a decent turnout in spite of the cold, cloudy weather.

C.A.R.B. is one of the most dedicated, hardest-working clubs you'll ever encounter.  They've been around for more than 60 years in the Kansas City area, and during that time they have done an outstanding job of promoting local drivers and tracks.  Currently, C.A.R.B. supports four area tracks, including Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., I-35 Speedway in Winston, Mo., and Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Mo.  C.A.R.B. members get free admission to these tracks on C.A.R.B. nights, a membership roster, and other perks, all for only $15.00/year.

Time travel to the 1980s at the Olathe Bass Pro Shop PINK cruise

The PINK Cruise, sponsored by the Mustang Club of Greater Kansas City, got off to a rough start. It was scheduled for Saturday afternoon, but rain forced them to reschedule it for Sunday. And of course, when you have to change the date at the last second, it usually doesn’t help your turnout. The fact that the Chiefs were sort of playing on Sunday didn’t help either.

Nearly 200 fine Fords occupy parking spots at the Bass Pro Shops in Olathe

Kansas City has a lot of great automotive traditions.  From our auto assembly plants to our local car racing, this cowtown keeps the wheels turning.

We also have several significant, long-running car shows here.  And for 28 years, one of those shows has been the Mustang and Ford Show, presented by the Mustang Club of Kansas City.  Held at the Bass Pro Shops in Olathe, this is the show where all the high-interest Blue Ovals, both old and new, gather each and every year.

Carroll Shelby dead at 89

One of the most colorful and revered figures in automotive history has passed away.  Carroll Shelby died on May 10 at Baylor Hospital in Dallas, Texas.  He was 89.  The cause of death was not disclosed.

For more than 50 years, Shelby's influence has been clear on race tracks, in the performance car world, and more recently in the realm of classic cars.  Let's take a quick look at the career of this giant of the automotive industry.