Huge turnout for the 25th-Annual AACA Wilson Bank Spring Meet in Mt. Juliet

I haven’t been to enough car shows lately, but I’m sure glad I didn’t miss the 25th-Annual AACA Wilson Bank Spring Meet in Mt. Juliet over the weekend. This is always a good show, and this year’s edition didn’t disappoint. There were cars crammed in every little crevice of that place. It has been quite a while since there was a local AACA show, and I think everyone decided to get out of the house. This was in spite of it being a cloudy, somewhat rainy day.

 

Spectacular turnout for the 35th-Annual Bowen Campbell Auto Expo in Goodlettsville

Just on a whim, BHo and I decided to take a Saturday swing by the 35th-Annual Bowen Campbell Auto Expo at Moss-Wright Park in Goodlettsville. And I’ve got to tell you, this was one of the best car shows I’ve been to in a long time. I mean, I really liked this one. They had 39 classes of cars, but they pretty much all had one thing in common. They were nice. Sometimes when there are this many cars in one place, you’re going to wind up with a bunch of stinkers. Not here. The only real complaint is that it turned out to be a little more hot and humid than I think most people were expecting. But that’s a small price to pay to see a show like this.

Condition rules at Tom's Cruise

Germantown is a nice community north of Memphis that has all kinds of nice stores and restaurants. But unlike many nice communities with stores and restaurants, they also host Tom’s Cruise; a weekly gathering of vintage and specialty cars on Tuesday nights. As much as I like to eat and shop, the cruise is what drew me in recently. As you might expect, I also brought a camera, which means I can share a few of the standouts with you.

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.

Goodlettsville Cruise was a nice little gathering

Saturday night, I made a quick stop at the Goodlettsville Cruise in the Publix/Firehouse Subs parking lot. I say “quick,” because there weren’t many cars there to photograph. Now that’s not really a reflection on the cruise itself. I’ve been to this same location when you would consider yourself lucky to find a parking spot. Unfortunately, they were right up against the new Cruizin’ Hendersonville event going on 15 minutes away. I think that was their biggest challenge. But I guess as a car guy, having too many cruise options seems like a good problem to have.

Wagner's fly-by

A couple of weekends ago, I was able to get back to Kansas City. Whenever I do that, I like to try and hit a car place or two. One of my favorites has always been Wagner’s Classic Auto in Bonner Springs, Kan. Yes, this is a dealership, and their primary function is to sell cars. But the inventory seems to change every time I go there, and the quality of cars on display often surpasses most car shows I go to. I always enjoy going there. Let’s look at some of the cars and maybe you’ll see why.

Automotive advertising from 1962

Where were you in ’62?  That famous tagline from American Graffiti inspired me to actually take a look at some of the old car ads from 1962, and see what was going on in the auto industry in the early part of that decade.  It was a pretty good year.  Cars were starting to transition from the excessive chrome trim, wide whitewalls, and sharp tailfins of the ‘50s.  Suddenly styling was cleaner, cars were smaller, and compacts were really starting to gain momentum.  General Motors in particular launched some nameplates that year that we’re still familiar with today.  Let’s check out some of the notable cars from the era.

The North Kansas City Centennial Car Show was hot

Let's face it.  If you have a car show during one of the hottest days in the history of June, schedule it during the absolute hottest part of the day, and locate it in the middle of an un-shaded asphalt parking lot, you're not going to get much of a car count.

To wit: the Centennial Car Show hosted by the North Kansas City Rotary Club.  This thing was Saturday from noon to 4:00.  I almost can't think of a more miserable scenario.