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.

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.

Ararat Shriners bring cars to the 44th Annual Parkville Days Riverfest Parade

Walking around a car show and looking at all the cars can be fun, but wouldn’t it be nice if you could just sit in one place and have the cars come to you? Well, that’s how it works when you visit the annual Parkville Days Riverfest Parade, which made its 44th trip down Main Street last Saturday morning.

From 1957-1981, the Omaha Tangier Corvette Patrol wowed crowds with their precision driving skills

Omaha, Nebraska. Maybe not the location that you would expect to find one of the most unique, history-altering Corvette clubs in the country. But from 1957 to 1981, that’s just what they had.

The Tangier Shriners are headquartered in Omaha, and during that 24-year period, about 13 members formed the Tangier Shrine Corvette Patrol. Each year, these members would purchase a fleet of brand-new, identical Corvettes. They would then take these unique cars to parades, circuses, and other events around the country, and perform precision driving demonstrations to bring attention to their children’s burn hospital efforts.