You can't lose with the Hendersonville Cruise

It has been awhile since I did a story about the Hendersonville Cruise, but it is still one of the best around. Last Friday, a nice group of classics rolled into the Glenbrook shopping center as the sun set. Perfect weather, a live D.J., and free ice cream sandwiches probably didn’t hurt the large turnout. This is the best time of the year to go to these events. It is the rare point in the season where it isn’t too hot or cold. Many car show have been cancelled this year, so you probably aren’t burned out on these types of events yet. Plus, the season will end before you know it, so it’s a good idea to get out while you can.

38th-Annual Bowen Campbell Auto Expo returns to Moss-Wright Park in Goodlettsville

When a car show has been happening in the same place for 38 years, someone must be doing something right. In this case, that someone is the AACA Sumner County Vintage Vehicle Club, and that something is the Bowen Campbell Auto Expo, which happened last Saturday in its traditional location, Moss-Wright Park in Goodlettsville, Tenn. They always have a big turnout at this show, and it seems to draw some of the nicer cars from around the Nashville area. I hung out there all day with my ’63 Chevy truck, which would not be considered one of those nicer vehicles, but I was surrounded by good stuff. It was a hot day out there for sure, but that didn’t seem to keep people from enjoying this Labor Day weekend tradition.

Rain didn't ruin the Redneck Rumble

Twice a year, the Redneck Rumble rides into the Wilson County Fairgrounds in Lebanon. This year, the two-day event had to deal with not only rain, but several other big car shows in town. I entered my truck on Saturday, and even though attendance was obviously lighter than normal, there were still quite a few things to look at. I’ve been at this show in the rain before, and history has proven that rat rod and patina guys don’t mind a little wet weather. There’s also a swap meet at this show that typically offers up some interesting automotive treasures. This isn’t your usual ’69 Camaro resto-mod-style show. It’s different, which is part of what makes it interesting.

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.

31st-Annual Oktoberfest Antique Car Show brings the best to Lebanon

Some of the best car shows of the year happen just as the car show season is winding down. Such was the case with the 31st-annual Lebanon Oktoberfest Antique Car Show, which was held last weekend around the Main Street Wilson Bank location in Lebanon, Tenn. It was a beautiful, cool day; just perfect for checking out all the beautiful, cool rides. 382 vehicles showed up for this event, making it one of the largest single-day car shows around. Also, since it is hosted by the Middle Tennessee AACA, there is always a nice assortment of factory-correct classics.

Big turnout for the 13th-Annual Fall Redneck Rumble

If you like your car shows a little more gritty, if you’re not really into shiny paint, and if you like dodging fast-moving bicycles, motor scooters, and rat-rodded golf carts, the Redneck Rumble is the place for you. The 13th-annual Fall edition was recently held at its usual location, the Wilson County Fairgrounds in Lebanon, Tenn. And as usual, the place was packed with all manner of crusty and creative rides. There’s a lot to this show, including a cruise, swap meet, and even a demolition derby. I brought my own non-glossy truck to the party, so I had premium parking to go straight to the picture taking.

Guest coverage of the 2017 Tri-Five Chevy Nationals in Bowling Green, KY

You already know this. Between 1955 and 1957, Chevrolet built a line of full-sized cars that would become the most popular and iconic in the history of the American automobile. I don’t even consider that to be an opinion. It becomes even more apparent when the Tri-Five Nationals makes its annual appearance at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green. This show is only three-years-old, and they already draw more than 2,000 entries. I was not able to make it up there this year, but we’re in luck. My buddy Bill DeBlasio from Long Island, N.Y. (no relation to Bill de Blasio, the Mayor of New York City), brought his own ’57 Bel Air coupe more than 900 miles for this event. Even better, Bill shared his pictures with us, so now we can see all the cool stuff we missed by not being there.

Redneck Rumble, Spring 2017

The Redneck Rumble is exactly the same as the name implies. Do not expect to see meticulously restored ’53 El Dorados or rare, numbers-matching muscle cars. I don’t even remember seeing a single Corvette. But if you like rat rods, rusty trucks, skulls, and saw blades, this is the place. This year’s spring edition of the two-day show was a little lighter on cars than normal because of rain all day Friday, and on-and-off Saturday. There was still a fair number of cars to look at, and a decent selection of swap meet vendors (I was actually one of them!). A little water never hurt this crowd, and the party was on.

Streetside Classics in La Vergne is where the cars are coming from

If you’ve been following this blog for any time at all, you know there are a lot of car shows out there. But where do people get all those cars? Certainly, some people inherit them, build them, find them in barns. But not everyone wants to go through all the hassle. For them, places like Streetside Classic Cars exist. You can drive right up to La Vergne, Tenn., walk into an air-conditioned showroom, and take your pick from hundreds of detailed, show-ready classics. The thing that got me about this place was how nice most of the vehicles actually were. Whoever they’ve got out there buying these things must know what they’re doing. Of course, I went there and poked around the other day. Let’s check out some of the standouts.

2015 Vette City Classic Collector Car Auction in Bowling Green

Bowling Green, Ky., is the location of the factory that builds the new Corvette Stingray. That should be enough to draw any car guy to the Bluegrass State. But last weekend there was an even greater incentive, as the Vette City Classic Car Auction rolled through Bowling Green’s ABC Auto Auction. Auctioneer Phillip Traylor presided over 100 specialty cars, trucks, tractors, and motor homes during this one-day event. Naturally, I went up there and took some pictures. Let’s take a look at some of the standouts.

Tri-Fives highlight the Fontanel Cruise

It’s summertime in Nashville, and that means the Fontanel Mansion holds their classic car cruise every Thursday night in Whites Creek. This week, the featured club was the Mid-Tenn Classic ’55-’56-’57 Chevy Club. So after a nice Italian dinner and live music at Café Fontanella, we walked outside for more live music and a neat collection of cars highlighted by shoebox Chevys. This is one of the more picturesque places for a car gathering. Normal people would probably be happy coming out here without the cars even. But I’m not a normal person. Let’s check out the cars!