Car Show Road Trip
A summer road trip always offers the opportunity for discovery. This summer, on a trip where we planned to visit two car shows, we discovered a third along the way.
The planned shows were the 46th annual convention of the Corvair Society of America and the 58th annual convention of the Kaiser Frazer Owners Club, both of which took place at the same time last month in Springfield, Illinois. The discovery was the 25th Annual Chillicothe, Missouri, Lions Club car show, which took place 220 miles to the west just as the two conventions were winding down.
The scheduling of the two annual conventions in Springfield was purely coincidental, but it presented a great opportunity for members of both organizations not only to share their common interests but to enjoy the unique features of each line of cars. Not many Corvair owners were aware, for example, that the Kaiser Traveler and Vagabond of 1949 and 1950 were America’s first hatchback sedans, while the K-F enthusiasts learned of such Corvair oddities as Rampside pickup and the Ultravan motorhome.
It was a great opportunity for us to soak up two multi-day events just a short distances from each other.
But we had other reasons to be traveling, and so as the two conventions ran toward their conclusions we headed west, bound for Overland Park, Kansas, where we were to visit an ailing friend. But an overnight stop along the way in Chillicothe, Missouri, proved serendipitous, for we hit town just as the Lions Club’s annual gathering of cool cars was getting underway.
The Lions’ event is a two-day affair, the first of which is a Friday evening cruise night that truly includes a cruise. All cars on hand were eligible to participate in a parade down the city’s looong main street before gathering around the courthouse for a street party. And by “gathering around the courthouse” we mean for blocks around the courthouse, as there were upwards of 200 vehicles.
And these vehicles ran the gamut, from stock classics to immaculate street rods, from trucks to motorcycles, from two cylinders to ten. And the townspeople were out to see them, mom and dad, kids and grandparents, a true community happening. On a beautiful clear and warm summer evening with low humidity, it was a Norman Rockwell scene of America’s car culture.
The spectators and car owners and event organizers were open and welcoming, and we learned not only about the show but also about the many multi-story murals painted throughout the town and that Chillicothe is the home of sliced bread!
We could not stay for the next day’s big car show, which took place in a park at the north end of town. But as we drove away from Chillicothe Saturday morning a large portion of the show passed us in the other direction, a non-stop flow of vintage beauties headed toward the show while we made our way toward Kansas. More than 100 cars that were not there Friday night rolled into town for the Saturday show. Awards were presented later to top-10 picks, to sponsoring dealer picks, and to 65 “anything picks,” a cool and generous award protocol.
If your travels take you through central Missouri in July 2017, check CarShowSafari.com’s event listings for the 26th annual Chillicothe Lions car show. If you are a Corvair owner, the 2017 convention of the Corvair Society of America will take place in Independence, Missouri, in late June. The Kaiser Frazer Owners Club plans to convene in California next year. If our experience is to be a guide, these will be great events!
Images by Bob Marlow