How's your Local Car Shows This Year?

[Runner1972]

With me, the last two shows we went to were small and numbers were down from last year. How are your local shows this year doing?

[steve308]

Every church, charitable cause, cheerleading group etc., jumped on the perceived 'cash cow' by hosting a car show thereby diminishing the larger better run shows. Let's face it, how do you tell your church, school or kid that you will not be at their show and will attend another. Also the car show crowd around here was / is an older group and it is difficult for many of them to spend a day baking in a hot parking lot. I used to do two or more shows a month, now I doubt I'll do two this year. The older more mature crowd (the one I hang with) is growing the Cars & Coffee gatherings. Up early, light traffic, home early etc.. Not unusual to have 200+ vehicles at the larger weekly C&C's in Northern VA.

[Dan Barlow]

In my 20s and 30s I went to all the shows I could . I was living vicariously . I even paid to go to Good Guys and Hot Rod and 4 wheel and Offroad shows . Now that I have something that might be interesting to some folks , I'm not interested in sitting in the dun all day to show it off . I'd much rather go to a cruise in . No offial judging just everyone having a good time . I did go to 2 this year . I went to the one the city of Elizabethtown Kentucky puts on yearly ( been 2 years in a row ) and we had a Southport Indiana cop shot to death trying to help someone that had flipped a car in someones yard . The driver unloadrd a pistol on him . Tjere was a benefit car sjow for his family . So I went to it .

[Dan Barlow]

P.S. I really like the cars and coffee idea . Works for that would leave a late afternoon cruise in before the bugs come out ( to keep them off the front of their cars)and those that can't see as well at night , as well as me that can get busy working on another project ( car or other ) and forget about it till its too late .

[SuperBuickGuy]

it has been light attendance at the ones around here. I went to 2 of the 3 biggest and I'd call them 80% of normal... maybe even a bit less.

As for telling kids to go pound sand.... it's really quite easy and very enjoyable to do.

[Gateclyve Photographic]

It's an up and down year.

Shows with driving components are more resilient than static display shows. Cruise nights seem slightly down from recent years, unless in conjunction with a major event. Some one marque and "chalkmark" resto shows are starting to hurt. (Some of this is due to the escalating values of "pedigreed" muscle cars and organization politics) Competitively-judged shows are probably becoming less popular unless well established and supported by professional builders. Shows affiliated with an active car club are doing better than shows organized by non-automotive promoters. Shows with appearances by "Street Outlaws" still have traffic. The SEMA Show's outdoor component will be at full capacity once again.

The Car Craft Summer Nationals was down due to the shock of moving to "Holleytown," where the heat and non-show traffic were not too fun. But Bowling Green has a great record of building events, so we'll see. The big surprise of the Summer Nationals was how often the drag strip was waiting for someone to make a pass (lots of free track time available, making it a great value for those who want test and tune time or to hot lap).

Generally, the shows are reflecting the graying of the sport, though. And saturation/show fatigue is a problem. A lot of local festivals are trying to build traffic with a static display show component. That works best if there's a club affiliation and/or celebrity appearance.

These are just one person's opinion on the subject . . . .

[Deaf Bob]

There was a car show at the local county fair we ran at recently.. I saw two roundy cars drive by (one was the announcer's 69 Chevelle)
But seeing how we are "down to the wire as usual" we had no time nor energy.. Plus the cars were leaving as we were putting on the show.
There is a "Cruise the Gut" in the same town in a few days, I'll likely go and sit on a wall and watch the cars go by..

[SuperBuickGuy]

what has grown is the outdoor segment - the NW Overland Rally was substantially larger and added a second even the following weekend .... the 4x4 stuff I do has grown a lot as well.

[Deaf Bob]

what has grown is the outdoor segment - the NW Overland Rally was substantially larger and added a second even the following weekend .... the 4x4 stuff I do has grown a lot as well.

I've noticed more lifted and bobbed Toyotas around... Not so much with the bigger rigs. Maybe after it rains.

[studemax]

Not only am I an officer in my local Studebaker Drivers Club chapter, and the Kansas manager for the 3 SDC chapters in the state, but I am also the VP of the Wichita Area Council of Car Clubs. For 45 years the Car Council has held regular meetings for local car clubs of all kinds, and hosts one show a year to raise operating funds. Every January we publish 25,000 copies of a yearly 50 page Cruising Calendar of Events (fits in your back pocket or glovebox)). I can tell you that (at least in south central Kansas), the number of car clubs is growing, and the number of car shows is increasing yearly. Some of the shows that have been around 20 years or more have passed on or been sold to new owners. New shows pop up every season.

Most of the new clubs and new shows focus on fund raising for charity, and use social media a lot more than the "old school" clubs who used newspaper ads and flyers passed out at car shows. Newer clubs consist of low riders, rat rodders, Asian imports, pickup clubs, and all makes clubs associated with college groups or large companies (like Cessna Aircraft, etc.). Lots of folks belong to multiple clubs, too. Every weekend starting in April to about Halloween - there are 4 or 5 car shows to choose from within 100 miles of Wichita. This area is car show crazy with cruises at burger joints, and 2 well-known street cruise areas that feature 3rd and 4th generation cruisers.

Car culture is in no danger here in Wichita - restored classics, street machines, drag stuff, rice racers, kustoms, low riders, and I can't forget bikes. It's still a family hobby for all ages. Some of us old geezers see changes happening, but are heartened by the youngsters still showing some interest in things that roll.

[Deaf Bob]

The farm is on the edge of the Coast Range.. (5 miles west all roads are gravel) the main highway (paved) is an artery towards OSU and the coast.
Still see lots of bikes go by.. Most groups are Harleys, alot are other types of cruising bikes yet a good number are groups of 10-20 crotch rockets..
Cars do not seem to cruise to the coast..

[Damon23]

Boring. It's the same cars, same group of people getting spaces saved up front and from what I hear the same people taking home the hardware. At what point to you say "No need to judge my car?" but I guess to a ego manic that would never. Caffeine and Octane has me spoiled. The Atlanta one is HUGE!!!!!!! It takes a couple hours to walk around and you get to see so much different stuff and it is once a month. I'll hit the last of the cruise in's the next couple of weeks but I really focus on Powertour and the Turkey Rod Run. I do get to do Cruisin the Coast this year so that is fun.

[RustyRodder]

I havent gone to as many this year- usually I hit up a few. The Adirondack nationals are still huge, but the other shows have shrunk a little. Fewer people want to spend an entire day sitting in a parking lot- you can only walk around it so many times. 3-4 hours? okay, I can do that. But a bunch of shows go from like 9-4, and you need to be there by 10:30 to park inside.

Cars & Coffee and whatnot is nice. Going to the big one in Atlanta in October to 'unveil' the Jurassic Jeep.

[oletrux4evr]

We've only been to two this year. But next year we're moving back to the Wichita area, hopefully where we don't have to kill 50 miles of bugs each way when attending a show or cruise.

[Jimbo17]

The car show turn out has been not so good for the past year or so.

Many of the guy's who have been coming for over 15 years are getting older and a little burned out doing car shows after all these years.

Jim Hill