The King Thing

The King Thing is easy to understand. It’s an annual celebration of the guys and gals who fought for our freedom in wars gone by. King Veterans Home is located on the Chain of Lakes in Waupaca, Wis. And the car show that takes place there in mid-May really is a party.

Old cars are the drawing cars, but there’s a lot more going on, too. There’s the display of military vehicles, arts and crafts activities, Uncle Sam on stilts, a motorcycle parade and more, more, more. And it’s all for the veterans to enjoy. Volunteers push many of them around in wheelchairs to see cars that bring back memories of better times.

How about all that chrome on that ’58 Oldsmobile? How about that ’58 Impala with hood scoop on its roof? Did you see the racing car? Look at that ’34 Buick hood ornament! Remember two-tone paint jobs like the one on that ’57 Ford? Didn’t you used to have a pickup like that one down on the farm?

The King Car Show is one of the first of the year in north central Wisconsin. For many of the car owners, it’s the first hobby outing of the year. It’s a big party, too, with music playing at the bandstand and burgers and brats cooking on the grilles. One ticket gets you a pop and three tickets net a hot dog. By the car show area, Hobo the dee-jay is rocking out the ‘50s tunes.

The weather wasn’t perfect for this year’s show, but it was okay as it warmed up after a chilly morning frost. The rain clouds held off and the wet stuff stayed upstairs. And as people say around King, “If you don’t like the weather, wait a couple of minutes and it will change.”