Appleton, Wis. Old Car Show is July 19

On Sunday, July 19, 2009, the 32nd Annual Appleton Old Car Show & Swap Meet will be held in Pierce Park, Appleton. Car show hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with an ever increasing number of early arrivals each year.

The Appleton Old Car Show is believed to be the largest free car show in the United States with over 1,200 collector cars on display. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend. Spectator admission is free and there is no charge to display your collector vehicle.

The show is open to collector cars 1980 and older. The 2009 featured cars are all 1959 Model Year cars-all makes and models. This is the 50th Anniversary of the 1959’s, a car design that took fins to a new level with such designs as the outrageous 1959 Cadillacs. To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the 59’s, owners of 1959 Model Year Cars will be parked together so spectators can see the differences in the various car manufacturer’s designs. If you own a 1959 collector car, please call the show hotline at 920-731-8519. Show attendees will have an opportunity to view some great examples of the 1959 models such as this year’s Appleton 2009 poster and cover car car-Oshkosh’s Steve Merfeld’s beautiful red 1959 Chevrolet Convertible.

The first 1,100 collector cars registered on the day of the show will receive a commemorative 32nd Anniversary Dash Plaque. Trophies are awarded in 32 classes and are based on participant voting. Special honors include the at-large Concours Awards and the coveted Mayor’s Trophy, awarded by Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna.

The show’s Great Motoring Memories is a special display within the show that features uniquely special antique, classic, and one-of-a-kind automobiles that have achieved prominence in automotive history. Many of these cars are extremely rare and seldom seen.

This year’s show will feature one of the most diversified displays ever assembled in the history of the show. One of the many outstanding cars will be Jack Bonham’s 1941 Packard 120 Convertible Coupe. This car is flawless after undergoing an extensive restoration.

For person wishing to buy, sell, or trade old car parts, gas station and automotive memorabilia, and other automotive related items, there will be a designated area of the park set aside for a swap meet. Swap meet spaces are $35 for a 15’ by 20’ space. The swap meet is normally one of the first stops for old car enthusiasts searching for parts needed to complete their restoration project, or old automotive/gas station items to decorate their garages.

This year’s show will again feature a car corral where persons can sell their vintage collector cars. Cars must be 1987 and older to be for sale in the car corral. Last year there were over 100 old cars in the car corral. Persons with an old collector car sitting in the garage gathering dust are encouraged to bring their car down to the show and enter it in the car corral. Over the years, numerous collector cars have found new homes with one of the thousands of old car collectors attending the show.

Joe’s Collision and Restoration and the Fox Valley Street Rod Association will again be sponsoring the very popular Valve Cover Races. Valve cover racers are ordinary and sometimes even rare valve covers off an automobile engine with wheels added so they can race down an inclined track side by side powered by gravity. Valve cover races are open to persons of all ages. Trophies will be awarded to the winning racers. This is a great family project and valve cover racers are fun to build. Valve covers are available at any local auto salvage/recycling center and wheels can be any mass produced wheels including toy wheels, skate wheels, caster wheels, etc. Joe’s Collision and Restoration, Greenville, Wis. is sponsoring the Valve Cover Race trophies.

Any persons registering a 1980 or older collector car at the Appleton Old Car Show will have the opportunity to enter their name in a drawing for a Miller Electric wire feed welder donated by Miller Electric Company of Appleton, Wis. To be eligible, the winner must be present at the time of the drawing. The drawing is held during the trophy presentations.

Saturday evening, July 18th, finds old car enthusiasts gathering at Fox Valley Technical College for WVBO 103.9’s 15th Annual Car Show and Cruise Night. Cruisers may display their collector cars from 3:00-7:30 p.m. The cruise will follow immediately as College Avenue comes alive with cars that cruised the “ave” decades ago to the sounds of those great oldies playing on the radio.

Since 1982, the Appleton-Fox Cities Kiwanis Club has provided food for the Sunday event.

The 32nd Annual Appleton Old Car Show & Swap Meet is a cooperative effort between The Appleton Old Car Club, Inc., Fox Valley Street Rod Association, Packerland Region Vintage Chevrolet Club of America, North East Wisconsin Corvair Club and Appleton-Fox Cities Kiwanis Club.

Visit www.appletonoldcarshow.com or call 920-731-8519 for more information.