Spectators enjoy cars, trucks, and hot rods at the fairgrounds Saturday
COLDWATER — Cold winds kept attendance down Saturday at the 36th annual Swap Meet and Car Show, with most of the crowd in jackets and hoodies.
Still, hundreds came to see special hot rods, vintage rides, and trucks spread across the Branch County Fairgrounds.
Crafts and other product vendors found crowds larger in the fair exhibition building as the people escaped the cold. Those swapping or selling car parts and pieces or automotive items were in the field south of the grandstand.
Bikes were blessed at noon, calling for the safety of those who ride. At 1 p.m., the Muffler Rap and Open Header Contest could be heard all over the fairgrounds, with trophies going to the loudest.
Drivers cruised around Coldwater at 4 p.m., showing off their vehicles.
A smaller crowd came back in the warmer Sunday weather.
There were many special vehicles and stories at the show.
On Mother's Day weekend, Coldwater's Dennis Shook paid homage to his father by driving his 1931 Model A on a 1969 Chevelle chassis.
The body wasn't a barn find but a shell left in a field when his mechanic father found it.
As a 14-year-old Shook, hacksawed the Chevelle frame for his Dad to weld and fit under the Ford.
Shook's dad drove it for two years and then parked it in his backyard. "He was scared of the car. It was that fast and powerful."
Nineteen years ago, when his dad died, Shook claimed the then-rusted wreck. "It took me five years," to put it back together. "I've had it on the road for 14 years A little tribute to him."
Dewey Harris turned a 1948 Chevrolet convertible into a modern car he uses to travel the country.
The body's the same, but he improved "everything. The only thing original is the headlight dimmer switch on the floor."
Under the hood is a 454 HP turbo, heat and air conditioning, a telescoping steering wheel, and a 12-volt electrical system. Harris said, "I did almost everything" in the last 30 years.
"The price was right, but it's been costly ever since," Harris said.
At 12 miles per gallon, "It'll pass anything on a road except the gas station," Harris laughed.
When he purchased the black car, which is now yellow, there was no motor or transmission. Harris put in a 454 cc engine with 500 horsepower.
Truck driver Brian Oetting of Butler, Indiana, brought a truck to the car show. It's not a pick-up but a 1968 Kenworth W925 semi.
The 335-horsepower Cummins engine with over 1 million miles is original. The Frigiking AC on the roof was an original option.
"I've always liked trucks since I was a little kid," Oetting said.
After searching the internet, he settled on the '68 Kenworth in the fall of 2021. "This is a classic. They just have a good classic look. They're timeless."
The truck spent all its life in the Sacramento, California area, with the previous owner for 49 years.
After driving it back to Indiana, Oetting restored the semi over the last two years.
Oetting said, "Now It's strictly a show truck."
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The volunteers from the non-profit 501(C)3, which puts on the show, will account for the proceeds over the next month. Those will go to local charities.
— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Cold and wind reduce Saturday Swap Meet and Car Show crowds
