Friday is judging day, so all the cars will be on the showfield then. On either side of that, people come and go. Keep in mind that this is an indoor show, so there will be limits on when cars can enter and leave the facility. Swap meet can go either way. The most prized items are usually gone early in the week, however the best deals can be had late in the week when people figure out they don't want to lug stuff home. Friday night is drag racing night.

 

To finish the thought, with the banquet and awards and all on Saturday night, I would imagine Sunday is everyone-leaves day and that the showfield is pretty much a ghost town by noon. I wouldn't plan on seeing cars or finding any swap meet vendors on Sunday.

I have not been to that many Nationals. I went to Gettysburg, but my schedule had me able to be there only on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday through about 12 noon. I was surprised by how few cars were there (at least in the show area) before I left on Thursday. I expected to see more. I think it really is true that, if you want to see the most cars possible, Friday is the day.

 

That was my point about people coming and going. G-burg was a little different from Wichita in a couple of ways. First, since 2019 will be indoors, many show cars will be driven into the venue and left there. At G-burg people drove their cars to the various activities and tours during the week, thus the limited number on the showfield. Also, given the rain last year, many folks kept their cars in trailers much of the time. Count on most people packing up Sat by noon. Even if they are not leaving until Sunday, most cars and swap meet parts are packed up Sat.

 

 

Typically there will be presentations scattered over the week.

 

 

Our Oldsmobiles will attend the track's Test and Tune night. We will make time trials and then eliminations against each other, separately from other, local cars that attend the track's event.

 

 

Well, I had planned to go on Sat and look around. Are you saying I'm going to be disappointed?

 

Use your judgment. I would take it to mean that if you're driving from home 10 miles to the event on Saturday, fine, take a chance, get there early, and see what's left. You're not out much if the place is nearly empty. But if you're flying from the other side of the country, then, no, it's not worth the risk to travel that far and at that expense to end up finding the place emptying out.

 

I have been a swap meet vendor at the OCA national meets many times. This year the cars will be inside, but the swap meet is scheduled to be outside. I try to get there the day before to scope out the area and get my space assignments, and possibly start setting up. If I can't set up, then I get there early in the morning on the first day (this year it's Tue. the 25th) and get my spaces set up. For the most part, I am at my spaces most of the time. Hours of operation for most vendors are usually around 8 AM to 5 PM. I close up early Fri. (around 4 pm) and get ready to go to the drag strip. Saturday, depending on weather and tire kickers, I close up sometime around 3 PM and pack my truck for the trip home, and get ready to attend the banquet. Early Sunday morning I am on the road home (Naperville IL).

One of the things to consider would be the weather. If it rains during the day most vendors will close up or have their stuff covered by tarps. If they have a canopy they may stay open. I have a canopy. If it rains or threatens to rain on Friday afternoon, drag racing is usually cancelled. In the last 5 years we have been rained out twice, at Springfield IL, and at Gettysburg PA last year. I think that most of the vendors operate the way I do. Plan accordingly and have a great time.

 

 

 

Homecoming is actually bigger than any national event! I would say 25-40%. It's consistently over 500 in cars and the swap meet is a big or bigger than any nationals. Fusicks come all the way for just one day of business.

Pat

 

Haven't figured out if I'm going to make it this year. I have a self diagnosed sickness as where I need to drive there. I'll most likely not have the time to do the trip trip, 4-5 days on the road and 3-4 there. If I do, when I hit ID, I'm going to follow Pac-rat and see what falls out of his trailer.

 

 

Yes, it's looks like the museum is open from 4-6:30 P.M. that evening. It's not much, but there is a monument on/near the site of where the first cars were produced off of River street near Kalamazoo street. The current Grand river assembly plant was built on parts of the old foot print of the Plant #1 which was totally razed. It's mainly a holding lot for the Camaro and Cadillac. The Ivory towers ( building in my avatar) are still up and I believe that it's still covered by a huge wrap that has Cadillac's on it.

Plants 2 and 3 are on Saginaw street are gone, just grass and concrete. I did see that they are using plant 3's concrete area to store the Enclave and Traverse SUV's

Plant 5 is now owned by Ryder trucking.

Pat

 

 

It turns out that the drag strip is not available on Friday, so we will race on Thursday, June 27.