Kalamazoo Vintage Car Club To Make Stop In Kosciusko County This Weekend
Posted
Staff Report-
More than 30 vintage classic cars from Kalamazoo, Mich., will be cruising into Kosciusko County Saturday and Sunday. The Kalamazoo Antique Auto Restorers Club is celebrating more than 50 years together and will be traveling throughout Michiana to Kosciusko County for its annual overnight tour. Saturday stops in Kosciusko County will be at the Lawrence D. Bell Aircraft Museum, Mentone, noon to 1 p.m.; Teel’s Family Restaurant, Mentone, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.; Village At Winona, 3 to 5 p.m.; and Golden Corral, Warsaw, 7 to 8 p.m. On Sunday, the cars will be on display at Warsaw Biblical Gardens from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.; and at The Frog, Syracuse, at 12:30 p.m. The Kalamazoo Antique Auto Restorers Club was organized by John Bailey in 1962. The early meetings were characterized by the exchange of auto parts and restoration tips. In 1963, the club members organized its first swap meet at the corner of Westnedge and Michigan Avenue in Kalamazoo. The following year, they expanded to the Engel VW Dealership at Crosstown and Vine Streets. Today, the swap meet has grown to the largest of its kind, covering more than 52,000 square feet, now held annually at the Kalamazoo Expo and Fairgrounds on the first weekend of February. Since 1980, the organization also has sponsored the Red Barns Spectacular Car Show. The show gets its name from the red barns at the Gilmore Car Museum, a 90-acre campus 20 miles northeast of Kalamazoo in Hickory Corners, Mich. Held the first Saturday of August and referred to as the “Granddaddy’s of all car shows,” this antique, classic and special interest car show is one of the oldest and largest car shows and swap meets in Great Lakes area featuring more than 1,200 vehicles. “Travel and tourism plays a key role in a successful and prosperous economy”, said Mary Kittrell, Kosciusko County Convention & Visitors Bureau executive director. “With tours like these, the Kosciusko CVB hopes to raise awareness and showcase why travel matters.”
