Legendary Chickasha pre-war swap meet comes to an end.

[Terry Bond]

If you've not heard by now, it was recently announced the long-time pre-war swap meet at Chickashsa OK has ended.  I've never had the opportunity to be there and feel like I've missed a piece of our hobby history.  I do have many friends who have attended and keep me updated including text's with photos and reports of what's going on.  I know I've missed a lot of the fun of that event, especially since I've been a real swap meet enthusiasts since first getting into the old car hobby back in the 60s. 

 

I could make the observation from reports received that it's been going downhill for several years, but prefer to think that like all swap meets, changes happen.  In this case I believe a lot had to do with the logistics involved and the cost of doing business.  It's always been a family run event based strictly on the love of the old car hobby, but eventually, became too much to handle. 

 

It does not appear like the event will be re-established by another group, but there is some talk on the Model T discussion forum about trying to combine it with another established event.  That event seems to be more commercial and general flea-market in nature.  Having just a pre-war part of a larger event is the way they are leaning, but having to wander through aisles of yard-sale stuff to get to what you are interested in doesn't sound really appealing to me. 

 

Meantime, the Pre=War Swap Meet at Luray, Va continues to thrive and grow.  It's become a favorite for the early car vendors and parts buyers.  I've been setting up there for a few years now and it's become one of my favorites.  It's a good old-fashioned laid-back friendly swap meet without all the commercialism that has turned events like Carlisle into a circus. 

 

So, regardless how it turns out, with the demise of Chickasha, a piece of our hobby has come to an end and I'm sad for that. 

 

Terry

 

[zepher]

Disappointing to hear that another long running prewar event has ended.

If they do fold it into another event, maybe they can keep the prewar stuff a little segregated so you don't have to wander through aisles of commercial swap meet spaces to find some rusty gold.

[DFeeney]

This event was on my bucket list the first year I retired.  I attended 20 yrs ago and have fond memories. I expect most prewar swap meets to become smaller as us buyers/owners   make the "Journey" to the "Great Swap meet in the Sky". 

[B Jake Moran]

Trulyvintage (car transporter) was making this event out to be a great event!  

[Larry Schramm]

It was a good prewar meet, but since covid it has been tough.  I probably missed only a couple of them during their run, but like others have said it has been sparse the last few years.  Oh well, time marches on.

[edinmass]

Found some great stuff there over the years. The hobby is changing, and for the dinosaurs like me, not for the better.

[pkhammer]

Certainly not the kind of changes any of us wants to see. I realize change is inevitable but let's all support the Hershey's and Luray's and all those that remain while we still can.

[Akstraw]

I made it there in 2016.  It was worth the trip. Sorry to see it end; I had hoped to make it back someday.

[Studemax]

That was one of Jay Leno's favorite yearly trips to the Heartland..

[RansomEli]

The Chickasha swap meet ends, not with a bang but a whimper.

 

I've been going for 20 years. The early years were terrific - lots of brass cars & parts and always at least one unrestored barn-find for sale. There used to be a regular who sold nothing but pre-15 Stanley parts.

 

It started going downhill before Covid; Covid just accelerated the process.

 

What killed Chickasha? In my opinion, it's in the middle of nowhere - hard to get to and nothing to do when you get there. No good restaurants, small selection of hotels (that doubled/tripled their rates for the meet). Bakersfield was a cake walk compared to Chickasha.

 

Turns out I bought more brass stuff (headlights, sidelights, bulb horns, etc.) in the past years over the internet than at Bakersfield or Chickasha. Maybe that's what really killed those meets.

 

It's the end of an era and the beginning of a new one.

[lump]

I personally love collecting early stuff from the brass era, like enameled radiator badges, brass horns & lights, data plates, etc. I absolutely love the photos I've seen of Terry Bond's collection. The early stuff is where my personal collecting interest lies these days. 

 

Having said that, I run the CARS & PARTS SPRINGFIELD SWAP MEET & CAR SHOW events in Springfield, Ohio, 3 times per year. I've bought quite a bit of the early stuff there myself over many years. But the fact is that we only get a very few vendors who bring such items. I would be very happy to dedicate an area of the event for brass cars and/or parts, if some vendors who have those pre-war parts would come. (I'm not thinking that something like this would be much of a financial boost for my event, frankly, but I would be thrilled to see those parts there. And, I would be glad to be able to shop among them myself). 

 

Our next swap meet will be Memorial Day weekend, May 24, 25, and 26, 2024. We typically sell about 1,500 to 2,000 vendor spots, and usually have about 600 cars-for-sale on site. We get between 15 and 18 thousand paid admissions, depending on the weather. So we have already covered the costs of facility rental, insurance, advertising, staff, utilities, etc, with our existing swap meet event. If anyone knows anyone who is connected to any group of pre-war cars and parts and thinks there might be some need for to make room for something like this, have them contact me.

 

 

[B Jake Moran]

It never seemed like a good business model to me.  I suppose in the early days, the 70’s and 80’s, it was more of a community thing among old car hobbyists.  If a vendor made some money, great.  
 

But now, you pay for the space, you have to load up a trailer, gas, lodging, to hope to find a smaller number of customers.  

Edited April 1 by B Jake Moran (see edit history)

[Walt G]

On 3/30/2024 at 8:48 PM, pkhammer said:

I realize change is inevitable but let's all support the Hershey's and Luray's and all those that remain while we still can.

I agree with this completely.

[Robert G. Smits]

I started going in the 80’s and purchased a fair amount of advertising and parts in the early years.  I agree with RansomEli that it has been going downhill since before Covid and 2 years ago I knew I wasn’t coming back.  Another loss for the hobby and it won’t be the last. The demise of the Hershey Saturday car show is just the beginning imho. 

[John_S_in_Penna]

On 3/30/2024 at 2:44 PM, zepher said:

If they do fold it into another event, maybe they can keep the prewar stuff a little segregated so you don't have to wander... 

5 hours ago, lump said:

I run the CARS & PARTS SPRINGFIELD SWAP MEET & CAR SHOW events...

I would be very happy to dedicate an area of the event for brass cars and/or parts... 

Keeping vendors organized in classifications is an

excellent idea!  I've often thought of that myself.

 

When you go to Wal-Mart, items aren't randomly

scattered around the big store.  People know where

to go to get sporting goods, toys, beverages, etc.

Keeping pre-war parts together, as much as possible,

would very much help the vendors and the show.

 

Other classifications would be useful too.  They could

save time and unneeded walking by those who can't

walk for miles.  And those vendors with a broad array

could still be in a "General" category.

[Terry Bond]

To me, a swap meet will always be a treasure hunt.  As a vendor I guess I'd always be in John's "general" category, like most everyone else who displays a mix of items.  Catch me at Luray for literature, spark plugs, brass lamps, antique toys, rare early automobile sheet music, Model T stuff and fine quality early automobilia.  

Terry

[Marty Roth]

18 hours ago, Robert G. Smits said:

I started going in the 80’s and purchased a fair amount of advertising and parts in the early years.  I agree with RansomEli that it has been going downhill since before Covid and 2 years ago I knew I wasn’t coming back.  Another loss for the hobby and it won’t be the last. The demise of the Hershey Saturday car show is just the beginning imho. 

As with Mr Smits, I also started going to Chickasha in the 1980s, along with Pate, Petit Jean, and Nashville, Georgia which later moved to Moultrie -

of course Hershey was much earlier,

as were the more local meets like Baton Rouge,

and more impromptu offerings at local car shows such as the New Orleans All-Club Show which was always the Saturday following Hershey.

The treasures we found at Hershey were quickly used to enhance our cars for display that following Saturday.

 

So many of the earlier comments ring true. Internet availability of specialized parts has helped the hobby but diminished Flea Market in person activity,

just as sources such as Amazon and Ebay have altered our in-person shopping at local merchants and big-box brick and mortar stores.

 

I appreciate walking the fields and renewing the many friendships cultivated over the past 60+ years I've been actively involved in the hobby. 

I'll miss the Friday Noon-Time Buick Guy Photo Shoot at Chickasha.

Pate always had a Modified/Street-Rod component which seems to have increased over the years -

       especially since leaving the Aggie Pate Ranch for the Texas Motor Speedway,

           and I haven't attended recently, but miss heading up to Fort Worth for Angelo's Barbecue (2533 White Settlement Rd) -

                maybe next week during the VMCCA Orphan Car Tour?

Petit Jean Mountain, Arkansas was always a neat small get-together in the shade just prior to Fathers' Day,

     and we'll once again visit the Museum at Petit Jean Mountain during the VMCCA Chrome Glidden Tour later this month.

I haven't been able to attend Moultrie for many years.

 

Part of the issue at Chickasha was that it seemed the better deals were made in the parking area on Thursday before vendors were allowed into the facility.

While Friday was a fairly active day, most vendors and visitors were gone before Saturday's opening -

so 4+ night of motels, 4 days driving, 4+ days of expenses for what amounted to a single day shopping ???

One of the best parts of the Chickasha Meet was annual visits to Don Boulton's garages, a spectacular Brass-Era collection in Oklahoma City, sadly no longer there following Mr Boulton's passing.

Edited April 1 by Marty Roth
Add photo - Mr Bolton on left (see edit history)

[lump]

Sorry to learn of another old-school antique car collector passing. The hobby has too few already, and this person sounds like someone I would have really admired. 

Marty, is he the gentleman on the scooter in your photo? 

[Terry Bond]

6 hours ago, Marty Roth said:

As with Mr Smits, I also started going to Chickasha in the 1980s, along with Pate, Petit Jean, and Nashville, Georgia which later moved to Moultrie -

of course Hershey was much earlier,

as were the more local meets like Baton Rouge,

and more impromptu offerings at local car shows such as the New Orleans All-Club Show which was always the Saturday following Hershey.

The treasures we found at Hershey were quickly used to enhance our cars for display that following Saturday.

 

So many of the earlier comments ring true. Internet availability of specialized parts has helped the hobby but diminished Flea Market in person activity,

just as sources such as Amazon and Ebay have altered our in-person shopping at local merchants and big-box brick and mortar stores.

 

I appreciate walking the fields and renewing the many friendships cultivated over the past 60+ years I've been actively involved in the hobby. 

I'll miss the Friday Noon-Time Buick Guy Photo Shoot at Chickasha.

Pate always had a Modified/Street-Rod component which seems to have increased over the years -

       especially since leaving the Aggie Pate Ranch for the Texas Motor Speedway,

           and I haven't attended recently, but miss heading up to Fort Worth for Angelo's Barbecue (2533 White Settlement Rd) -

                maybe next week during the VMCCA Orphan Car Tour?

Petit Jean Mountain, Arkansas was always a neat small get-together in the shade just prior to Fathers' Day,

     and we'll once again visit the Museum at Petit Jean Mountain during the VMCCA Chrome Glidden Tour later this month.

I haven't been able to attend Moultrie for many years.

 

Part of the issue at Chickasha was that it seemed the better deals were made in the parking area on Thursday before vendors were allowed into the facility.

While Friday was a fairly active day, most vendors and visitors were gone before Saturday's opening -

so 4+ night of motels, 4 days driving, 4+ days of expenses for what amounted to a single day shopping ???

One of the best parts of the Chickasha Meet was annual visits to Don Boulton's garages, a spectacular Brass-Era collection in Oklahoma City, sadly no longer there following Mr Boulton's passing.

Two legends of the hobby.Don and Herb Singe. Herb will always have that smile and red leather cap in my memories.

Terry

Edited April 2 by Terry Bond (see edit history)

[Marty Roth]

2 hours ago, Terry Bond said:

Two legends of the hobby.Din and He

Rb Singe. Herb will always have that smile and red leather cap in my memories.

Terry

Thanks, Terry,

I had intended to also note Herb Singe from my photo, but got sidetracked before completing, and hit "submit".

We also visited Herb's collection and were amazed, not only with the many Brass-Era vehicles, but also the Orchestrions and many Lladros (which Dale and I also collect).

Edited April 2 by Marty Roth
Add pics from Herb Singe’s Lladro collection- (see edit history)

[Marty Roth]

3 hours ago, lump said:

Sorry to learn of another old-school antique car collector passing. The hobby has too few already, and this person sounds like someone I would have really admired. 

Marty, is he the gentleman on the scooter in your photo? 

lump,

Herb Singe is on the scooter and wearing the red cap,

Don Boulton is the gentleman on the left with the white name tag.

A pair of luminaries in the hobby.

[jdome]

I have been to Chickasha about 8 times in past 20 years. It is a long 16 hrs of windshield time,  one way from Ohio. The first trip included a stop along the way and a bypass to Wichita to pickup a car to trailer home. But at that time and every visit since, I always find early brass cadillac parts. I went last month again and although there half as many vendors as usual, I still found some 1-cyl parts there.  This first photo is of the morning before the meet as people start showing up in the parking lot across the street by RR tracks, selling contraband from their trailers.  Note the large lamp shade hidden in the treetops,  center of photo and beyoud RR cars. This is a giant 50ft leg lamp statute in homage to Noland James, the creator of the original leg lamp as used in the 1983 movie Christmas Story with Ralphie.  Noland created the original lamp in 1970 right there in Chickasha in 1970 as one of his artistic endeavors.  Noland is or was a U of OK industrial arts prof and somewhat of a legend in those parts. This is the bonus attraction you missed if you weren't there this year.

[Terry Bond]

I don't want to hijack the thread but I had a leg lamp in my college dorm room window in 1967. I worked part time in a shoe store and used one of their plastic leg figurines to make it. My lamp shade was not as fancy but I'd have to claim it was one of the first.

Edited April 2 by Terry Bond (see edit history)

[alsfarms]

I attended Chickasha for the first time this year......and likely the last. You have to want to attend this meet to go there. I knew and dealt with Joe Ersland more than a few times early on, but being employed could never fit in the trip. I enjoyed this swap meet for what it was and did find a few Buffalo wheel parts as well as a Rushmore "large" brass lamp to match a single. It was also a good rendezvous point to meet and pick up other parts that came from three different directions. Unlike the past, I now try to control my Swap Meet meanderings and look only for those items I really need. This time I was successful. I actually cared enough after meeting Suzie to rent a spot and then hearing about the overall performance of the Swap Meet, to make a personal phone call to Mike Ersland. That turned out to be a nice chat. I can't put words in Mike's mouth but the jist of our conversation suggested a possibility of another group take over and make some changes to split the venue amongst those interested in 5O's - 60's and 70's as well as other transportation types. I am hopeful that the Chickasha Swap meet responsibilities may be passed off to a new group take over and remain a viable option not only for PreWar but a wider scope of interests.

Lastly, I am mostly interested in early technology, but have a relationship going with a 1957 Corvette. Is the Pate Swap meet a good venue for that interest to find parts?

Al