Summer in Wichita ushers in the Car Show Capital - Wichita Eagle
On just about every spring or summer weekend, the Air Capital of the World becomes the Car Show Capital. Businesses, churches, charitable causes, clubs and informal groups of car buddies host annual shows and weekly gatherings in parking lots across the Wichita region to show off antique, classic, custom and newer cars. Big annual shows like the gathering at Lake Afton and the Automobilia production in downtown Wichita have been drawing thousands of people for years. A popular gathering at Central and West Street on Friday nights is a prime example of the phenomenon. That first evening, 30 cars gathered, then about 100 the next week, “and it just grew from there, just word of mouth,” Wagoner said. On a recent night with “super-nice weather,” he counted 300 cars at one time or another. A typical number is 150 to 175. The gathering is free, begins around 5 to 5:30 p. m. and ends at 10 every Friday night usually between April and October. Some people stay five minutes, others five hours. Car people “are super wonderful people. The Central and West gathering was easier to oversee when it was only 30 cars, but for the most part people are respectful, Wagoner said. Sometimes he has to ask people to keep their cars out of the fire lanes or not to spin their tires. Source: www.kansas.com
