Car parts and tools are the featured items at the Swap Meet however, you do come across antiques, collectibles and other long lost treasures.
By Kari Strunk
Contributor

Come the first weekend in October do you know where you will be?  I can answer that question the same as I have for numerous years.  I will be at the Pumpkin Run Nationals car show. The Fastiques Rod & Custom car club hosts the show at the Clermont County Fairgrounds right in our backyard in the quaint town of Owensville. The local hot rodders of the Fastiques pour out their hearts and souls on a volunteer basis to make this show a success year after year.  This year marks the 40th annual event which will show 1970 or older vehicles.   The number of registered cars has numbered well above 2500 in years past! 

This year marks the 40th annual Pumpkin Run Nationals and it should prove to be even larger than ever! With an average of over 2500 cars each year, if the weather holds it should be a record breaker!
There is much more to do this weekend than just checking out the classic cars. On Friday night, there will be a dance contest with J.D. Hughes Celebrity DJ.  Saturday night will feature a bean supper and the local cover band, Saffire Express, will perform some toe-tappin’ tunes.  On Sunday there will be a model car contest with trophies to be awarded. There will also be valve cover races and hot wheel drag races.  Each day there will also be a split-the-pot. In past years, the take-home winnings have been over $10,000.  The main benefactor of proceeds is the Shriner’s Hospital for Children.  For you ladies out there, a “Women’s World” indoor shopping area offers many hand-made items, bakery goods, jewelry, crafts, and much more.  Clermont Pets Alive will have adorable canines on hand that are in need of homes.  There are numerous scrumptious choices for food and desserts. As you can tell, this is not your average car show. 

All weekend long you can browse the swap meet aisles.  If you haven’t experienced a swap meet, let me explain. Basically, it’s a large yard sale focusing on the sale of car parts and tools.  However, you do come across antiques, collectibles and other long lost treasures.  So even if you aren’t a car buff, come stroll the aisles with some cash on hand. You just might find that obscure item you didn’t know you couldn’t live without. The indoor/outdoor swap meet is the place to find that needed one-off part or the ever desired gas sign to hang proudly in the garage.  There’s always room for one more sign – at least that’s what my husband tells me.  Also featured in the swap meet area are local businesses such as Highley Hot Rods, Dropped Axle Productions and Queen City Fab.  These local businesses along with many others offer a broad range of your hot rod needs.

If a classic car hasn’t been out of its garage up ‘til this point, you better bet it’ll be out for this show as it’s the final show of the year.  It’s surprising what emerges from the deep dark depths of some garages.  Sometimes you hear all this talk about a car and when it finally sees the light of day, you know someone has been hard at work all year round.

If you’d like to register your car before September 21st, there is a pre-entry fee of $30. This nominal fee includes admission for 2 adults and one show t-shirt.  If you enter the day of the show, the $30 fee still gets in 2 adults, but sorry – no shirt.  Did I mention that each registered car or truck will receive a ticket for the grand prize drawing?  This year you could walk away with a ‘40 Willys coupe!  I ask the same question every year – will it be sitting on our trailer at the end of the show?  Wouldn’t that be a nice souvenir?  But it hasn’t yet happened.  Notice, I say “yet”.  If you just want to come and check out the show, the admission is $8 and children under 12 are free.

So I hope you’ll join me the first weekend in October. Until then, keep dreaming, building and more importantly…cruisin’.

For more information, visit pumpkinrunnationals.com.