AT THE SHOW: Parkville shows its hospitality in final car cruise of the year
In the first hour of the final Parkville cruise of the year on Sept. 5, a steady stream of people walked up to Chris Wedd’s 1912 Model T Hearse and asked him about it.
Wedd, who is from the Northland, happily explained the origin of it. He was no different from many others who brought their cars to the rustic Parkville area that is near shops and restaurants.
Owners of unique and classic cars talked cars and watched as people snapped pictures.
“It is a nice, convenient show,” Wedd said. “It is low key. It is real easy to get to. It is a nice setting. It is a good cruise.”
From April to September with the exception of July, the area around the Famers Market is filled with car enthusiasts on the first Saturday of each month.
Many who come are from the Parkville area. But the cruise also attracts people from Bonner Springs, Overland Park, Leavenworth and other cities in the Kansas City area. The cruise is put on by the Main Street Parkville Association.
“There are plenty of parking spaces,” said Genevra Boucher, one of the volunteers of the cruise. “They can wander around here in the small town of Parkville and eat and shop.”
Like most of the other cruises in the Kansas City area, there are cars that are unique, like Wedd’s 1912 Model T Hearse. The stories behind the cars are usually fascinating.
Wedd bought the Model T more than 20 years ago.
“I couldn’t find an original body so I had to build it,” Wedd said. “It is all wood, mostly ash. It is what they usually used back then. The inside is paneled in mahogany.”
Wedd started working on it in 1993. It wasn’t until 2006 that it finally hit the road.
“I never lost interest in it,” Wedd said. “Every year I’d do something to it, whether it is upgrade this or upgrade that. A friend of mine is sewing some curtains for me, swag curtains. It is going to be real nice. It will look like a Victorian living room, I hope.”
These stories were easy to find at the Parkville cruise. David Sly, from Kansas City, showed up in his daily driver. He has been coming to the Parkville cruise for years.
“I like the surroundings,” Sly said. “You have Park University up there. We are by the river. There are a lot of nice people. It is my area. I know a lot of people where I grew up.”
Sly also likes it because it is smaller than some of the bigger cruises around Kansas City.
“You can see all the cars,” Sly said. “It was very well supported by Parkville and the merchants. It is embraced. We eat here and they are very appreciative of our business.”
Do you have a car cruise or a car show you would like to see featured in At The Show? If you do, email your idea to David Boyce at Drive@kcstar.com
This story was originally published September 11, 2015 at 7:04 PM with the headline "AT THE SHOW: Parkville shows its hospitality in final car cruise of the year."