Iowa Sate Fair Grounds in Desmoines This Sunday March 17th All Vendor spaces are filled so should be a good one. A little bit of everything, cl***ic car / truck parts, drag race parts, roundy round parts, tools, memorabilia. $7.00 bucks to get in which is a bargain.
I've been going to this meet since the mid 80's when it was in Cedar Falls. My question is, how can Wade still be Wild? I've never met Wade, but doing the math, after 43 shows I'd guess he's gotta be at least in his 70's, maybe 80's. Wouldn't a more accurate name be "Mild Wade's"?
This is Wild Wade and he's in his Mid 60's now. Hey, I'm just a s wild as I use to be, just a bit crustier looking on the outside.
Here is some of his history and how he got the name Wild Wade's on line. " Who is Wild Wade Thanks again to everyone and hope to see you at the next Wild Wade event. In 1979, after 4 years of racing 69 Camaros and a A/D at the dragstrip, I wondered why there wasn't a winter swap meet for racers to sell and trade used parts. There was plenty of summer meets, but of course that was during racing season. So I rented the 4 year old UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and advertised it as Wild Wades High Performance Swap Meet. ( I was only 22 years old and I must thank Calvin Voss for labeling me with the name Wild Wade). I had a car show with 77 cars and 32 vendors with 1105 people in attendance paying $2.00 to get in. Now after 26 years it has grown to a 120,000 sq. foot building in Des Moines, Iowa, with over 250 vendors and 5,000 people in attendance. There are Drag and Stock Car Tracks on display, Speed shops, Manufacturers, and a ton of parts to buy, sell, or trade. It has become a good mix of all motorsports and well known for the large amount of engines and engine parts some buy for the whole season there! I have done as many as 7 swap meets in one year. Spring and Fall in Cedar Rapids, Rock Island, Des Moines, and the UNI-Dome with trying one year in Austin, MN. I have a total of 80 swap meets under my belt. After many good years at the UNI-Dome, I out grew the building and was always at their mercy on a date each year. I decided to move it to the newly remodeled Varied Ind. Bldg. at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. This allows me a larger space and the ability to have the same date each year. After the World of Wheels left, I have done 2 car shows there. Unfortunately after 2 years of losing money, I am putting it on hold until I find a sponsor. So thanks to all my vendors, most are like seeing family each year with kids growing up before our eyes. Some call the HP Swap meet their winter get away and do a lot of bench racing. No matter what, its just a great event to help get pumped up for the upcoming race season and buy and sell some parts. Thanks again to everyone and hope to see you at the next Wild"
Just a note.........There has been a lot of talk about the declining attendance at many shows and meets since we went thru Covid. Last weekend I attended the annual Swap Meet at the Louisville Fair Grounds and attendance was great. I was talking with a friend of mine who works at the swap meet each year helping with info and stuff. He looked at me and said "Boy, the attendance is really good this year". I figured as much as the huge parking lot was packed and it took a while to get lucky and find a decent parking spot. So, my point in posting this is to suggest that maybe the swap meets are recovering and all the procrastinators should get going again. Hope the Wild Wade is a roaring success as well..........
Just got home. As stated lots of people and vendors. Took me a couple hours to get through. Seemed a mix of race stuff and "current motor" ( sbc, LS, etc). I saw one complete merc flathead and a few odds and ends for sale but not much from that era otherwise. Good to get out and see what people had.
It was a good show. More auto parts than t-shirts and crafts which make it a win in my book. Picked up a couple things I needed for different projects. Zoomies for my boat project and a trans shield for the 700R4. There were locals looking to move personal equipment and Vendors who could service both modern OT stuff to our vintage needs. Sourced a radiator for the 51 and possibly a 9" for the rear of the 51 if I don't like how the 10 bolt works out. Might have ran into a couple members at one of the club tables. Lots of good info available for clubs, tracks and activities.
The Jalopy Journal
