Start ‘Em Young: The Next Generation’s Point of View at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals

Back in August we packed up one of our Detroit Bureau unpaid interns and headed off to Corvettes at Carlisle. While initially not quite sure if we could keep elementary school aged eyes occupied all weekend, we quickly found out that there’s more than enough activity at Carlisle to keep the younger crowd occupied for days.

Now we’re off to the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN) with our intern in tow once again. We’ve been attending MCACN since 2010 and the 2018 event there is really what put the next generation topic on our car show radar. MCACN was the first event where we noticed a real push to get the younger crowd engaged in the show and what ultimately evolved into our Carlisle piece last August.

As the weekend before Thanksgiving approached, I floated the offer out to our now semi-famous intern to tag along. After some thought and the realization that he’d miss a day of school, he was all in (just like we figured).

We rolled out early Friday morning and arrived at the show late afternoon during peak activity for show setup. We were eager for him to get a behind the scenes look at what it takes to put together one of the premiere shows in the country. Immediately he was amazed by the flurry of trucks and trailers moving though “the chute”. It became a game of “guess what’s in the trailer”. Like Carlisle, he loved the cars in motion. The setup days at MCACN provide ample opportunity to see rare classics moving about with exhausts booming off the convention center walls. As we wandered the floor, we also encountered another Carlisle phenomenon – owners allowing him to sit in their cars. By the end of the weekend, I think he had more seat time in some cars than some of the owners did. After a couple hours taking it all in, we headed back to the hotel for dinner and to rest up for the busy Saturday ahead.

MCACN has numerous things to occupy the younger crowd. The muscle bikes, minibikes, and custom go karts were the first things to catch our intern’s eye. He studied all the chrome wheels, sparkling metal flake paint, and banana seats theorizing what he’d do on a bike like that. He also loved the minibikes as well. Almost immediately pointing out to yours truly (read: Dad) that several were for sale and that Christmas was quickly approaching.

A pair of custom go karts sat adjacent to the to the bikes. Again, he studied each one noting all the chrome and pontificating about how fast they might go. From there, one of the many vendor tables caught his eye. The hunt for more Hot Wheels and model cars was on. With a stack of birthday cash burning a hole in his pocket, he carefully investigated each seller’s offerings before settling on 2 new additions to his mini garage.

With the Hot Wheels accounted for we headed over the model car “make and take”. This is one of the neatest kids features at MCACN. Here kids can build a model car for free and take it home with them. After an hour or so of assembly, he had a bright red 1969 Dodge Charger to show for his efforts.

Next, we moved on to the kid’s scavenger hunt. This is where the kids are given a sheet with several vendors, shops, or sponsors shown on it. The kids search the show floor for each display acquiring stamps and souvenirs along the way. The scavenger hunt was a blast. He was greeted with enthusiastic smiles at each stop. His smile was equally as big as he received everything from posters, toy cars, and more at each booth. Shout out to Reliable Carriers who tossed in a brand-new hat to replace the well-used one he picked up at MCACN 5 years ago.

The highlight of our young padawan’s weekend was the Youth Judging program sponsored by our friends at NCM Insurance. This great program allows kids to judge actual cars while learning about them, their various features, and rich history. Each kiddo receives a judging sheet, a clipboard, a shirt, and more before heading out to the cars. The curious crew of 10 or so kiddos evaluated 4 cars including a W30 Olds 442, a 1970 Superbird, a former Warren Johnson pro stock dragster, and finished with a cool Mopar over in the High School reunion display. It was neat to watch the mini judges study each machine, ask questions, and do their scoring. We want to give special thanks to Dave Goss and the other owners for sharing their cars with the next generation.

After the youth judging completed, we finally had time to wander the show floor. He loved the wild Mopar colors and the Ford XL100 drag truck parked up front. Every car at MCACN has a story and we could see him starting to focus on the cars’ signs noting their 1-of-X status. A couple of cutaway engine displays caught his eye as well. He loves seeing how engines and transmissions work. We also put him to work taking some of the photos you’ve seen here over the last couple of weeks.

Sunday, we had limited time at the show in the morning before heading back to the Detroit Bureau HQ. This time we let the intern lead us through the show. Just like a seasoned car show veteran he led us around to some of his favorite cars and, of course, through several of the vendors again in search of more Hot Wheels or who knows what else. Finally, before heading out, we stopped by the classic guitar display and ran some hot laps on the slot car track in the Auto World booth.

As you can see there’s plenty of things to keep the younger crowd occupied at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals. Kids under 12 always get in free and have plenty to catch their eye. We need the next generation to keep our hobby going and the MCACN team welcomes them with open arms. Again, we appreciate the owners who step up and allow the young ones to sit in their cars and share details about their rides. We know many memories were made at the 2024 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals.

Source:
Photos by Steve Burns

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Start ’em Young: The Next Generation’s Point of View at Corvettes at Carlisle

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