THE 12TH ANNUAL BOONESBOROUGH BOOGIE NATIONALS - "A SEA OF DETROIT IRON "
By Shaun Smith
Assistant Publisher
Welcome to the Boonesborough Boogie Nationals, where anything goes. Anything and everything in any size, shape, and color seemed to show up at the 12th Annual Boonesborough Boogie Nationals held on Oct. 12-14.
Located in the heart of Kentucky is the Boonesborough National Forest, where one of the state’s finest and most exciting car shows takes place. Just outside of Lexington, the “Boogie Nationals” is a show that continues to grow each and every year.
“We wanted to come up with a catchy name like the Frog Follies, so we created ‘The Boogie Nationals’ to give it some flare,” said Art Bigelow, Vice President of the Southern Knights of Central Kentucky.
Held at the Fort Boonesborough National State Park, it is the perfect weekend getaway. And, if you have a family, it is a great weekend filled with fun.All weekend long games were played like the Poker Run, bubble gum chewing contest, a habenero pepper-eating contest, and even a shaving-cream-cheese-puff beard contest! Barrels of fun and laughter echoed out through the Boonesborough National Forest all weekend long.
If you have never been to this part of the country before, it is absolutely beautiful in the mountains. And, you can’t beat the southern hospitality--they are some of the nicest people you will ever meet.
Around 915 cars poured into the Boogie Nationals this year. Everything seemed to show up this year including: classics, antiques, street rods, muscle cars, fire trucks, rat rods, motorcycles, dune buggies, mopeds, pickup trucks, police cars, tractors, and I believe I even saw an airplane flying above the park, but he couldn’t find a spot to land because the place was packed!
“Look out there, what do you see Shaun?” asked Bigelow. “A sea of Detroit Iron, that’s what I see!” A sea of Detroit iron is exactly what showed up this year, and it was a mighty fine spectacle that proves that this hobby is not only growing, but everyone is getting more creative and crazy by the minute!
Every year, the Southern Knights of Central Kentucky donate funds from their shows to the Ronald McDonald House, and so far, they have generated over $116,000. Last year, they raised $8,000 at their show!
What makes this show so great is all of the fun involved with it. The Poker Run on Friday was a blast, as everyone competed for the best hand by picking up a card at five different locations. Several of us caught confused with the little town of Red House, located a just a few miles from the park. Red House is a very small town, and we were supposed to pick up a card from the Red House Church. Of course, we didn’t read the fine line that it was the Red House “United” Church. I think we wasted 25 minutes waiting at the Red House “Baptist” Church! Who would have known that there were two churches with very similar names in a small town like Red House?!
All weekend long, Charlie Napier (The DJ to the Cars) played great music and hosted some great interviews with the vendors of the show. Napier hosts a website, www.KentuckyCarShows.com where you can visit to find out when and where shows are going on in the state of Kentucky. You can also see photos of past events and tune into 1460AM to hear some oldies music! Great job Charlie!
My Car Show Reps (C.T. Greenlief and Jimmy McClain) and I were amazed at the unique and diverse collection of vehicles that made an appearance at this show. If you want to see some of the most unique and rare vehicles on the planet, you need to go to the Boonesborough Boogie Nationals!
There seemed to be a huge following of Corvettes, Mustangs, Camaros that poured into the show. There were Mopars galore! And, as usual, the rat rods infested the show with an intoxicating wrath that gave this show the “spice-hot flare” of craziness!
The U.S. Veterans were honored on Sunday as Napier blasted some good ‘ole American tunes in their honor.
Saturday evening featured a chili picnic beside under one of the park’s pavilions. One thing, if you have never tried Kentucky chili before, you need to. It is quite different. Kentuckians actually put noodles in their chili, which gives it a unique but awesome taste!
All weekend long, food vendors whipped up some really incredible meals for the 8,000-plus folks who attended the show. It was some of the best food I’ve ever tasted! Everything from biscuits and gravy to baby back ribs were served. And, it was all very modestly priced. You don’t get that kind of good southern-cookin’ at any ordinary show, that’s for sure!
In 1996, the first year the Southern Knights of Central Kentucky hosted this event, they lost money. “We were $1.97 in the black,” Bigelow stated. “Now, look at us. The numbers speak for themselves and it’s all for a good cause.”
You’ll never meet a more big-hearted guy than Art Bigelow. He is a world of fun and he really cares for everyone.
The winners of the Poker Run were (from 1st Place to 5th Place): Scott Wash ($100), Scott Leigh ($75), Lynn Shields ($40), Bethany Clouse ($25), and Charlie Gardner ($10).
All in all, this was one heck of a weekend filled with great cars, good clean fun, and some great new friends were made along the way.
We would like to personally thank Chuck Tingle, President of the Southern Knights along with Art Bigelow and the entire club for their support and everything they did for us. We really appreciated everything!
The Southern Knights also host a Saturday cruise that is a great place to show your car and have some great fun.
The 13th Annual Boonesborough Boogie Nationals will be held on Oct. 10-12, 2008 at Fort Boonesborough State Park.
If you are interested in attending next year’s show or would be interested in becoming a member of the Southern Knights, please contact Art Bigelow at 502-863-3960 or visit www.southernknightsofcentralkentucky.com.
If you would like more information about Kentucky Car Shows or would like to speak to Charlie Napier, The DJ to the Cars, visit www.kentuckycarshows.com.
For more information on car shows, visit our website at www. Auto-Roundup.com.
If you would like extra copies of this issue, please call 304-884-7799, Ext. 1#.
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