HCCA.org Tour Highlights : AirCapital Tour

Special thanks to
Roland Dickey, David Marshall, Joe and Linda Rieter
for providing us with these tour highlights

As far as giving a report on WRG events, I don’t know if I’m qualified to report on a tour that was as good as the 48th annual Air Cap Tour. I think Dan & Shelley Closson and their Co-sponsors Jerry & Kay Cass thought of just about everything that would make the tour enjoyable for everyone. I hope I can do as well in reporting on the tour as they did in putting it together. I had to make a last minute trip to Wichita on the Friday the festivities started and ended up missing the first 2 hours of the tour. The other tour participants had already toured the “William Allen White House” and the “Emporia Gazette” before we caught up with the tour at an antique store in down town Emporia. As luck would have it I found one of the “Prize Plugs” right off the get go, even before I knew that we were suppose to be looking for them

The next stop was at the “Bluestem Hardware Store”. This has to be one of the most complete and largest hardware stores I have ever been in, it is big enough to put both Wichita’s “Tractor Supply” stores in and maybe an “Atwoods” or two. I mean it was huge, if you needed it, this store probably had it. My kind of store.	Dan Closson, John Manifor and Steve Gordon checking out the antiques. Steve seems to be thinking, “I hope he doesn’t buy that baby buggy, I’d like to have it. I saw it first.”
David Marshall and Don Overstreet visiting in the Bluestem Hardware Store. I think Don was telling David, “My Model A had that Corvette for the first 5 feet then he got traction and he was gone.” Note that Don’s halo has slipped a little.	Diane Mann poses for the camera. Don’t think she bought the hat or the blouse, they would look nice on her don’t you think.
	The “Ice Cream” social that was the final event of the day. It was a pleasant surprise when we walked into the “Great Room” and were greeted by a local musical group playing some good ole blue grass music. We just happened to sit close to the “band stand” and enjoyed listening to the music and watching some of the children dance to the rhythm of the very good “Blue Grass” music.
Saturday morning got off to an early start as everyone was to be ready to line up at 7:45 for a drivers meeting. At 8:00 sharp we were on the road headed toward Elmdale on US 50 for our first pop stop. There was some concern about our old cars being on a busy highway so a Highway Patrolman was assigned to escort us for the first 30 miles of the tour. After we had pulled into the Elmdale Trading Post it was obvious that our enthusiasm for slower older cars wasn’t shared by all the truck drivers who seemed offended by us sharing their “Mexico Express” Highway. The Patrolman escorted us on to Cottonwood Falls, had lunch with us then parted company.	Dan Closson presents our Kansas State Trooper an award of appreciation helping keep us safe in the heavy truck traffic on that is always on US 50. I told the trooper, “Pretty clever getting us all in one spot to give us all tickets without having to chase us all down”.

Cottonwood Falls is in the heart of the beautiful “Flint Hills” which is part of the remaining 400,000 acres of native tall grass prairie that used to stretch through most of the central United States. Cottonwood Falls has played the gracious host to numerous events and continued this tradition by giving us the “Key to the City”. Main street was blocked off for our convenience to afford parking in front of the “Famous” Chase County Courthouse. This courthouse is probably one of the most photographed courthouses in Kansas and this Saturday was no exception as everyone with a camera used this opportunity to photograph their cars with the Chase County Courthouse in the background. Some of our group stayed with the cars and took pictures while others visited various shops, museums and attractions of an area rich in western traditions. A few were seen trying on “Cowboy hats” and eyeing fancy “Cowboy boots” and western style clothing. Lunch was served in the “Civic Center” in down town Cottonwood Falls, catered by Emma’s Café. The food was good and I never heard about anyone leaving hungry.

David Marshall and Phil Knighton visit with Scott Phillips at the rest stop at the Elmdale Trading Post. Scott & Diane Phillips 1912 Buick Roadster with its hood up.

Don & JoAnn Overstreet’s 1930 Model A and Joe & Linda Rieter’s 1928 REO parked with the rest of the cars in front of the “famous” Chase County Courthouse.

The next stop for most of us was the Rose and Kent Bacon’s “RK Ranch”, a few cars required “in route” adjustments on this stretch of the tour, I created a “road hazard” when I stopped to offer assistance and played catch up after I realized what I was doing. We finally spotted the last cars turning on the elusive “4 mile” road, next time I’ll read the directions and note that it was 16.3 miles from the last check point and not 4 miles, — just a “Freudian slip”, or senior moment on my part. As a general rule I read the directions only if everything else fails. I think it’s a man thing. The stop at the “BK Ranch” to me was one of the bright spots of this year’s tour. The visit was very informative in just about every aspect on how to run a modern day “cattle stocker” ranch. Everything from taking care of the land & grass, training their work animals to taking care of the medical needs of their livestock. I thought the poetry that Rose Bacon wrote about life on the Ranch and presented was great, the couple that own and operate the ranch were very innovative and talented and gave a very good presentation to our group. My grandfather was a cattle stocker in southern Meade County, KS and northern Oklahoma so it was interesting to me to note the changes in modern day techniques vs. the stories I heard about Grandpa’s methods that were used in his time

Rose & Kent Bacon owners of the RK Ranch gave a very good presentation about modern day ranching methods. Here they talk about training a Quarter Horse/Cutting Horse colt. Later they gave a demonstration how a cutting horse worked separating a calf from the herd.

After we got back onto scenic US 177 it didn’t take long to note that it was only “4 miles” to Council Grove. The stop in Council Grove was refreshing, the group was treated to some of the Hayes House’s famous home made ice cream and were allowed enough time to browse the antique stores on main street. After a brief pop stop in Americas, KS it was back on the road again for the final stop of the day at Bruff’s Steak House in Emporia for supper, ending a long 12 hour day of touring.

Sunday morning it was another early 7:45 line up. A 6:00 wake up is awful early for this ole cowboy but I managed to get the “T” oiled and greased and made it to the line up before the group left the motel. The first stop was in Hartford where we were treated to “French cream puff’s” in the Activity Center. Nice treat for those of us that loves French cream puff’s. One of the most unique hardware stores I’ve seen in a while opened up for us in Hartford. This place probably started out as a small home town hardware store and over time has expanded through access holes through the adjoining walls into the stores next door. This merchandise was packed in the store to the point where 2 people had trouble passing each other in the isles. Another interesting “Hardware Store” is the “Spott's Lumber yard in Ashland, KS. You’d have to see it to believe it. The pop stop NE of Burlington presented an excellent view of the “Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant”. Reminded me of the fabled Don Quixote and Poncho getting ready to assault the windmill. Jerry chose to assault the Power Plant with HCCA cars and the pop & trouble truck acting as a diversionary scout’s. Oh well, no one ever accused me of having a normal thinking process. I’m thinking Jerry abandoned the idea for lack of a lance.

The modern day Don Quixote’s of the HCCA line up for an imaginary assault on the Wolf Creek Nuclear power plant. By the time the rest stop was over I’m thinking it was too close to dinner time for the assault and as everyone is aware “We are eaters not fighters.” Maybe next time.

The next stop was the Burlington Historical Society Museum. It was a nicely laid out museum, it had an area set aside for the children to play dress up in older grown up clothes, an area set aside for reading and of course the museum.	You can say what you want, but there is some pretty serious goings on here as Kendall Phillips, from Tulsa, OK, Sierra LeFever from Wichita, KS and one of the Hedagaard girls from Underwood, IA. play dress up in the Burlington Historical Society Museum.
Joe Stout taking Ron & Linda Consolvers picture before lunch	Gary LeFever and Richard Mann appear to be wishing someone would go out and bring their cars up to the door. It’s a long way out there after a big meal at Pat’s Pig BBQ in Burlington.

The closing banquet was in the Banquet Room in the Best Western Motel. We were pleased to see Dan & Willa Daniels and Jack & Norma Clutter from the Wichita Regional Group drive up to Emporia and joined us for the closing Banquet The Banquet, like everything else on this years Air Cap Tour was very well planned out. A musical ensemble would play for a while then Dan Closson would make announcements, there was more music and then prizes were handed out and so it went for the rest of the evening. Gary LeFever won the “Golden Spike” award for running over a roofing nail at the motel and blowing out a tube. (tire survived, tube beyond repair) Gary & Trish Cleveland’s 1929 Chrysler Series 75 won the Post 16 “Best in Show” award, Jim and Jo Maxwell’s 1912 Maxwell Touring won the Pre 16 “Best in Show” award. John & Cheryl Manifor got the “Come the Farthest” Award. Scott, Diane and Kendall Phillips from Tulsa won the “President’s” newest HCCA Member Award. I was told later that Kendall, their 2 year old thought it was her award and insisted on sleeping with it. After all she is the newest member of the club.

Gary & Trish Cleveland’s 1929 Chrysler Series 75 won the Post 16 “Best in Show” Award.	Jim & Jo Maxwell's 1912 Maxwell Touring won the Pre 16 "Best in Show" Award.
Gary & Trish Cleveland’s 1929 Chrysler Series 75 winner of the Post 16 “Best in Show” Award.	Jim & Jo Maxwell’s 1912 Maxwell Touring winner of the pre '16 "Best in Show" Award
Dan Closson presents the “Golden Spike” to Gary LeFever for his flat tire in the motel parking lot	WRG President David Marshall presents from left to right “Newest HCCA Member” award to young Kendall, Scott and Diane Phillips who recently joined the Tulsa Regional Group