300 vendors expected at fairgrounds for antique automobile swap meet

In this file photo from May 5, 2016, Joe Arneson, of Lawrence, wipes down a sign in preparation for the annual Lawrence Region Antique Auto Club of America Swap Meet at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.

The Lawrence Antique Auto Club will have its 54th annual swap meet Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.

Joe Arneson, the club’s swap meet chairman, said the meet, which will occupy the entire fairgrounds for the weekend, would officially open to the public at noon Friday and continue through 10 p.m. About 300 vendors are expected and will be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 6 a.m. to noon Sunday. Parking is $5, but there is no charge for the meet itself.

The expected 8,000 to 10,000 people expected to attend the swap meet will find vendors offering antique car parts, specialty tools and services and antique cars in various stages of restoration, Arneson said. Douglas County 4-H clubs will offer food and drinks in various fairground buildings, he said.

“Any kind of antique automobile you have you might find a part for it,” Arneson said. “You might find the antique vehicle you want in our car corral. We will have a 1957 Chevrolet that needs a ground-up restoration. Those are real popular.”