The Spring Carlisle Collector Car Swap Meet, Corral, & Auction is held each year in Carlisle, PA. For 35 years this has been the place to go on the East Coast to hunt for that elusive part and to just get out of the house. This year I was flying solo. And, I didn’t really have anything I was shopping for but I still had a good time!
The great thing about Carlisle is that you can just walk the acres of vendors and just BS with everyone. People watching should be a sport at these gatherings. If you are looking for a new vehicle you may just get lucky here. You can find everything to fully restored ‘55 T-birds to rusty old ‘62 Ford F250 “Wanna-Be Mater” Wreckers.
I think the best time I had this year was chatting with Jeff Mihalko of Restoration Specialties. Jeff runs the Minibike Division at the shop. He also organizes the Minibike Reunion in Windber, PA. This year the reunion will be held on June 15-17.
I always tend to gravitate to the weirder items for sale at Carlisle but another favorite is more flair for Bubba’s Garage. You can always find original items but reproductions are much cheaper and look almost as good!
If you have never been to Carlisle here are a few tips for you. Arrive early since parking is a bear. It is better to go during the week because many vendors leave early on Saturday. Pace yourself; the Carlisle Fairgrounds are huge! Bring a cart or something to put your goodies in. And most importantly, wear good shoes.
Fall Carlisle is October 3-7, 2012.