Wisconsin Model A Ford Club celebrates 50 years

The Wisconsin Chapter of the Model A Ford Club of America will celebrate a half century in the old car hobby Feb. 22 with its 50th Annual Greater Milwaukee Indoor Winter Swap Meet, one of the Midwest’s largest indoor swap gatherings and a fixture for Model A enthusiasts in the region.

According to organizers, the event is Wisconsin’s largest and longest-running indoor automotive swap meet. It features 44,000 square feet and 215 swap spaces at the Washington County Fairgrounds in West Bend, Wis., plus a 7,500-square foot area that will house the bicycle swap meet that is held in conjunction with the auto swap meet.

“We’ve got a long history in this hobby,” noted Dave Boucher, one of the event’s organizers and a member of the Wisconsin Chapter for the past 42 years. “The club was actually started in 1956 by a small group of Model A enthusiasts. Then in 1957 they joined the California group – the Model A Ford Club of America – because they were so well organized … They held their first swap meet in 1965.”

The event has moved around to several locations over the years, including the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds in West Allis, before settling in at the Washington County location about 10 years ago.

“It’s heated indoors, there’s free parking and you can find parts for any make model or year of vehicle, it’s not just for Model A’s,” Boucher noted. “We try not to play up that it’s a Model A meet. The small-block Chevy and Ford guys, those are most of our vendors. You can find parts for every kind of car. And it’s a good break for cabin fever.”

The show runs from 8 a.m to 2 p.m. Admission is $6 with children 12-under free. For information, contact Sue Quam at 414-491-3260.