Thousands of classics coming to old air base

By RICK MINTER / rminter@ajc.com

Classic car lovers from throughout the Eastern United States will be descending on an old air base in Moultrie next week for the 32nd annual Moultrie automotive swap meet. Twice a year, Spence Field, the old air base that was used to train pilots for World War II and the Korean War, is transformed into a giant garage sale for automobile aficionados. The three-day event, from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, is billed as the "South's Largest Automotive Swap Meet."

The January show usually is somewhat smaller than a similar event in November but still attracts enough vendors to fill 3,000 to 4,000 spaces, and there are about 1,700 cars for sale in the car corral. It's about a four-mile walk just to traverse all the aisles of displays, but about 30,000 visitors will do just that, according to show promoter Jerry Kelley. It's a far cry from the early shows, which were Ford-only events held inside a single building in Nashville, Ga.

Soon the early shows outgrew the 100,000-square-foot building, and displays were moved outside. Still it kept growing, which led to the move to Moultrie.

"I got the opportunity to get Spence Field, which at 1,600 acres can accommodate most anything," Kelley said. "We have over 50 acres of asphalt and concrete, which is a tremendous plus, especially if it were to rain!' A difference this year is that the show will run Thursday through Saturday instead of Friday through Sunday as in previous years. Kelley said the change was made because visitors to past shows expressed dismay on Sundays over the early exit of some vendors.

"I don't know how that's going to impact the event," Kelley said. "There's some worry among vendors that Thursday won't be a good buyer's day, but I didn't feel comfortable with people coming in the gates on Sunday and being disappointed"

Kelley expects buyers to be happy with this year's offerings. He said that from what he's seen, including results of the Barrett-Jackson auction in Arizona and sales at his own GM dealership, it'll be a buyer's market.

"People follow trends, and when they see the economy looking somewhat weak, people back away from buying these cars, when the truth is that now is the time to buy," he said. Mike Higginbotham, who operates Mike's Trailer Hitches and Accessories in Riverdale, has been attending the swap meets since the shows were held in Nashville.

He, his brother Phillip and a group of friends usually make the trip in a motorhome. "It's a good swap meet," Higginbotham said. "It's laid out well, easy to get to." Higginbotham agrees with Kelley that it will be somewhat of a buyer's market. "The market's not going to fall out, it's just tapered off just a little bit," he said. The show is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Admission is $10 for adults, free to children under 12, and a three-day pass is $25. For more information, visit www.moultrieswapmeet.com.