Show Calendar

I'm busy this summer -- the good kind of busy -- and have been attending all kinds of great car shows, toy shows, and comics shows, too.

Planning my weekend activities usually starts with a look at the Show Calendar section of Old Cars Weekly, Hemmings Motor News, or Toy Farmer magazines. And I've noticed a disturbing trend -- the calendar sections are smaller in the magazines than ever, as are their online counterparts.

It's tempting to suppose that there are fewer listings because fewer shows are being held, and it's true that many shows have disappeared from the hobbies. But I'm of a different opinion. I think that the current generation of show promoters doesn't know where to promote their shows. Perhaps they aren't tuned in to the magazines, or they assume that someone else will pass on the information, or they just don't understand how important it is to get the word out to hobbyists early. We can't attend your show if we don't know it's happening. And those Show Calendar listings are done by Old Cars Weekly and Toy Farmer for free. Hemmings will give you an online listing for free and a print listing up to 50 words for free.

Several local shows have already taken place in my neck of the woods that I never knew about. There were no listings in the car magazines and I didn't find anything in the local papers. I learned about one show because of a crude sign placed by a stop light at a busy intersection -- turns out the town was having a car show at a local park. They drew about 80 cars. They could have doubled that if they had sent notices to the magazines.

You don't need to be a show promoter to submit info to the magazines -- just send the show flyer with the event and contact information.

Here's where to send the info for car shows/cruise nights/related events:
Old Cars Weekly
Show Calendar
700 E. State St.
Iola, WI 54990
oldcars@krause.com

Hemmings Motor News
(800) 227-4373

For toy shows (I miss the calendar from Toy Shop, don't you?):
Toy Farmer
7496 106th Ave. SE
LaMoure, ND 58458-9404
(800) 533-8293
info@toyfarmer.com

And for comic book shows:
Comics Buyer's Guide
Show Calendar
700 E. State
Iola, WI 54990
showscalendar@krause.com