Roy Merritt, the Head Geezer, indulges in some noise-making at the wheel of the Steve Carbone tribute car, a front-engined 1970s-style fuel dragster. It provided plenty of snap, crackle and pop as the staccato sound of the nitro engine ricocheted off the brick walls of Old Town buildings. Warming up a fueler with Merritt at the wheel is becoming something of a tradition at the Geezer Gathering.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
As a Dodge City resident for about 10 years, I couldn't pass up shooting a photo of this Model A's historic headlight bar adornment. The script underneath reads, `On Nation Old Trails.'
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Onlookers react as John Prather of El Dorado cracks the throttle on his 1936 vintage 60-horsepower Ford V-8 race car. It was slightly less ear-splitting than the Steve Carbone AA/FD that was fired up a few minutes before.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Carson McKeen's emerald green 1936 Ford pickup is billed as the X-Sedan, apparently having been created from a closed car. Whatever its origins, it is a fine piece of craftsmanship.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The south end of Rock Island was reserved for this display of super-nice Tri-Five Chevies, which drew appreciative onlookers all day.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Sweet and low, this 1950 Ford convertible is owned by Nikki Belford, whose husband, John, is one of the organizers of the Geezer Gathering. The slick ragtop was given to Nikki by her father when she was a teenager and is now in its third incarnation.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Art Sebastian's '68 Chevy stepside pickup provided an example of why these particular trucks are becoming more and more popular with hot rodders. They provide a great palette for automotive customizers.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Flathead dragster driver Whitey McDonald checks out a classic 1930s Ford flatbed truck. Suppose he was looking for the original power plant to soup up?
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Tim Hatfield's slick '39 Buick in deep, deep purple proved that fat-fendered beauty doesn't require a lot of chrome trim, or even bumpers.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Mac Knighton's jet black '37 Ford sported paint a mile deep, beautifully accented by its luxurious red upholstery. The stance was right on the mark, too.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Chris Cushman motored to Old Town in his gorgeous pewter-colored 1934 Plymouth coupe, an example of showroom-fresh perfection. The car was the focus of a Wheels page feature a couple of years back.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Last week's featured Wheels page vehicle, Dan Closson's 1928 vintage Chevy grain truck, proved how popular its patio umbrella can be at a gathering of car nuts. That's Dan fourth from the left, surrounded by appreciative buddies.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Gene Weaver steps out of his beautiful '32 Ford roadster as he arrives for the afternoon's Geezer get-together. That's Steve Corp riding shotgun.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Bob Kennedy of Derby recently finished his striking 1934 Ford 5-window coupe, powered by a 351 Ford V-8. Turned out in a period-correct green, it is set off perfectly by the yellow wire wheels.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Danny Lockett rumbled in on his '04 Yamaha Roadster in bright orange pearl metallic livery, looking for all the world like another brand of motorcycle. `Everybody thinks it's a Harley. It freaks a lot of the Harley guys out,' he chuckled.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Can you believe that a few years ago, the 1937 Ford was something of an `orphan car' among street rodders and customizers? Larry King's ultra-clean '37 underscores just what everyone was missing out on.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Terry Scroggin's brilliant red '32 Ford highboy roadster looked ready for the strip or the street with its chopped windshield, moon-style tank between the frame horns and its checkerboard firewall. The Hemi power plant didn't hurt the overall effect, either.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Bill Savage describes his ride as a `1936 rat rod,' so blame him if you don't like that term. The truck will boogey right along at 70 mph on the interstate, thanks to a little Mercury Capri V-6 engine and automatic transmission, he says.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A pair of legendary drag racers, `Kansas John Wiebe' fuel dragster driver on the right, wearing sunglasses, and Bob Riggle, who piloted the `Hemi Under Glass' wheelstander for decades, renew old acquaintances. Riggle just happened to be in town and heard about the Geezer Gathering, so he strolled over to check it out.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Gary Lefever's 1917 Model T touring car only cost $360 brand new. But it is loaded with more than 50 accessory items, such as the funky turn signal/stop/go dial mounted at the left rear. The presidential bumper sticker is pretty nifty, too.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Michael Behrendt's just-finished '34 Ford coupe created quite a buzz with its early '50s Olds engine and Oldsmobile instrument cluster. He had just fired the car up for a first road test and decided to bring it to the Geezer festivities. Look for a full Wheels page feature on this remarkable car soon.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Black and red make a striking combination on the clean, crisp lines of Harry Funke's nicely executed 1957 Chevy `post car.'
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The 2012 Geezer Gathering drew many of the best collector cars and trucks to Old Town for the annual get-together of Wichita area car lovers. As usual, there was no judging, no trophies, but plenty of good-natured razzing among attendees.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Jerry Parks is best known for his black 1931 Chevy coupe, but he recently shined up this 1953 Ford half-ton pickup and fixed up some mechanical issues so he could drive it to the Geezer event. `I've been taking some flak from the Chevy guys,' he admitted.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Jim Tabor's bright orange 1958 Corvette motored in from Haysville on one of the nicest days of the year for a car guy get-together. But just in case, he kept the top on the car.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Photos from Geezer Gatherings of years past were displayed on tables just inside the garage building where the organizers put on a massive feed for participants. Good memories, good food, good combination.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Something you don't see everyday, either on the street or at a car show: A nifty 1968 Ford Bronco in bright aqua trim, slammed down over drag-style wheels front and back. This one was piloted by E. Nelson of Maize.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
We never tracked down the owner of this mid-'30s Ford, but the vintage window sticker was intriguing, to say the least.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
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