When I think of a barn find I imagine a thick layer of dust coating worn faded paint, flat polyglas tires sunken into a dirt floor, and the distant stench of farm animals hanging in the air, but at the iconic Red Barns of Hickory Corners, Michigan you’ll find their buildings brimming with pristine originals, primped and polished restorations and high quality show cars of all kinds! You’ll find rare HEMI ‘Cudas, century old Dodge Brother’s sedans, and once a year, on the third weekend of July, hundreds of prestigious Mopar muscle cars sprawled across the estate!
Mopars at the Red Barns is a quiet little car show hosted annually at the Gilmore Car Museum in the peaceful town of Hickory Corners, Michigan. The Western Michigan Mopar club has assisted in arranging the event for decades and this year the show celebrated 31 years strong! I can remember my parents bringing me to this show waaay back some 15 years ago when I was a little girl, it was the first time I can recall seeing an E-body ‘Cuda in person (undoubtedly a life altering experience).
I’ll admit, I typically favor car events where the loud roar of drag racing echoes in the distance, the scent of smokey burnouts fills the air, and screeching fat tires hit the pavement as muscle car owner’s showboat while making their exit, but there is something enticing about the tranquility of Mopars at the Red Barns. A cool summer afternoon spent strolling through the never ending rows of automotive eye candy makes for the perfect family friendly environment that isn’t too loud or too wild to bring young ones. Nestled into the breathtaking property of the Gilmore Car Museum, the bright red barns, lush green grass, and vibrant blue skies make for a serene backdrop to the groups of glistening show cars. With hundreds of Mopar-only models filling the show field, participant judging, a swap meet, and the museum open to event participants it was easy to stay entertained and makes for the perfect family friendly Mopar event!
While the Gilmore Car Museum is open to the public year round, only in the summertime can you tour the several big red barns packed with automobiles of all kinds! So the museum isn’t Mopar specific, but it does host a plethora of early automotive manufacturers that are often forgotten such as Duesenberg, LaSalle, or Kaiser. To me, learning the history behind the early inventions in the automotive world is fascinating, but if you strictly favor the high impact colors, aggressive styling, and roaring engines that you can only get from Mopar muscle, don’t worry because the Gilmore car museum has that covered too. Pop over to their muscle car display flush with Plymouths and Dodges along with the unbelievably cool old school Chrysler advertisements and you’ll be in Mopar heaven!
Once you’ve scored some parts at the swap meet, toured the museum, and explored the show, the surrounding town of Hickory Corners fills with brightly colored, loudly rumbling Mopar muscle cars that cruise in convoys around the gorgeous lake side. So if you’re looking for a peaceful place to show off your car, learn more about automotive history, or share your love for cars with your family in a safe and soothing setting, join us next year for this calm little car show, the perfect escape for any Mopar fan!
