Chattanooga Times Free Press - ChattanoogaNow
Mo’ fun, mo’ cars: It’s Moparty
Three years ago, brothers Ken and Rick Meredith founded a cruise- in for Dodge, Plymouth and Chrysler enthusiasts.
They call ed it t he South East Moparty Picnic. “Mopar,” a mash- up of motor and parts, is the parts division of Dodge, Plymouth and Chrysler.
“Back in the day, you bought parts for your Plymouth and they were mopar parts,” Ken Meredith explains.
Think muscle cars, a ‘70 Hemi Barracuda, ‘62 Ram Charger or the 1971 Hemi ‘Cuda Plymouth convertible Don Johnson drove when he played San Francisco cop Nash Bridges.
Last year, its second event, South East Moparty Picnic drew 303 cars and 3,000 folks — a big enough crowd that Ken Meredith says they started looking for a bigger venue. Although Meredith lost brother Rick to cancer, he is continuing the car show in memory of his brother.
“Our whole lives we’ve been big Chrysler Plymouth fans,” says Meredith. “We started out advertising in local magazines and passed out fliers for this event. We talked to local car clubs. Now I’m advertising in national magazines and we made a website this year.”
Moparty will take place Friday and Saturday, May 12-13, at Camp Jordan.
“Thi s ye a r, we’ r e expecting 1,000 cars and 6,000 to 7,000 people,” says Meredith. “The thing has turned into a really big event. You can expect to see old ’ 60s muscle cars, restored cars, new Chargers, a mix of anything the Chrysler Corp. has built.”
Registration will be held at Camp Jordan from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, May 12. Those who get there early can participate in a noon cruise to Coker Tire in downtown Chattanooga for a tour of Coker Tire Museum.
From 4 to 10 p. m. Friday there will be racing at Brainerd Motorsport Park, 745 Scruggs Road in Ringgold, Ga. Eight Super Stock Mopars have been invited to race. Legends such as Doug Duell, Herb McCandless, Mike Buckle and Dick Jones will be on hand.
The Moparty Picnic takes place Saturday, May 13, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Camp Jordan, 323 Camp Jordan Parkway in East Ridge. Mopar owners and fans are invited to come check out the cars on display at the cruise- in and browse vendors booths.
Meredith says just 1,000 tickets are being sold for t he picnic’s barbecue lunch. They are $10 apiece and must be purchased in advance; no walk-ups will be accepted.
“Tickets can be bought online at www. moparty picnic.com or they can be bought Friday at Camp Jordan,” says Meredith.
“Saturday, you pay $10 to park and hang out with other enthusiasts. But you don’t have to be a mopar fan to come; we even have a section called Friends’ Vehicles for other brands to be displayed.”