Is Mopars in the Park dead?

Good afternoon everyone
So for the first time ever, I took my Cuda to Mopars In the Park. When I arrived Saturday and Sunday, I noticed the amount of cars are way down. Even the swap meet was pretty low.
I'm wondering what the deal is? I remember this show being packed and alot of different cars would show up. Now it seems packed with late models and it resembles a Dodge dealership.

Are people just not showing their cars anymore

Single make shows and clubs seem to be on the slow slide down. Our Mopars Unlimited Club died years ago. Turnout declined and then that was that. All makes shows with a low, or no entry fee at all, and a relaxed atmosphere are the only ones we have left that are still able to draw a lot of cars consistently. The high $$$ value of some of the older cars is definitely causing people to leave them tucked away, and some of the most valuable ones are being trailered to and from shows instead of being driven. I get that to a point as traffic is full of cell phone zombies who drive with no respect towards others.

It's not just Mopar guys either. Many people who own a vintage Mustang or Vette also own a new one and drive the new one instead. I don't understand why you would want to drive a basically stock contemporary muscle car to a weekend car show when you have an old one sitting at home. It's never going to get any real attention like the old ones do that is for sure.

I think that the value of the older cars is one of the main reasons.
If you're lucky you will see them at local shows, but they don't want to put miles and wear and tear on their investment.
It's no longer just a car to go out and have fun driving.

^^^^ This ^^^^ Not to mention the mall parking lot zombies, again on cell phones.

That sucks big time. Everyone should be out driving or even flogging their cars. This investment crap is killing the hobby and the future interest in these cars. I am bummed to see people are so afraid and uptight to drive their cars because of possibly devaluing a "investment". Have good insurance and enjoy your car....we only get one go at it.

I brought my GTX to the show. I thought there was a very nice turn out. It was just plain HOT temp wise and seamed that a lot of people pulled out early in the day instead of hanging around. The rain didn't help either.

I think the forecast for rain every day didn’t help. Once again, the weatherman blew it…

I think it's a very well-run show. I also think it great that they keep the modern cars away from the true Mopar's. If I want to look at new cars, I'll look at the overpriced crap I've got sitting in my driveway, lol. Or I'll tour a car lot. I go to car shows to look at vintage iron and it's fantastic that the good folks that run Mopar's in the park keep them separate!!!!!!

Saw your car and man that car keeps looking great. Contuines to be one of my favorites. I'm glad you still have it. Still got the Packard?

I just remember the classes having more cars. I also remember the swaps being more packed with vendors. I just was bummed I missed my time because I recently got my car going and made it "presentable" to bring to a show

Oh I have ZERO problems with the show itself and I enjoy the show every year
They do a great job on keeping the new stuff separate (except the survivors barn). I called the new car area "Fury Dodge overflow lot". I was just concerned this was a downward trend for this show as I look forward to it every year. This was the first year I was able to bring my car.

I always want to go but, it is a fairly long drive now that they moved it further north .. Maybe next year

I totally disagree. It's not solely "devaluing an investment". I do not, and never will have, any "investment quality" cars. But I am out for a Sunday drive in my '69 Dart and some youngster texting one of her friends about her latest personal calamity blows a red light and crumples my front end. What do I do now? Sometimes it's not a question of "devaluing' something as much as "how am I going to fix this?" Look at AMD, dropping Mopar sheet metal left and right. Where am I going to find parts? Oh yeah, I'll have insurance so now I have a check with nothing to spend it on. It'll be back to the 80's for parts....only those parts cars don't exist any more. I did own a '70 Superbird at one time and sold it with one of the primary reasons being if I drove it and get in an accident, where do I turn to fix it?

As far as flogging a car, I remember an article with an owner of a numbers matching Hemi E-body. One of his comments was that with the cost of 2nd generation Hemis, at about 5,000 he started feeling a pain in his wallet, at 6,000 it was almost unbearable, and at 7,000 he was lifting. Sometime reality has to enter the equation, this isn't the late 60's/early 70's anymore.

I sold the Packard in 2010, when my brother died I ended up with his '58 Apache. Not enough room to keep everything, so something had to go. I rebuilt the truck as a tribute to him, finishing it up in 2019. It's been as well received as the GTX, and made Street Rodder Magazine Top 100 in 2019.

454, TH400 and Mopar 8.75 with a 3.55 Sure Grip

I had a really good time at that show.
It never seems to get the cred it deserves-about 1000 cars and a gigantic swap,
Attendance may have been a bit down, but not drastic.
Nowhere near dead, there was plenty to see.
I was happy they had the courtesy golf carts again, rode them often.
Somehow this show seems to bring unseasonably hot weather,
My guess is the forecast may have also kept some people home,
It's already on next year's list,

What park? What town?

Mopars in the Park takes place at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Stillwater, Minnesota.

I wish this event took place at Brainerd International Raceway. I think a lot more cars and people would show up for the event IF they had racing to go along with the show and swap meet. It would also give everyone a place to camp for the event. I skipped going to Mopars in the Park this year. Just too many other things going on this time of year.

Any weather forecast that doesn't predict a wonderful day with bright sunshine, 75 degrees and a light breeze will kill old car numbers. Then add in the value of the old cars, and then add in the expense of attending a two day show, and you get a picture of why numbers might be down.

I drive my stuff, but honestly, I would rather just put the entry money for most shows into the gas tank and enjoy a nice non-Interstate cruise as compared to sitting in an uncomfortable chair behind the car and listen to the critics that have never built a car, and don't own anything worth driving.

I've also discovered that when you actually drove old cars and trucks, many in the general public like them, give thumbs up approvals, and there are few critics. Just about opposite of what you get at car shows.

Up High

Swap

I thought it was good, you can see my swap spot on the top right, blue tent. People still don't know about the last row, we probably got half the amount of customers that the others got. Probably the last year for me as a swapper though...

I always noticed at that swap that the back rows don't get nearly the traffic as the front few rows. I guess people just get lazy, I was kind of in the middle this year and traffic was better than in years past. I was talking with some other swappers and they were thinking it would be better if they could condense the swappers together more so the traffic was more even.

When I'm walking the swap meets I'm usually looking for a specific item or items. Once I find what I need, I usually jump on it if the price is right. After my shopping list is full I usually stop walking--I'm afraid I might find more things I "need" that I didn't know I needed.

Bet if I looked at that picture close enough I could figure out which of those large white pop up canopies got wrapped around my buddies trailer after the storm…. of course the owner of the canopy took no responsibility.

I didn't get there and set up until Friday morning, so that was after the storm. I was late due to the exact same storm just north of Rockford, Illinois!

I thought the show was great, sold all the big stuff we needed to make room to buy more stuff on the way home haha

The big Mid-America Shelby show here in Tulsa has started allowing any make & having a Cars/Coffee section to increase the # of people showing up over the past year or so. So yes, single make shows are probably on the way out & need others interjected in to make them stay afloat.

One of the major reasons could be the total cost to attend is too expensive. The total cost for a friend to attend Chryslers @ Carlisle coming from Wi to PA 8 years ago was $1000 round trip, that was with shared travel/hotel expenses. He stopped going because he said it was too much for him to justify. The total cost for a small single space parts vender for Chryslers @ Carlisle from NJ to PA, shared hotel, gas, bridge tolls, turnpike tolls, vending space, trailer registration, misc. truck/trailer expenses, that can run $700-$1000 in expenses depending on where you are staying and how many are in your hotel room. The bottom number is for 3 nights in a complete dump hotel with 3 people. If you need tires for your trailer, tires for your truck, tables, tents, maintenance, etc, that will cost more. There is a really good chance you will sell nothing! If you have to rent a truck, van or car that can easily cost you $1000 for just 4 days of rental.

Jacks and Jimmy Auto Parts from Howell NJ stopped going to most of the shows back in the day because of the expenses. Some of the more current parts venders also stopped going for the same reason.

Another reason why a lot of the very rare vintage cars don't attend could be how people drive these days. It's absoluty crazy how people drive here in NJ. Total free for all! Couldn't imagine driving a rare valuable car around here! They will hit you and not even blink an eye telling you it was your fault. Most are texting, running stop signs, running red lights, driving impaired on anything they can get their hands on, all while doing this at 100 MPH. One of the reasons for this is there is very limited police presence.

On the major roads around here they are often advertising for Local and State Police Wanted. There is a shortage for sure!

I have been going to all the major Mopar shows in the midwest and PA for 30 years. Expenses never mattered to me as I sell parts and even if I broke even I had a great time! People biatch about the Mopar Nats isn't what it used to be, but I go every year anyway and just take a positive attitude with me. Mopars in the Park was just as good or bad as it always has been, and though some of the shows are down in attendance once again it is all what you yourself think about it...

Thought the show and swap were great. As long as you price stuff at reasonable prices stuff will move. Maybe it was a little down but it was bloody hot and thunderstorms threatening each day. Minnesota is bigger than any show west of it including Spring Fling in LA.

I was giving examples of what others told me why they stopped going to a show. Those could be some of the possible reasons why attendance was down for the Mopars in the Park show.