By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
Dozens of vintage vehicles are hitting the road for a week of nostalgia as the Kaiser-Frazer Owners Club International gathers in Hays.
The convention will take place from Sunday through Friday, and the Hampton Inn, 4002 General Hays Road, will serve as the host hotel.
The annual event brings together enthusiasts, collectors and historians from across the country to celebrate the legacy of Kaiser and Frazer automobiles.
Stacie Edgett-Minson, heart of American region manager for the Kaiser-Frazer Owners Club International, said the convention has been staged all over the country, except in Kansas.
"There hasn't been one in this part of the U.S. for years," Minson said.
The week will feature a classic car show with 25 vehicles expected from up to 22 states, including rare 1954 Kaiser Darrins, famous for their fiberglass bodies and sliding doors.
"453 were manufactured, and we have three of them attending our meet at the moment," said Cindy Linner, a lifetime member of the Kaiser Frazer Owners Club International.
Linner and Minson also said Henry J, Willys and Allstate models will be featured at the convention.
The public is welcome at 6 p.m. on Sunday at Frontier Park for a selection of cars on public display, a hamburger barbecue and an ice cream social.
While much of the day is reserved for tours and member-only events, car owners may be in the Home Depot parking lot, 1310 E. 41st St., during the evenings of June 23-25 for visitors to stop by, view vehicles and chat with members.
The official judging is also open to the public and will be from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday in the Home Depot parking lot.
"The members are always happy to talk about their cars. They want to talk about them and show them off. They are their pride and joy," Linner said.
Founded in 1959 in Chicago, the club now comprises members from the United States, Canada and numerous other countries. Members often trade or auction parts such as fenders and engines, and the club assists in reproducing hard-to-find components.
As a child, Minson traveled the country with her parents in their 1954 Kaiser Manhattan, a car her father, Elvin Edgett, still owns today.
Cindy Linner's father was among the club's early members, joining in the early 1960s.
In 1973, the club expanded internationally to enhance efforts to preserve and promote the history of post-1945 vehicles produced by Kaiser-Frazer and its affiliated companies.
"They were manufactured from 1946 to 1955 in the United States," Linner said. "Then they moved the manufacturing to Argentina and continued to manufacture Kaisers until 1963."