Warrensburg’s two-day Burg Fest brought together outdoor activities, live music, food trucks, beer gardens and the Warrensburg Wheels 32nd annual car show. They have been hosting car shows for more than 35 years. It showcased classic and new vehicles from the early 1900s to present.

  Warrensburg’s two-day Burg Fest brought together outdoor activities, live music, food trucks, beer gardens and the Warrensburg Wheels 32nd annual car show. The car show allowed participants to display classic and new vehicles from the early 1900s to present.

  Warrensburg local Dale Gerdes is one of the members of Warrensburg Wheels, and he’s been involved with car shows for 20 years. He owns a 1972 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, and he’s won roughly 80 or 90 car shows in the past. Gerdes wasn’t competing in this show, but he was there to support the club.

  “They’ve got some members in the club that judge the cars, they look at body, cleanliness inside and out, the engine, and sometimes, some judges look underneath the car,” Gerdes said. “The better looking and taken care of, they’re the ones who are going to win the prizes.”

    Jon Cooper is from Overland Park, and he owns a 1969 Camaro Z28 Rally Sport. He’s been doing car shows for the past 15 years, and has won many contests. 

  “The car shows I go to, they mainly look for cleanliness, so I do a lot of detail work with different products to shine up the body, wheels or engine,” Cooper said. 

  Something that people see in Cooper’s car is his 8-track tape player and his 8-track tapes. 

  “One of the first things people ask me is ‘Do they work?’ Yes they do!” Cooper said. “Some younger people look at the tapes and they wonder, ‘What in the world is an 8 track tape?’ But that was kinda a big thing in my day.”

  Wally Westbrook is a retired Army soldier from Warrensburg who owns a 1942 Dodge WC-57. Westbrook was a logistics manager at the Whiteman Airforce Base and was also commander of the 128th field artillery unit in 1995 and 1996, but the unit was originally based out of Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, and was deployed into combat in 1942 during World War II. 

  Westbrook first presented his vehicle in June 2021 to honor veterans, but this was his first show in Warrensburg.

  “This car saw combat service in Europe during World War II,” Westbrook said.

  Westbrook explained this vehicle is unique as it was the United States’ humvee of its time in the second World War. 

  Westbrook’s vehicle was been featured on the front page of Military Vehicles Magazine, which is a magazine dedicated to those interested in military vehicle restoration. 

  President of Warrensburg Wheels, Robert Meyrand, explained each car show raises money for charity.

  “For each show, we take the profit and give it to the local charities, some of them include Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Angel Tree, Survival House and more,” Meyrand said.