Thousands Attend Wings Wheels & Keels

Festival at Hummel Field filled with unusual cars, aircraft and boats

by Tom Chillemi –

The 26th annual Wings, Wheels and Keels (WW&K) at Hummel Field airport delivered another show on Sept. 24 that was attended by an estimated 3,800 people. There was a lot to see in the eight-hour show.

The Memory Lane Car Club organized 215 cars including an extremely rare 1930 Cadillac, which is one of 21 known to have survived.

Also displayed were 32 aircraft including a rare auto-gyro, an Air Tractor agriculture plane, and two military helicopters.

Among the 26 boats was a steam boat, and several racing boats.

Car club founders honored

Jack and Barbara Ashburn of Memory Lane Car Club were presented with a plaque, by Wings, Wheels and Keels officials in recognition of more than two decades of organizing and producing the vehicle show portion of Wings, Wheels and Keels. This year’s vehicles totaled 215, a little shy of the record from several years ago when 248 vehicles lined up at Hummel Field.

The Memory Lane Car Club was formed in January 2011 by Jack and Barbara Ashburn and 52 other car people. It now has somewhere north of 260 members.

The Ashburns, of White Stone, have been running car shows 60 years, since April 1962.

WW&K was their fourth show in as many weeks, and they will have two more in the next two if the weather holds, he said.

The following is a sample of cars, planes and boats that make WW&K that have made Hummel Field in Topping the place to be on the last Saturday of September since 1996.

WW&K winners announced

A total of 215 vehicles entered the Memory Lane Car Club show presented at Wings, Wheels and Keels (WW&K) on Sept. 24  at Hummel Field airport in Topping. Vehicle exhibitors voted to choose the top three in each class, which follows:

• Best in Show, Bill Haglan, 1958 MG–A Roadster.
• Class 1 American 1900-1945, first, Alan Merkel, 1930 Cadillac V16.
• Class 1 American 1900-1945, second, Gordon Gibb, 1931 Ford.
• Class 1 American 1900-1945, third, Steve Knoblauch, 1932 Ford Model “B.”
• Class 2 American 1946-1966, first, Whitney Taylor, 1963 Cadillac.
• Class 2 American 1946-1966, second, John W. Phillips, 1963 American.
• Class 2 American 1946-1966, third, Steve Garcia, 1956 Cadillac.
• Class 3 American 1967-1987, first, Martin Pucket, 1968 Camaro convertible.
• Class 3 American 1967-1987, second, David Santos, 1982 Delorean.
• Class 3 American 1967-1987, third, Ronald Hugate, 1969 Ford Mustang.
• Class 4 American 1988-2008, first, Kenneth Kidwell, 1989 Avanti convertible.
• Class 4 American 1988-2008, second, M.V. Putney, 1990 Chevy Blazer.
• Class 4 American 1988-2008, third, Robert Booth, 2006 Corvette.
• Class 5 American 2009-2022, first, Ken Holly, 2021 Corvette.
• Class 5 American 2009-2022, second, Max McLendon, Corvette Z06/Z07.
• Class 5 American 2009-2022, third, George Webb, 2019 Corvette.
• Class 6 European and other Foreign, first, Tom and Cathy Heacock, 1966 Mercedes 230 SL.
• Class 6 European and other Foreign, second, Mike McDonough, 2006 BMW Roadster.
• Class 6 European and other Foreign, third, J.P. Bourgrin, 2004 Porsche.
• Class 7 British 1900-1959, first, Bill Haglan, 1958 MG-A Roadster.
• Class 7 British 1900-1959, second, David Coats, 1957 Hot Rod.
• Class 7 British 1900-1959, third, Larry Felton, 1953 MG–TD.
• Class 8 British 1960-1980, first, Jim Francis, 1965 Morgan.
• Class 8 British 1960-1980, second, Ronald Mitchell, 1967 Jaguar.
• Class 8 British 1960-1980, third, Robert Murphy, 1964 Morgan.
• Class 9 British 1981-2022, first, Bruce Trabb, 2003 Morgan Plus 8.
• Class 9 British 1981-2022, second, Jay Hill, 1981 Rolls Royce.
• Class 9 British 1981-2022, third, George Shute Jr., 1996 Jaguar.
• Class 10 Exotic, first, Jerry Lester, 1936 Mercedes.
• Class 10 Exotic, second, Jim Dudley, 1975 Bricklin.
• Class 10 Exotic, third, Jason Hill, 2006 Lamborghini.