Vintage car shows are always a popular trend, especially around Jackson County.
But for those with a little more relaxed attitude, there are vintage camper, or “glamper,” shows.
The second Happy Glamper Show was Friday and Saturday in the B&O Parking Lot in downtown Seymour.
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“It’s just like the car shows, instead of cool cars, you get to see cool campers,” said Mike Kopp, one of the event’s organizers.
Glampers comes from a combination of the words “glamorous” and “campers.”
The event, organized by Seymour Main Street, allowed people to tour vintage campers and enjoy food and drinks from a few vendors.
For some of the glampers, their own camper is a dream that they’ve had for years and were able to realize.
Georgiann Coons of Seymour brought her 1966 Westwind to the rally.
“I always had a dream to have one, and I mentioned it to a friend and she said, ‘I have one you can have if you’ll come get it,’ so I bought it, and we fixed it up,” she said.
Coons said there was not an extensive amount of restoration that needed to be done, mainly painting and fixing some wooden parts throughout. The wooden parts were “notorious for going bad,” Coons said.
For others, their vintage camper is a dream of the outdoors and an attempt to get back to a time they fondly remember.
Jamie and Jack Knichel of Brownstown brought a 1971 Shasta Starflyte to the Happy Glamper Show.
“We didn’t even know that there were rallies or events like this when we bought our camper,” Jack said. “We got it for camping.”
The camper originally was a brown color, but Jamie said she wasn’t happy with it.
“It has been redone inside and outside,” she said. “I probably like the color that we’ve painted it the best of the fixes. That and the fact it has a bathroom.”
Many of the campers have been restored to their original conditions to maintain a level of authenticity, while others have been updated and renovated to meet their owner’s vision.
Jamie said that’s one of the things she likes about the vintage campers.
“We get lots of people that look at ours and compliment it,” she said. “It’s just amazing all the possibilities that these have.”
The idea for the vintage camper event came from Rita Wischmeier, Karen Clark and Kopp as a way to attract attention to downtown Seymour.
The Happy Glamper Show coincided with a number of other activities meant to bring people downtown, including the Sip and Stroll wine and beer walk Saturday and the inaugural Crossroads Acoustic Fest on Friday and Saturday.
“I just really want to revitalize the downtown, and drawing attention to great businesses with a fun and quirky event seemed like a good idea,” Kopp said.
The show nearly doubled in its second year, and Kopp said next year, it possibly could be moved to the nearby downtown park that is currently under construction.
He also said he hopes there will be new events to attract children.
Clark, who also is a member of the Seymour Main Street board, said she hopes to see that happen, too.
“It’s our job to entertain both the people attending and the campers who took the time to come,” she said.
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For information about Seymour Main Street and its upcoming events, call 812-271-1340 or visit seymourmainstreet.org or facebook.com/seymourmainstreet.
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