Automobilia Moonlight Charity CarShow in jeopardy over permitting issues

The Automobilia Moonlight Charity CarShow, which has been a staple in downtown Wichita every summer for almost three decades, is in jeopardy of not happening this year.

So far, the city has denied the popular car show a permit to close Douglas from Emporia to Washington.

“The city is not saying we don’t like Automobilia and we don’t want it,” said City Council member Brandon Johnson.

The issue is a number of business owners in the area who say the event negatively affects their sales due to street and parking lot closures and other issues related to the show, such as a refreshment stand that was set up in front of the Spice Merchant along Douglas last year.

“My customers literally cannot get to my store,” said Spice Merchant owner Bob Boewe. “That’s not fair at all.”

In 2017, Joshua Blick purchased the show from the late founder, Gary Carpenter, who started it in 1995.

“I’m doing everything I can to make this work out, and I keep getting roadblocks or denials,” said Blick, who is now president of Kansas Car Shows.

“What is sounds like to me is Mr. Blick isn’t willing to compromise on his end,” Johnson said.

Council member Maggie Ballard agreed.

Ballard said several compromises have been suggested, and “Blick just shut them down.”

“There wasn’t even a conversation about it,” she said. “It was just a, ‘No.’ ”

There’s now a meeting set for 2 p.m. Wednesday with Blick and city staff, but Johnson said there’s still a chance the show won’t happen.

“Yeah, if Mr. Blick doesn’t compromise, then it’s a strong possibility it won’t.”

Blick said he was trying to work with the Old Town Association and the city about changing some of the boundaries for the event, and then he received a denial letter. He said he further was told to not approach the association again without going through the city.

“We keep getting thrown through hoops,” he said. “My hands are tied.”

Blick said he’s made concessions in previous years, such as keeping Washington open until 1 p.m. on the Saturday of the show so the Old Town Farm & Market wouldn’t be affected.

“We’ve always made extra concessions to help out area businesses,” he said. “I want to be a good neighbor.”

He said several businesses also say the show benefits their sales.

All kinds of alternatives

Ballard, who said she’s attended the show for two decades and loves having it downtown, said there are all kinds of alternatives to consider. That includes moving the event to Sunday instead of Saturday, moving it to the area around Century II or possibly even moving it out of downtown to somewhere, such as Towne West Square, where there is plenty of parking.

Blick said he’s open to other possibilities, though he noted that car owners are coming from as far away as Washington and Florida and have already made plans and reservations around the July 8 date.

He also noted that his request for street closures this year, which includes Rock Island from Douglas to Waterman for a staging area, is the same footprint the show has had the past two years.

Johnson said part of the issue is that downtown is changing.

“There’s so much going on there now. It’s not like it used to be.”

Ballard said she started hearing from businesses after last year’s show.

A lot of the businesses on both sides of Douglas reached out to me,” she said. “It’s important to listen to . . . the brick and mortars.”

For instance, she said the Brickyard is a seasonal business and has only so many weekends in a summer for concerts.

In 2022, Ballard said there were particular hurdles because first there were closures for Riverfest, then the Fourth of July and then Automobilia.

“It was like three weekends pretty close in a row.”

She also said that “barriers were put up . . . before they were supposed to” for the show.

“There were just a lot of frustrations with the way things were going.”

Johnson said he was told by city staff that there’s a nearly $100,000 hit to businesses in the area that day, which he called a negative impact “if you’re talking about that much money leaving the pockets of small businesses.”

Blick said the flip side is how much the event brings in as the largest car show in the state.

There’s a form letter on show’s website that fans of the event can click on to send e-mails to Council members, whose addresses and phone numbers also are listed along with city staff.

Ballard said she’s been receiving those letters, which she said she’s open to, but has not heard from Blick.

“It’s just disappointing that that’s how he chose to go about it,” she said.

Boewe said he hasn’t had any role in fighting the show’s permitting, but because he’s been open about how his business is hurt by it, he’s now experiencing a bit of backlash online.

“It should be where it doesn’t impact other businesses,” he said.

Blick said he very much wants to work with the city. He said he was worried after getting the denial but now is more hopeful with the Wednesday meeting.

If he can’t work out anything, Blick said he can file an appeal by June 26, and the issue will go before the Council.

“Then our next step is to district court.”

Blick said he hopes to avoid that.

“We’re willing to look at everything,” he said.

“I’m always positive. I always believe there’s a way.”