THE ORIGINAL RED DEER SWAP MEET—A TRADITION SINCE 1965

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Like most car guys, I’m a big fan of tradition.

That’s why I respect the tradition behind the annual Central Alberta Vintage Auto Club Swap Meet because this event started in 1965.

Many other swap meets have sprung up since CAVAC started this one in Red Deer, Alberta Canada sixty years ago, but for me, the original is the Indy 500 of swap meets.

Jerry Sutherland

The reason is simple—you can’t buy tradition. You have to earn it, and any event that has 60 years under its belt clearly has tradition to showcase.

CAVAC presents a well-run event thanks to the hardcore group of volunteers who run it. When you get there, you enter a professional-level operation. They have a logical layout to the show, so one room contains vehicles for sale, while another may focus on automobilia like parts books, old magazines and shop manuals.

The parts guys are sprinkled throughout the venue and so are the suppliers–you’ll get a mix of old wheel covers right next to a custom muffler supplier. The vendors are knowledgeable and motivated, so if they don’t have something like an old Pontiac fender or trim for a ’68 Mustang they’ll tell you where to find it.

I’m always drawn in by the old car magazines at the CAVAC Red Deer Swap meet because there is a massive selection, plus you can get some bulk buys on them that won’t even break a ten-dollar bill. That’s extremely rare in the 21st Century.    

The other automobilia is well-represented too because there’s always an array of garage stuff. Some of it is rusty and weathered while other stuff has brand-new reproduction status. Veteran car guys know the difference in price isn’t an exact science.     

The parking lot is full of project cars and it too, is sectioned off as part of the event. It’s like a carnival midway full of cool old iron. The best part is it’s not just classic muscle car projects for sale at the original Red Deer Swap Meet, because the options cover a lot of automotive fronts.

You’ll see everything from old farm trucks to vintage British cars at this event because CAVAC is an all-denomination car club. Anything old is cool.

They like to see these old classics kept stock, but a rescued project car or truck is gold in any form to the CAVAC guys because that means a new life for neglected old iron. I like to hang out in the project section and listen to the negotiations because they’re civilized but hardcore.

Most of the CAVAC attendees are hardcore car guys, so negotiating is second nature to them. They have a working knowledge of what something is worth, so you’ll see a civilized discussion—not a fistfight. 

Negotiation gets a little easier as you get closer to the end of the day because sellers prefer to see you pay and haul away stuff, so they don’t have to load it out. That’s how free enterprise works.

Like I said at the start, tradition is everything to me, so a 60-year run is great way to define a tradition.

Red Deer’s CAVAC Swap Meet—the definition of tradition.                           

By: Jerry Sutherland

Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post,  Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.

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