Oxford’s Burning Oak Smokehouse played host to a unique car show within a car show June 4.
Amidst all the shiny classic cars and pristine vintage vehicles of yesteryear, Oxford resident Jack Meadows, 7, displayed his collection of 1/24 scale diecast models.
‘I wanted to show off my cars,? said Jack, who just completed the first grade at Everest Collegiate High School and Academy in Clarkston.
Thirteen cars, each with its own assigned parking space, neatly lined a long folding table. They surrounded a model of The Burning Oak Smokehouse restaurant made from Lincoln Logs.
‘He had a vision and that’s where this all came from,? said April Meadows, his mother. ‘In everything he does, if he can see it, he just makes it come true.?
Jack’s collection is quite impressive. It included classics such as the 1956 Ford F-100 pickup, 1969 Chevy Camaro, 1970 Ford Mustang, 1967 Shelby GT-500, 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T and 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona.
‘I like all of them,? he said. ‘I don’t have a favorite.?
Most of the cars came from his grandfather, Don Cason, of Almont.
‘Jack’s show is pretty cool. It’s exactly what he was looking for,? he said. ‘He was real specific about which way the cars were going to (be) set.?
Cason, who spent 24 years with Ford as a skilled trades worker at the Romeo Engine Plant, has been helping his grandson and nurturing his love of automobiles.
‘We’ve been working together as a team,? he said. ‘He tells us what he likes and we try to help him out with that.?
Thanks to frequent trips to the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Jack is a big fan, and a bit of an expert, on the industrial titan who founded the Ford Motor Co. and manufactured the first automobile that was within the financial reach of many middle class Americans.
‘We’ve been going to (the) Henry Ford every month for probably about six years now,? April explained. ‘We go as often as we can. He loves Henry Ford.?
‘I’m excited every time,? Jack said.
‘He makes a pretty good tour guide when we’re down there,? Cason noted. ‘He takes us and shows us everything that he’s interested in or catches his eye.?
All of Jack’s fellow cruisers at the Burning Oak show ? the big kids with the big cars ? were ‘real supportive and real nice,? according to April, when it came to including him.
‘They came to check out his collection and give him compliments,? she said.
‘They’ve welcomed him right into their group,? Cason added.
Jack’s goal is to someday either design or build cars and work at Ford, just like grandpa.