2021 Winged Warriors Aero Car Reunion, Conclusion
Talladega Spoiler Family Reunion

In our previous three posts (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), we covered a lot of fun activities from our 2021 Aero Car Reunion. Today, in Part 4 Conclusion, we will bring the event to a close. This was a combined event for the Winged Warriors, Daytona Superbird Club and our own Talladega Spoiler Family Reunion.

On the second day in the afternoon, we traveled to Columbia, TN for lunch and a tour of Mefford Motors. This is a small shop/garage that at onetime was associated with the American Pickers TV Show. Mike Mefford, owner of Mefford Motors, is a very interesting fellow with lots of stories to tell. He also has memorabilia for sale and an eclectic variety of cars he is working on.
After touring this shop, everyone was on their own to go antique shopping, visit an ice cream parlor or otherwise enjoy historic downtown Columbia.
Saturday was a little different, with participants being able to choose between two different activities. One group, including Fords and Mercurys, was invited to take part in Music City MOPAR’s big car show for the year at no cost. They held this show a few miles north of Murfreesboro in Lebanon, TN. Although we did not attend this activity, we heard from participants and the MOPAR Club members that it was a lot of fun.

Our group boarded a bus early Saturday morning and headed off for a long day in Nashville. Our first stop was at the Lane Motor Museum. This is a very special place that has been on many national TV shows, including Jay Leno’s Garage. Katrina and I have visited here frequently and always have a wonderful time. Everyone was so blown away with the collection of small and weird cars we all decided to add a tour of the “vault” to our tour. This special activity took us to the basement, where we were rewarded with even more amazing cars. The Vault contains cars rotated out of the museum or waiting for a restoration and their opportunity to go into the formal museum. Many thought this was the best part of the tour.
We re-boarded our luxurious bus and headed to Gaylord Opryland where Opry Mills, Opry Hotel and the Grand Ole Opry are located. Everyone scattered off to enjoy lunch at one of the many restaurants. Some then shopped at the huge Opry Mills shopping center while others toured the unbelievable public areas at the Opryland Hotel while others found a variety of other attractions to visit.
As the day drew to a close, we all gathered at the Grand Ole Opry for the evening’s performance. This is a two hour live radio broadcast from the Grand Ole Opry theatre. It is a very large venue with excellent acoustics. Even those who were not big fans of Country Music said they had a great time. The music runs from the birth of Country Music right up to performers who are stars today and those yet to be discovered. Because it is a live broadcast that goes all over the World, it starts promptly at 7 PM and ends promptly at 9 PM. It is a fast, enjoyable two hours.
Our bus ride back to the hotel was quiet as several of our folks fell asleep after the day’s many activities. Once at the hotel, it was time to bid goodby to all the new friends and bring the 2021 event to a close. Some even gathered around the hotel’s fire pit for one more night of bench racing.
If you have not attended one of the annual Aero Car reunions, put it on your bucket list and watch for information on the next event in 2022! The big one, of course, will be the Talladega (as in Speedway) 55 year reunion at Tim Wellborn’s in 2024.