In its 15th year, the Kowtown Custom Greaserama car show has become a main attraction in the Kansas City area every Labor Day weekend for enthusiasts of hot rods and vintage custom cars, comic art and music. As new art/music festivals pop up around the city each year, this long-standing event has filled an important niche in the community since it was created in 1998 by members of Los Punk Rods car club.

Both Los Punk Rods and Greaserama were conceived by Todd Karnahan, also known as Punk Rock Todd. “Basically, he was thinking of ways to build his community of punk rock friends back up,” says Jeff Pendergraft, who has been involved with the club and event for several years, and books the bands each year. He and Karnahan first became friends in the mid-’80s through the Kansas City punk scene. “It was that weird time between being 25 and seeing your friends every day and being 45 going through your weekend warrior midlife crisis and seeing everyone on the weekends.” Greaserama was originally held at Burcham Park in Lawrence, where Karnahan would hold barbecues. This was well before it became one of the biggest car shows in the Midwest, but it established a community of friends and interconnected scenes that would help turn it into the booming event it is today.

“[Todd] wanted it to be a fest that celebrated hot rod culture in a punk rock way. All things juvenile delinquent, if you will,” Pendergraft says. As the event began to grow exponentially each year, production became a year-round job for Karnahan. “On a day when we were both particularly frustrated I asked him why he was willing to give so much. He said, ‘I don’t go to church so this is my way of tithing. My way of giving back.’” Karnahan passed away in 2012, but was able to see his work bear fruit for a number of years. The first five shows took place at El Torreon and moved to Boulevard Drive-in in 2006, where it grew into a 2-day event. Since 2013, Greaserama has become so large that it had to move outside of the city limits to the Platte County Fairgrounds. Today, it takes over 20 people to put on an event that Karnahan had orchestrated mostly by himself for years.

Though it’s primarily focused on hot rods and custom cars, Greaserama also immerses itself in the art, film and music scenes. “The punk rock DIY ethic is what influenced everything in Todd’s life as well as mine, and that was the main influence for the show,” mentions Pendergraft. “These are the same ethics that self-promoting, hard-working, kickass independent bands lived and worked by in our scene.” This year, Greaserama kicks off Friday night with a pre-party at the recordBar, featuring The Silver Maggies, Douglas County Quintet and Colonel Gibbler. Saturday and Sunday’s events are loaded with a bevy of musical acts, from the surf rock of The Thunderclaps, to Starhaven Rounders’ brand of modern/traditional country, to the bluesy rockabilly of Filthy 13, to the twangy punk of Suicide Robins.

After 15 years, Los Punk Rods brings thousands of people together from all walks of life in the spirit Karnahan had intended. In his own words (detailed in the history of Greaserama he wrote a few years back): “You see ‘em all in joyful, spirited discussion of their own and others’ expression of their taste, and exchange ideas and open up their hearts and minds. It always warms my heart to see some 18-year-old mohawk punker just striking up a friendly conversation with an 80-year-old farmer.” According to Pendergraft, Greaserama remains an inclusive event for people from different scenes and backgrounds. “It’s still a show where all types of people are welcome and can be comfortable with themselves. It crosses many boundaries, and that is very cool to me.”

Head to the Greaserama Pre-Party on Friday at recordBar, starting at 9 pm: more info here. Or visit the Platte County Fairgrounds for the main event on Saturday and Sunday. More info can be found here.

Michelle Bacon is a musician and writer dedicated to the Kansas City music community. As editor of The Deli Magazine-Kansas City and staff member at Midwest Music Foundation, she advocates for and helps spotlight music in the area. She is also a freelance writer for The Kansas City Star and plays bass with The Philistines and Dolls on Fire, and drums in Chris Meck & the Guilty Birds. Her grandma is 101 years old and by far the coolest person she knows.