Familiar Turf : MVPA 2025 Convention returns to Louisville

So it wasn’t a story of all doom and gloom. Personally, I feel this is more like “what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger”, and I believe things will rebound, and the organization will soon enjoy smoother sailing. 

As for this year’s show, Louisville remains a great place to visit, with no shortage of things to do, places to go, and good food to eat. The Kentucky Exposition Center and the host hotel are very close together, with ample shuttle service, which made things super convenient. At the hall, roughly 90 military vehicles, and bunches of anxious vendors awaited convention visitors, in a setup that mirrored previous Louisville conventions. 

Another similarity to the 2018 Louisville show was the high number of Jeeps. With 22 wartime Jeeps, two GPAs, and a prototype Jeep tug, not to mention the M38s or A1s, you would not be out of line to say this was a Jeep heavy convention. Quick math reveals roughly 29 percent of the total vehicles were the above stated Jeeps. The number of Jeeps this year was pretty comparable to other conventions. Therefore, it seems this speaks more to their portability and eternal popularity, and that there were just less bigger vehicles that made the trip.

This doesn’t mean there wasn’t good stuff to look at. You would have to say that the “belle of the ball” was the 1945 Studebaker M29C, displayed by Patrick Sturges, which earned a Gold - Master Class award, plus the Judges Choice award in the rigorous Factory class. Speaking of  Weasels, Doug McKee also had his sharp 1944 M29 in the Motorpool class; it received a Gold Veteran award. The two Ford GPAs were just as nice, too! Although, the most unique vehicle had to be the 1943 Willys MT-Tug owned by Dana Smith from Vicksburg, MS. As a prototype vehicle, less than 20 of these were made, and each was slightly different. Seriously, how many six-wheeled Jeeps have you seen?

Everyone likes half-tracks, and happily there were two! Mike Mark from Indiana displayed his White M3A1, and Dave Morrison got a Bronze award for his 1941 White M2A1 in the Motorpool Class. I think my personal favorite had to be the 1943 Ford GTB displayed by Arlon Anklam from Illinois, which took a Gold in Motorpool. On a purely “dog show” level, this unusual vehicle seemed to sit up and bark, demanding my attention. 

Another highlight was a display from Joe Imel, who presented a very complete assembly of virtually all U.S. Army water carrying “jugs”, including some that most soldiers wished came as “standard issue”. The display was backed by his 1972 AM General M35A2 and 1957 M107 Water Buffalo, and earned him both Participant’s Choice and Members Choice awards, plus Gold Veteran for the Water Buffalo trailer.

To sum it up, this was one of the smaller convention I have attended, but that’s not to say it was bad. As always, it was great to see friends and fellow members, many that are not seen often enough. When it comes down to it, it’s the people that make the hobby, not the trucks. 

In the middle of putting this article together, I learned of the passing of Tom Price from Ohio, who I was lucky enough to have one last conversation with at this show.  This alone was worth the trip. Looking forward to Virginia, for the 2026 convention.