Steppenwolf, Grand Funk Railroad will headline Decades of Wheels opening

The upcoming Decades of Wheels museum in Baxter Springs, Kansas, will mark its opening in mid-October with a series of concerts, including 1960s and ’70s rock acts Steppenwolf and Grand Funk Railroad.

The Oct. 12-14 weekend also will feature country-rock acts Granger Smith and Reckless Kelly. a Texas rock act, Band of Heathens, and a car and motorcycle show.

John Kay and the band he founded, Steppenwolf, will close the weekend on Oct. 14. Steppenwolf remains best-known for its iconic hit song to motorcycles and the open road, “Born to Be Wild,” from the “Easy Rider” soundtrack. Other hits from include “Rock Me” and “Magic Carpet Ride.”

Grand Funk Railroad will headline on Friday, Oct. 12. The Flint, Michigan, rock band became massively popular during the 1970s, with the hits “We’re an American Band,” “Closer to Home,” “The Loco-Motion,” “Some Kind of Wonderful” and “Bad Time.”

Texas musician Granger Smith, aka Earl Dibbles Jr., will headline Saturday, Oct. 13. Among Smith’s country hits include “Backroad Song” and “If the Boot Fits.” Supporting acts Reckless Kelly and Band of Heathens also remain popular in their home base of Texas.

Tickets go on sale July 15 at the Decades of Wheels website. The outdoor shows will be in front of the downtown police station.

The car show will be Saturday, and the motorcycle show on Sunday. Registration will soon be available at decadesofwheels.com, where VIP parking tickets and food vendor registration also will be found. No tickets are necessary to attend the car and motorcycle shows.

And here’s more information about the museum itself, which opens Oct. 13:

The Decades of Wheels museum is a tribute to beloved cars and motorcycles throughout history, from a Model T and Hellcat Chargers to vintage Corvettes and a ’71 Husqvarna owned by Steve McQueen. A 300-plus vehicle personal collection of a private citizen is being turned into the Decades of Wheels museum, with our grand opening the weekend of October 12, 2018.

The Baxter Springs, Kansas, museum sits on Route 66 and is dedicated to the preservation of the history of this iconic highway, as well as the golden age of automotive history. In our rotating display of vehicles and motorcycles, you’ll find representatives from the very beginning of automotive history to the latest, leading-edge vehicles of today. It’s all here, including historically significant cars and motorcycles, muscle/performance cars, and classic cars. We’ve got movie cars that make a big statement, too, like Herbie the Lovebug, the Black Beauty from Green Hornet, Dragula from The Munsters, the Back to the Future DeLorean, the Ghostbusters car, and multiple Batmobiles, including one you can sit in for a photo.

Spend the entire day on Military Avenue, where we are located, with a visit to the Decades of Wheels museum, then a family-friendly restaurant, go-kart track, kids’ funhouse, and a bistro and bar.

(Image of the Decades of Wheels logo; images of John Kay and Steppenwolf, Grand Funk Railroad and Granger Smith via media downloads)