Kids large and small take delight in auto show
ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Auto Show at America’s Center Saturday had everything you’d expect of such an event.
There were "car girls" on turntables and smooth-talking salesmen. There were concept cars and muscle cars and shiny new models from Acura through Volkswagen.
And there was one thing you might not expect: kids, lots and lots of kids, demonstrating once again that Americans’ love of the auto is very much a family affair.
Everywhere you looked Saturday, there was a boy years too young for a drivers license clambering in a front seat, grabbing the wheel and yanking the stick shift. There were dads showing their sons how to open a hood, or sharing with their daughters the finer points of a Ford F-150. There were whole families sitting in the back of a minivan or perching on the tailgate of an SUV.
There certainly were some kid-oriented things to do, like dance shows by Radio Disney and a Ford talking robot to interrogate ("Do you like ice cream?" "Can you rap?"). And everyone under 12 got a free miniature truck. But the biggest attraction seemed to be all the shiny new big-kid toys in the room.
That’s what caught the eye of young Arvaan Kakkar, of O’Fallon, Mo., taking in his first St. Louis Auto Show with his parents.
"He loves cars," said his father, Arijit Kakkar. "He’s been going around, sitting in all of them."
Between bites of cotton candy, Arvaan allowed that he particularly likes Infinitis.
Some have even more specific interests.
Adam Arbini, 6, of Fenton, and his dad, Mike, were there taking pictures of dashboards. He collects them, and has hundreds on his computer at home.
"He has a fascination with them," Mike said. "He can name them on sight."
Of course, the Auto Show has its attraction for adults, too. Some came to check out the new trends, others to shop around for a good buy.
For Raphael Seymour, of Maryland Heights, the show was a good chance to see all kinds of cars in one place, without a salesman looking over his shoulder.
"You can make your own decision this way," he said. "It’s how dealers ought to work."
And it’s a way for his son Raphael Jr., 5, to sample the wares as well; dealerships don’t tend to let the kids climb around quite so much. Little Raphael’s favorites?
"He likes the (GMC) Yukon, the Hummer," his dad said. "There was a Pontiac he liked, too."
Of course, Seymour notes, there are reasons beyond entertainment to bring a 5-year-old to a car show. One is input.
"The kid’s going to be riding in it, too," he said.
tlogan@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8291
