BYTHEVILLE, Ark.—A fleet of antique buses and motorcoaches, some seven decades old, made the trek to one of their meccas, the beautifully restored 1937 art-deco Greyhound terminal in downtown Blytheville, for the Second Antique Bus Homecoming on Sept. 27-29.
“There were approximately 50 antique buses there, which is really a big deal since Blytheville isn’t geographically easy to get to,” said Dave Millhouser, a vintage driver of buses and columnist for Bus and Motorcoach News. “This is a special event, and bus enthusiasts come from all over the country to trade parts and stories and even swap the occasional tall tale.”
The vintage vehicles that filled the streets around the Greyhound terminal included examples of the iconic buses that built the intercity highway travel industry after World War II. Some had been converted to recreational vehicles, and some remained in original passenger configuration.
“Hugely significant is the fact that were seven General Motors Silversides,” Millhouser said. “This was GM’s first major offering post-war. They were bulletproof and technologically advanced and set the stage for GM’s dominance of the coach industry from 1947 to 1974 or so. It was the first diesel bus I ever drove.”
The oldest bus in attendance was the 1947 GM 3703 Silversides owned by Jim Daleiden of La Fox, Illinois.
Also on hand were four GMC Scenicruisers, which represented one of the peaks of bus styling. “(Four) is a significant portion of the ones that are remaining,” Millhouser said.
The most dedicated attendees were Paul and Sonja Collyer and their Motor Coach Industries MC-5, which journeyed from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. That trip covers about 2,700 miles. Each way.
“I believe we had good turn-out because of the previous success of the 2013 Blytheville rally,” said Tom McNally of Peoria, Illinois, who was a lead organizer of the reunion. “The good word spread about the hospitality displayed by Blytheville citizens. Many participants commented on the exceptionally friendly reception they received from locals.
“The total access participants have to the wonderfully restored Greyhound terminal is a rare and magical part of the rally. The town and Main Street Blytheville preservation group deserve much credit for recognizing the need to preserve the depot and fully promote its public use.”
The joint appearance of seven Silversides and four Scenicruisers “is a rare occurrence for sure. The bulk of the participants own truly antique coaches. I think that makes this rally unique as well,” said McNally.
McNally is a coach collector who brought a Scenicruiser and GM PD4104 that carried visitors from Blytheville to a tour of Johnny Cash’s childhood home in Dyess, Arkansas, on Friday of the reunion weekend.
A barbecue dinner with a bonfire and live music filled the schedule on Saturday evening.
As participants checked tire pressures and fluid levels for the drives home, many asked McNally when they would visit Blytheville again.
Tiffany Walters-Hoskins, the president of Blytheville Main Street, told him, “Thank you and all of the amazing people who brought your buses to our event. We thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of you. I want to personally invite you back again in the future and we will have Farmers Bank & Trust and Main Street Blytheville do it up bigger and better for you.”
“We will do Blytheville again for sure. Not sure when,” McNally said. “These rallies are too much work to do every year and they lose their special status if done too often.”
