BARRY COURTER: Lisa, I have to say that, when I first saw the celebrity guest list for the upcoming World of Wheels, my first thought was "Uh-oh." Can you guess why?
LISA DENTON: Um, I'm pretty sure it has something to do with airbrush artist Michael Henry, aka Horny Mike, because, well, how could it not?
Michael Henry, better known as Horny Mike, makes horns for helmets. He will be at the Madaris World of Wheels show Friday at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
Lisa Denton and Barry Courter
BARRY: Of course. That Viking hat he wears with the horns is not OSHA-approved, I'm sure. That's what has us both worried, right?
Anyway, can you believe World of Wheels, which will be held inside the Chattanooga Convention Center, has been coming to town for 49 years? That's a lot of cars. It just proves how popular it is. People get to see a lot of cool automobiles and meet famous people like Horny Mike, Tom Wopat and Catherine Bach from "Dukes of Hazzard," all of whom are there this year.
LISA: I have to hand it to the people who organize WOW for the diversity of guests they bring in. You've got your "Dukes of Hazzard" reunion, master pinstriper Von Hot Rod and a couple of cable stars - Tom Smith from Discovery's "Misfit Garage" and Horny Mike from History Channel's "Counting Cars." And for the younger set there's Peyton List of Disney's "Bunk'd." Plus Star Wars characters, Transformers and Minions. Except for the big names attached, it sounds like a Soddy-Daisy Saturday night.
BARRY: I'm pretty sure we can find more than a few Daisy Dukes and Horny Mikes in Soddy-Daisy.
LISA: Also, it's worth noting that the Chattanooga Scale Modelers Association holds a convention the same weekend at the Convention Center. They figure people who like seeing the big cars would also be interested in seeing them in miniature. Besides cars, they'll have museum-quality scale models of aircraft, armor, dioramas, figures, science-fiction characters and ships. Best time for public viewing is noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.
BARRY: That's pretty smart planning. And if you or someone you know is getting married anytime soon, the Times Free Press Bridal Show is Sunday at The Chattanoogan. We actually have a wedding in our family in the near future. I understand that the show is a good chance to get ideas about everything from where to have the wedding to what to eat and what to wear.
LISA: If your future daughter-in-law is looking for ideas on what to wear, she should stop by World of Wheels, too. A bridal headpiece by Horny Mike would be one-of-a-kind.
Get event details every Thursday in Chattanooga Now or online anytime at www.ChattanoogaNow.com.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354. Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.