How to get to the WCHS Car & Truck Show   "Where in the world is West Concord, MN????" We're glad you asked!!!!   The way some residents pronounce the name, people might think we're saying "Wisconsin", and we apologize about that.  For those from the Twin Cities, no, we're not in St. Paul on Concord Street - West Concord is a city.  Some may remember when MN Hwy 56 went south from St. Paul, and could be driven all the way to West Concord (a good thing to know when West Concord had an active cattle exchange), but that's not the case any more.  Given a few points on the map, here's how we'd describe how to get here....

From Burnsville:

Take I-35 South to the MN Highway 21 exit at Faribault.  Take Highway 21 South MN Highway 60 East, and take that all the way to Kenyon.  Turn South on MN Highway 56 and it will take you directly to West Concord.  Travel time is about an hour.

From Hastings:

Take MN Highway 55 West to US Highway 52.  Turn south on Highway 52, and at Hampton, take the MN Highway 56 exit.  Go south on Highway 56 and follow that until you reach West Concord.  Travel time is about an hour.

An alternate route that might be more scenic will take you through Cannon Falls on US Highway 61, then MN Highway 19 west and MN Highway 56 south to West Concord.That's probably a safer route for slower vehicles, and you still get to see the gliders at the Stanton Airport.

From Austin:

Any other year, you'd take I-90 East to the MN Highway 56 exit.  Because of some major construction on Highway 56 (the same reason West Concord Survival Days came into being in the first place), we found an alternate route.

Take US Highway 218 north to Blooming Prairie.  On the nort end of Blooming Prairie is a not-very-well marked paved county road going north (it's less than a mile out of town).  You'll be taking a right on Steele County 16.  If you miss it, don't get too flustered - you can keep going on 218 until you reach Owatonna (it's just about 5 miles longer that way)

Follow this road for about 10 miles to US Highway 14.  Turn East on Hwy 14 for a couple of miles to the ethanol plant at Claremont.  Turn north on Dodge County 1 until you get to a stop sign.  Turn right (east) on Dodge County 24 and drive about 6 more miles to West Concord. Take Highway 56 to the right until you see the signs for car show registration.  Travel time is about 60 minutes.

From Rochester:

Take US Hwy 14 West to Kasson.  Turn right (north) on MN Highway 57 (the Kasson exit).  Follow Hwy 57 through Mantorville, approximately 8 miles from Hwy 14.  Turn left (west) on Dodge County 22 and drive aproximately 3-1/2 miles to Concord.  At the Concord Store, take a left on Dodge County 24, which will take you into West Concord.  Travel time is about 45 minutes.    With construction on MN Highway 56 this summer, this route may take a little longer, but is a much better alternative.

From Owatonna:

Take US Hwy 14 East until you reach the ethanol plant at the edge of Claremont.  Take a left of Dodge County 1 and go all the way to the stop sign, which is about 8 miles.  Turn right (east) on Dodge County 24 - West Concord will be about 6 miles away.  Turn right (south) on Highway 56 and watch for signs.  Travel time is about half an hour.

From Concord, MN:

Take Dodge County Road 24 West for 3 miles.  Travel time is about 4 minutes.

Yahoo Map link:  http://maps.yahoo.com

Google map link:  http://maps.google.com

Mapquest:  http://www.mapquest.com

If one of the links doesn't work, please contact us so that we can correct it.

For those of you who have heard the story about the farmer riding his horse down Main Street, we paved that part (so, don't worry - you'll have a place to park).  

Story:  Back in the pioneer days of West Concord, the streets were dirt and the town was known by nicknames like "Webfoot" (because it was a rather swampy area).  One day, the townspeople on Main Street noticed a farmer's hat moving down the street, seemingly under its own power.  Curiosity got the better of someone, and they waddled out into the street to pick up the hat, only to find a farmer under it, riding on his horse through the mud.

True story?  Probably not, but it keeps us entertained between car shows....