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From: Billy-Jack Ebare
Email: ebare73@yahoo.ca
Remote Name: 24.76.48.195
Date: July 02, 2003
I know that I am going to upset some of the purists out there that believe that car shows are the best way to further our hobby, but I can tell you this. I have been a long time antique car enthusiast. I have been on both sides of the hobby, both as a spectator, and a participant. I have been the President, Vice President, and active member of a thriving car club in my area. I have restored my share of cars, as I am a licensed body man, and to this day I still have many friends within the hobby, that are active members within thier respective car clubs. The # 1 problem that I found with car shows first of all is that many of them make the car owners pay to enter their cars into the show. I wouldn't mind this if the public also had to pay. This is where the problem lies. If you let the public in a car show event for free, you are inviting all sorts of unappreciative people into an area where there are thousands of dollars of prideful machinery. I couldn't tell you how many times I had to tell spectators to stop touching the cars, or stop their children from running thier fingers down every car that they walk past. It is my opinion that any car show that is run this way, where the participants with cars have to pay to show thier cars is the biggest injustice done to this fine hobby. Would you expect Garth Brooks to do a concert where he paid anybody and everybody to come to see him perform. What kind of respect would people have for his talent if he had to do this to get a crowd to watch him perfom? This is absurd to make anyone who has spent the time and money to restore thier vintage auto pay to show it to people who for the most are unappreciative to the work involved in getting a car/truck/whatever to look that way. Not to mention what it takes to keep them looking that way. Most people that have no knowledge of the hobby have no idea how rare some of these cars can be.. So they look and point and touch like they are at Walmart looking at a new pair of shoes on the discount rack. I personally have had people push one of the transmission selector buttons when I wasn't looking. I have also had people kick my wide wall tire to see if they were truly wide white walls, and not the fake flap type that you used to be able to buy through JC Whitney. If this isn't enough, I have had to walk up to the registration desk on more than one occaision to tell the people running the car show to please ask the person on the bicycle to leave or put their bike outside of the car show area. If this is a display of appreciative people interested in the hobby, I'll eat my dogs *&^%$. I feel that if the public is charged accordingly it will surly weed out the many idiots that just drop by for a quick look. It will also show the enthusiasts that this hobby is an appreciated one. I know that many of the larger shows are run the right way, but the type of show that you seem to be talking about sounds to me like the many typical rinky dink car shows that I have attended in my day. The question is why should we pay the public to look at our cars??? I can tell you that I don't participate in too many car shows anymore. I feel that if they are to be run this way, why should I put my car in a position of vulnerability? Instead I just drive my car for the pleasure of it.. That's it, that's all... No stress that way. Furthermore it keeps me away from the childish politics that often surround car clubs, and the shows they put on. Enjoy your ride for what it is, not for what others think of it.. I have a mantle full of trophies that are sitting there collecting dust. The good memories that I have with my car isn't me walking up to receive the trophies. It is the family time that we have spent working on/restoring and cruising around in our fine car. That is what this hobby is about! Nuff said!
