CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE: EVENT RECAP

CARS, NO COFFEE

The show opens to the public at 9 AM. Some of us rolled in a little late for vehicle set-up, about 8:20. Not the latest ones there, but many were in line at 6:00 AM. Definitely time to park and do a quick final wipe down before showtime: tank, fenders, rims and spokes, motor and pipes, good to go.

Take a quick look at some of the great rides that made it out to one of the cooler venues in the area and up the hill for a cup of joe. After all, I told the nice lady that helped me with registration I’d get her a cup too; she kept complaining that she hadn’t had any all morning. Ran across some really great vehicles and I like the way the organizers categorized vehicles into the different areas of the show; it wasn’t like they just took whomever was in line and told them to line up their cars. A lot of thought seemed to go into placement of vehicle types, brands, genres, etc.

The one thing that seemed to get by the organizers was to make or order enough coffee to get to the damn opening time of the show! Really? As someone who has out together a number of events, I know that things may sometimes slip through the cracks, but plenty of coffee for the staff, volunteers, participants and paying guests is a pretty basic rule of thumb. And I was fully prepared to forget it until a bunch of other drivers told me, “same thing as last year.” Now it’s difficult not to sound like I’m ranting, but c’mon. You must know, or hope that your event will grow year upon year and raise more money or awareness or produce a better result than the previous year. Why would you not expect there to be at least as many event goers as the year before? Ok - rant complete.

The venue truly is nice. Well-kept grass areas, a little roll to the hills, trees and a lake provide the backdrop to some gorgeous vehicles. Luckily this year, the sun ducked behind a blanket of clouds for most of the day, helping to stay cool and create some great light to view some of the nicest vehicles in the area.