   
Location: Parts Unknown | Powerflite - 2013-08-22 5:57 PM
Doc, I agree with a lot of what you said in your post, but the thing that bothers me is that you offer no better alternatives.
I don't like sitting around in a parking lot anymore than you do, but what do you think we should do instead?
I tried something different last weekend. I went camping with a bunch of people that enjoy vintage camping trailers (and
vintage vehicles to pull them). I had a blast. We sang songs together, ate pot-luck together, went hiking, got wet and talked
about vintage cars, trucks, and trailers of course. These were total strangers the day before I arrived, but I made friends
with most of them very quickly. I would much rather do that again than go to a car show with a bunch of car people that are
often not very friendly. And I do agree that creating a competition out of it is rather absurd and only hurts the hobby on the
whole.
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Hmmm .... better ideas ? I am afraid my "better ideas" are going to be a whole lot more
ethereal than concrete.
I like your idea of networking like minds, be it just for the "community garage" action, or a
camping group. The more the car is used in an actual practice like it was intended, the better,
in my opinion. It is my intention to finish my shop and network other likeminded schlubs to
help them work on their cars, etc. here in the shop. I used to keep friends like that before I
left Seattle and it was a hoot. It also attracted positive attention in having those cars always
coming and going, as well as became an established place where those seeking out people
with finned cars knew they could find us.
My story of creating the NW Chapter of the NDC has been told here many times. That car
club was created around my perverse ideas of making a club about how-to seminars, resto
and service shop tours, road tours and more upscale (than burger joints) dining destinations.
My mantra was LESS club minutes and dull bullshat and MORE getting out there doing fun stuff
that supported the members and put the cars in the public view being used as CARS instead of
weights holding down parking lots. We had tours of a shop that rebuilt generators and starters,
an auto paint store, chrome shop, did seminars on window track replacement, stainless polishing,
body panel fabrication and rust repair, painting, wet sanding, and probably more that I am forgetting.
A lot of times we coordinated driving tours TO car shows in the summer, and focused the tours
and seminars for the bad winter months.
Look at what the local WPC Club just did in my area. Someone organized a road trip destination
to a relaxed, backwater venue. Not sure what all they did, as I could only get away for a day,
but the drive was terrific and the location for two-lane driving and scenery was top notch. They
DID have a sit-around-the-parking-lot car show on one day, but it was much more than just that.
All this takes energy and commitment, and I am convinced from observations and my own
experience that people talk a good game, but most are just lazy and fall back into the easy
route of doing the same old parking lot car show scene.
At our peak, we had over 100 members. After I left and it went back to the meeting minutes
and quorum votes, people dropped out hard. As I understand it, they currently have less than
25 members.
When likeminded people come over to a guy's place to help him get his car running, do the brakes,
or share skills, it is about fun and sharing. A real different "attitude" than the parking lot scene.
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Ever been to a downtown car show where....
Or I might take the Savoy instead if I can get the motor rebuilt by then.