Whatever Happened Too .......

I was cleaning out a corner in the Garage, for an upcoming equipment area. In that corner I found my old Dash plaque display and a whole bunch of ribbons. I sat down with those ribbons and plaques and remembered each and every one of those shows. The Sad thing is most of those Shows are no longer what they were or are no longer.

Bonney Eagle in 1992, was a show to remember. With close to 2,000 cars and trucks, all on Grass including the infield of the Track. Food vendors everywhere and a pot to piss in at every gap and space available. The Vendors area was a marvel to behold because it actually had some real vendors. Where did that one go wrong. It killed itself by doing its job.

Biddeford Athletic Boosters did a Show for a couple of years that was on par with the Bonney Eagle Show but on a smaller scale. This Show only lasted about 3 years and died off because everybody bitched about not enough classes. The last year I remember going, they had 5 different Corvette Classes and no Corvettes. You could say they outclassed themselves.

Then there was this Show at Winterport Dragway put on by the Maine State Camaro Club with classes for the classes and trophies as big as your car. That lasted about, once. The Show and the Club both disappeared.

A club show to remember was the "Break Out" series put on by the North East Cruisers. They hailed from the Waterville/Skow Vegas Area and used the Skowhegan Fair Grounds for their show. A great Show by a big club that slowly faded into the inevitable abyss of doom. I know of only one former member of that crew that still haunts the Car Show circuit, but he has seen fit to pass his knowledge onto his son and they are now in Charge of the Belgrade Show.

Now does anybody remember the thing they called a show at Maranacook High School. You want a comparison to make the Shaw's Ridge Show look good, use this one. It was the worst set up ever and they killed themselves after the awards. It was that bad.

Another would be the ELHS Band Stand Committee Show of 93 & 94. Lousy Classes, bad judging and way to many grandiose ideas about how it should be. Glad its gone.

The Penquis Cruisers do a nice day long Cruise-In in Milo that is really a non-Show but awards like Loudest Exhaust and Longest Distance are given. I found a Dash Plaque from 1992 which celebrated the 3rd Annual Cruise and put it next to this years that Celebrated the 20th. They've been at it that long and still going.

Jackman used to have a nice little weekend set up with a cruise on the Saturday and a Show on Sunday and now its gone. To bad because the Quebecois participation was phenomenal.

Many shows have left the Scene only to be replaced by 1 or more. Many have improved with time, many have gotten worse. There is a new batch coming, and they all have in common the one thing that binds all the shows together, new and old. US!

The biggest factor for the demise of most of these show was a lack of participation from the volunteers that put them on. Some from a couple of bad years in a row due to weather or possibly Money from Sponsors or a mandatory change of venue. Maybe one or two from us bitching or there unwillingness to listen, but these were rare.

Shows will always come and go. Like the tide or Phases of the Moon. I've attended, worked, planned, or Ran a Show since 1992.

I think I got a few new ideas left. Maybe we will cook up something a little different and spice up the circuit or maybe just keep being a thorn in the side of conformity and do it our way.

As Always.