Charity Car Shows

[OFC Ranger]

Long story short my general area it is terrible in that whenever there is a car show it ends up being 95% old relics. I attend these functions fully accepting the following;

1. ) Sponsors (like people who provide free food) are going to get an award if they enter the show. These are generally host judge awards.

2.) The peoples choice is always a mystery considering that per usual, there is no booth or card to fill out with a vote to enter. Mystery of the universe I guess.

3.) Best "Daily Driver" award is going to go to some 40 year old automobile. My old lady's 2011 Acura with a cracked bumper should win that award if it was entered if all the competition is antiques.

4.) The days of a group of judges, easy identified, walking as a group from car to car with their clipboards are long gone. Been a long time since I have seen it at least (refer #1 above).

5.) If an award is going to be "Best [enter description here]" then you can be sure its going to be awarded to the most illogically opposite thing it can be. No really, like the off-roading category (if here ever was one), would be awarded to a Toyota Prius because this one time one of the judges had to go up a gravel road in a storm to visit a friend.

Besides that, I like people watching. That and the old Ford Model T police car someone restored was awesome. He won an award and earned every right of it.

I'm butt-sore and hangry. /waves fist angrily

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[Ronbo]

Jack,

 

[KJRR]

As an old relic owner and occasional attender of charity car shows, I do it for the charity or if my dad is also attending with one of his cars. Gives me a chance to talk with people who reminisce with stories about my car or let the kids enjoy seeing something different than the appliances of today. I may even let them climb in on occasion. Charity shows typically don't have professional judges, they are usually either sponsors or organizers. I agree the awards don't always make sense or are whomever knows organizers wins. That's ok as I don't go for the award. The only award I've won is best import and that is because I was the only import when they gave out awards. That show no longer has an import category but I still go. I don't attend the big shows with show cars and real judges since mine is a driver, usually with bugs all over the front end, stone chips, and all kinds of other small defects, but I bought it to drive and enjoy the hell out of it. Don't give a rats ass what others think of it really.
So go and enjoy the show for what it is, a fundraiser for the charity and a chance to talk with people interested in your vehicle.

No graphene on this one. That said, probably time to get out the detail spray and get it ready for a fresh coating of bugs.

Edit: I forgot to mention the old relics you saw there - row of Corvettes of various years, row of Mustangs, big block Chevelles,... generally 99% of car shows.

 

[Dgc333]

I have been going to car shows, cruise nights and cars-n-coffee events for over 40 years. I have never seen any of the things you describe. If you are so dissatisfied with shows I would suggest you stop going. All of the events I go to whether put on by a car club or local church are looking to raise money for some charity.

I live south east of Boston MA and there are typically 2 or 3 events every day of the week within an hour of my house spring through fall. There are two cruise nights I make pretty much every week and about 4 or 5 judged shows I will make a point to go to each year. I see vehicles get awards that I wouldn't have chosen but never seen a vehicle that wasn't worthy get an award.

 

[Max Crafter]

I was once a volunteer for a car show.
The main organiser of the event had a corvette that he entered, and won, best car in show.

Right off the hop it should have been a conflict of interest.

But no, he ensured the win by sitting down for over half an hour himself, with his kids, and several cronies filling out ballots with his car on them. I think he even went and printed more ballots.

The landslide was phenominal. Overall attendance was 1200 people with maybe 40 car entrants.
He won with over a 1000 votes. The second place car had 200, and it was mint. It was showroom worthy restoration with thousands of dollars invested.
Lets just assume half the visitors had bothered to cast a vote....you can see the conundrum as he pranced on stage gleefully to receive his best in show trophy for a car you could literally do chin-ups off the uneven pinstripes and never had the hood open because he didnt even dress it up with a chrome dipstick.

 

[Joeiconic]

While we’re at it, organizations (e.g. Shriners) that collect money in buckets at busy intersections has to stop. I prefer a rigged car show to that.

 

[JohnnyO]

I can only speak for my area in Western PA (Pittsburgh) but different cruises attract different vehicles.
I put my old Sport Trac in the Beaver Falls, PA cruise once and although it was extremely detailed, lifted with bigger tires, and exhaust, a few people gave me shit for having such a new vehicle there.
The Beaver, PA cruise (different town) is one of the largest in the nation but mostly classic muscle cars and my truck would be out of place so I just spectate.
On the other hand there is a weekly cars and coffee on Saturdays at Generosta in Warrendale, PA which is big on high-dollar late model imports plus a few Challengers and Mustangs and Route 19 becomes a freaking drag strip.
Although if I had the cash for a 1969 GTO I'd get one.

 

[OFC Ranger]

I have been going to car shows, cruise nights and cars-n-coffee events for over 40 years. I have never seen any of the things you describe. If you are so dissatisfied with shows I would suggest you stop going. All of the events I go to whether put on by a car club or local church are looking to raise money for some charity.

I live south east of Boston MA and there are typically 2 or 3 events every day of the week within an hour of my house spring through fall. There are two cruise nights I make pretty much every week and about 4 or 5 judged shows I will make a point to go to each year. I see vehicles get awards that I wouldn't have chosen but never seen a vehicle that wasn't worthy get an award.

Its a south Georgia thing I guess.

I did not go for an award, it was a PBA charity event so I was just participating to throw some money in the bucket for an organization I pay monthly dues to and sit back and people watch. Just amused that since my days of younger years, nothing has changed around my locale.

But yes, generally cars and coffee events turn out a lot more stuff more modern than clapped out novas and kit cars.

I know I make my fair share of boomer jokes, but any show that has "classic" in the name or the crowd clearly identifies as collecting social security I usually won't bother entering, just spectate.

 

[OFC Ranger]

While we’re at it, organizations (e.g. Shriners) that collect money in buckets at busy intersections has to stop. I prefer a rigged car show to that.

We don't really have that stuff around here. The fire fighters sometimes hang outside the grocery stores with the old boot gig.

 

[FunInTheSun]

While we’re at it, organizations (e.g. Shriners) that collect money in buckets at busy intersections has to stop. I prefer a rigged car show to that.

This is so out of control in South Florida. I don't care for any type of activity where the people are walking in between the cars in traffic. I's just an accident waiting to happen. I especially cringe when it's kid sports teams raising money for a trip, and they let the kids wander through the cars collecting donations. Panhandlers are bad, too. There are flower, water bottle and fruit vendors that make no pretense they are doing this for charity. This is their daily employment. It is illegal, but nobody ever does anything to stop it.

 

[Trigganometry]

I have been going to car shows, cruise nights and cars-n-coffee events for over 40 years. I have never seen any of the things you describe. If you are so dissatisfied with shows I would suggest you stop going. All of the events I go to whether put on by a car club or local church are looking to raise money for some charity.

I live south east of Boston MA and there are typically 2 or 3 events every day of the week within an hour of my house spring through fall. There are two cruise nights I make pretty much every week and about 4 or 5 judged shows I will make a point to go to each year. I see vehicles get awards that I wouldn't have chosen but never seen a vehicle that wasn't worthy get an award.

You go to Gillette stadium events on every other Thursday? Some amazing rides at that one

 

[OFC Ranger]

If we are talking about shameless charity collections, how about every store you can possibly visit now a days. Every time I go to swipe my card someone is asking for money on the transaction screen. lol

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Long story short my general area it is terrible in that whenever there is a car show it ends up being 95% old relics. I attend these functions fully accepting the following;

1. ) Sponsors (like people who provide free food) are going to get an award if they enter the show. These are generally host judge awards.

2.) The peoples choice is always a mystery considering that per usual, there is no booth or card to fill out with a vote to enter. Mystery of the universe I guess.

3.) Best "Daily Driver" award is going to go to some 40 year old automobile. My old lady's 2011 Acura with a cracked bumper should win that award if it was entered if all the competition is antiques.

4.) The days of a group of judges, easy identified, walking as a group from car to car with their clipboards are long gone. Been a long time since I have seen it at least (refer #1 above).

5.) If an award is going to be "Best [enter description here]" then you can be sure its going to be awarded to the most illogically opposite thing it can be. No really, like the off-roading category (if here ever was one), would be awarded to a Toyota Prius because this one time one of the judges had to go up a gravel road in a storm to visit a friend.

Besides that, I like people watching. That and the old Ford Model T police car someone restored was awesome. He won an award and earned every right of it.

I'm butt-sore and hangry. /waves fist angrily

Hi Jack,

Short story....the Elks club in Waterford Michigan (Northern sub of Detroit) is where we stayed in our Alfa 40ft motorhome as they have electrical hook up for up to 5 RVs. Elks also had a Car Show during this time we were there for several years. As a lark, I entered our Alfa in the car show and actually had a judge with clipboard visit. Did not win anything but it was a fun joke...I did wash it and 303ed the tires...

Best,
Phil

 

[OFC Ranger]

Hi Jack,

Short story....the Elks club in Waterford Michigan (Northern sub of Detroit) is where we stayed in our Alfa 40ft motorhome as they have electrical hook up for up to 5 RVs. Elks also had a Car Show during this time we were there for several years. As a lark, I entered our Alfa in the car show and actually had a judge with clipboard visit. Did not win anything but it was a fun joke...I did wash it and 303ed the tires...

Best,
Phil

Nice.

Yea some 20 years ago or so when you would enter a car show the judges would walk around stop at each entered car, ask the owner about some background on it (show them the not obvious visual stuff), etc etc

I guess that takes too much effort now a days. If they had an award for vehicle with most custom 12V wiring measured in miles I might win. haha

 

[KNI]

Hear ye, hear ye.

Old times were better, but then we raced with hansoms, gigs and cabs.

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