Last Thursday I discussed some things at car shows I don't particularly like. Today I will list a few things I do like. Like most things, this is a subjective view and not universal by any means.
First, I made a special point to go to the Bushnell Car show with Miss Frump. Bushnell holds a show each year in conjunction with their Fall Festival celebration. It was always one of my favorite shows back when I was living in Northlandia and showing my old cars. The Bushnell show was always a little different than the other participant judged shows. This one is judged by car people who examine each vehicle with a list that includes such topics as Interior, Stainless, Chrome, Engine Bay, Undercarriage and others. There are 10 categories with a possible 10 points for each totaling 100 points for a perfect car.
This was my vantage point for the day. Kind of like sitting behind a pretty lady you have a crush on. Those are Florida Antique plates but I think I'd like to change to Illinois personalized plates. Maybe 63 880. That would be nice.
The park is held in the village park. There are several places to grab lunch. The best deal is at the Kiwanis Tent where you can get a sandwich, chips and a pop for 2 bucks. Or you can go over to the 4-H tent for a brat. Around 2 o'clock locals and collectors parade around the park in their tractors.
Always kind of fun and different are the twofers. This one features an old restored truck with a great old moped in the back. Two antiques in one. I once saw a restored flat-bed truck with an old car strapped on. That was unique and fun to see.
Norah wanted an army of cicada shells while up North so I went all over the park to look for them. Actually I found an army right there. When I approached some trees some folks were there seeking shelter so I would tell them what I was after. At one tree I guess an old lady didn't hear part of my explanation and when I was walking away I heard her say, "That seems like a stupid thing to collect."
I ran into several old friends from the car club I once was a member. The picture above isn't them - it is just a representation. Frankly I'm not a fan of old guys with ponytails. I took this picture because this guy's amazed me. Florida seems to have its share of pony-tailed geezers. One of these days I'll draw up a typical Floridian male: balding with ponytail, camo cap and shorts, dirty T-shirt with something having to do with Weeki-Wachie emblazoned on it.
Seeing something you seldom see is always a joy. This is a 1958 big window VW. My first car was a '57 small window Beetle. The owner of this car rightly pointed out that if I still had it, it would be worth a lot. And we are talking in the 18-33 K area! Not having a gas gauge if you ran out of gas you could flip a switch and get an extra gallon.
Some cars have a certain style and look that always make them easy to spot. This is a Studebaker turn signal on a Hawk. It is stylized and almost art-deco. Remember when car makers went the extra mile to make their products look really neat?
You get a chance to do some walking and exploring at a car show. You are there from 10-3 or more so take the newspaper, and take a walk to kill some time. Heading back to the Frump, its always nice to get back to your love. That is a presentation poster propped on the front that I had done in Floriduh. Lot's of people stop and read it.
Bushnell always had tight classes. Miss Frump was in the 1960-63 Class and she beat out a couple nice cars to win 2nd place in her class. Her first trophy. What a rush. Never was a $2.20 piece of plastic so appreciated by an owner. Her score was 91 - averaging 9's in each category. Not too shabby.
A couple weeks later Miss frump and I would travel to Monmouth for the Prime Beef Festival Car Show. I spent the day with Ed Johnson and JC Clayton. Fun day and we all three won with our cars. Ed has a 62 Chevy and JC has a 85 Fiero. Fun day. I love shows, but the best part of them is driving to them and driving back home.
Comments
Post a Comment