The Inaugural Country Road Rally

Saturday morning, bleak and dreary, rain and wind.. .. Lets go on a Road Rally! Yeah right! Andrew, another of our almost adopted children, met us at our home at 9:30 in the morning and helped us load our truck then we all left for the Burger King in Manassas to begin the Inaugural Country Road Rally. Dan & Ramona left about the same time from their home and because of the rain and wind we all took our “everyday” cars! We arrived at BK and the wind and rain had actually picked up so we decided to try and set up inside the restaurant. We talked to the manager who was very helpful and said they were a “car friendly establishment” and it would be fine if we set up inside the restaurant to get out of the weather. The first car that showed up to register was Wyatt and his brother in their DeLorean then John and Tim of the Stangs & Fangs Mustang club and then it was kind of a blur after that during the registration. I think we found out why Andrew wanted to help us and went with us.. .. He wanted to be first, he got the #1 Rally card! Some left as soon as they had registered and some stayed and had lunch but as the activity slowed down I realized it was 1:15! WOW We had registered just 17 cars but had sold 35 rally cards! We had planned on 300+ cars but the weather nixed that! Maybe next time….

We left BK at 1:45 and drove to the second stop at Culpepper Airport and the Commemorative Air Force hanger. When we arrived the airplanes were still in the hanger because of the rain and wind but the Rally cars were parked all around. The Rallyers (new word I just invented) were going over the airplanes and talking to the CAF people there. The CAF was very accommodating to all including the stop workers, Lou & Arlene, and had set them up in the CAF office area so they could manage the stop effectively. The CAF also set up a barbeque lunch, I don’t know if it was for us but it was a great idea! The CAF people shared their hobby with us like we share our hobby with those that ask.. .. I could hang around airplanes all day but we had to keep moving so at 3PM we all left the CAF hanger and headed to the next stop.

When we arrived at Tony’s Body Shop there were many people still there that had left BK early, there seemed to be a lot of interest in the stop. Henry was set up in the “toy shop” part of the complex and helped keep the Rallyers moving. Tony and Beth did a wonderful job of accommodating the Rallyers, I had heard about their hospitality from others in the past and they did not disappoint. They opened their shop and complex so we could see their cars, shop and use the restroom facilities which helped make the Rally more comfortable. .. . The toy store was like being in the winner’s circle at a Goodguys meet. Please check the pictures of those that were there, Dan & Peggy & Chuck for a view of their collection and shop. 4PM arrived and the rain seemed to be stopping so we left Tony & Beth and headed for the next stop.

As we traveled to the Classic Car Center in Fredericksburg the roads were drying up and it would have been ok for the hot rods. JV was the stop worker at the Classic Car Center and had everything organized and executed his job with precision and verve, it must have been his mustache! Marty was being his usual gracious self and hosting those Rallyers around his shop. I have been there a few times but saw a Corvair truck that was new, very interesting.. .. And I always like the green Camaro. We were rushed and should have left at 5:00 but didn’t get out till 5:30. We need to build a little more time in the next Rally.

We arrived at the last stop, Foster’s Grille, and the VA Stockers had their monthly cruise in progress. They had about 15 cars set up and more came in during the evening. Foster’s Grille accommodated us as they always do and helped us with room for the Rally .. .. and the food and service was great too, what’s not to like! At 6PM, with Ramona’s help we announced that we would determined who had the winning hand for the Rally. It was Tim & Jacob, they won the $350 pot.. .. I think Jacob was really excited about the deal. In fact after I took their pictures by Tim’s car with Jacob holding the money, I’m not sure Tim got the money back from Jacob! grin Tim decided to give $150 of his winnings to our charity, Wounded Warrior Project. Some wanted us to have the $10 rally fee split, ½ for charity and ½ for the winner, which was a good idea and what most events do to ensure the charity gets a contribution too. I had hoped that whoever won would do the right thing and donate a large portion of their winnings to Wounded Warrior Project.. .. They did! Thank you Tim! We stayed till 9PM talking and eating.. .. I love the car culture, if I had known it was going to be this much fun I would have started years ago!

I want to thank the stop workers who helped move the event along smoothly; Lou & Arlene, Henry, JV and Dan & Ramona. Dan is kind of quiet and just gets things done and usually no one notices his effort.. .. But I want to thank Dan for his tireless work and the advice & encouragement he gives me as we work on these projects, he is another of our almost adopted children.. .. grin And Andrew was always helping us carry things and making sure we didn’t get lost and end up in Richmond or somewhere else!

I asked Ted if he was happy with the outcome of the Rally, he was.. .. So all is good! And maybe Steve would win next time if he didn’t make Sally do all the Rally card work! Dan and I have a few things to change as we go along but I think we proved the format and will make it a little better the next time, we just have to find someone that is in charge of the weather! Does anyone want to go on another Rally.. .. maybe in September/October?