Good O'l Days again

Between the truck repairs and rain, our weekend was turning ugly.  We ventured out Friday evening and visited the cruise at the DQ in Fredericksburg, a fun time!  But Saturday we scrubbed the trip to Tappahannock and the Rivahfest because of rain.  Sunday was forecasted to be rain free!  When I opened the garage door Sunday at 5AM and saw the driveway was dry I started to get a little excited.  Maybe today we can ride in the old truck to the show.  I packed the truck and went back inside to crash around on the computer a little while the Princess got ready (I am a keyboard addict, not in recovery yet!) but when the Princess came down she announced that it was raining?  Why does it take me 3 min to get ready….but the Princess takes over an hour to get ready?  If I’m wearing short pants all I have to do is make sure my socks match….and I’m good to go!  I went outside and sure enough the driveway was wet.  I thought it might just be fog or heavy mist, so I stepped outside and looked up, in the dark, and it immediately started to pour!  Yup, it was raining.  We didn’t know how long the rain would last and I really didn’t want to drive the freshly cleaned truck in the rain if I didn’t have to.  So we decided to transfer all our stuff to our little zip car.  Since we were going to put up a Fisher House canopy we had a lot of “stuff” to transfer and reconfigure the little car. 

Around 6:15 we began our 21 mile journey to Occoquan, VA and Prince William Cruiser’s 22nd annual Good O’l Days show, in the rain.  We “work” this show because we feel called to contribute to the efforts of the club and help make this one of the Premier shows in this area.  The club is a Military Veteran friendly club that contributes many dollars to various Veteran organizations throughout the year.  Fred & Debie, Dan & Ramona and the Princess & I all contribute our varied talents to the worker pool so Steve and the club can ensure a seamless, positive experience for the participants and spectators alike.  Dan assisted at the check in point where the club collects the money to get into the show….would you really want to argue with Dan about anything?  The ladies worked the T-shirt sales and 50/50 ticket processing.  The Princess says it’s kind of like shopping shopping, only in reverse?  You have no idea….  Fred & I helped with the registration table till a little after noon when I began documenting all the vehicles in attendance through the lens of my camera and Fred & Dan watched the Fisher House booth we had set up.  We took turns manning the Fisher House booth, there were just few questions about that organization during the day.  We may have to rethink our efforts for a Fisher House presence at car events.  It usually works out much better when Ray & Terry attend with the Fisher House race car.  Something about a race car that attracts people.

Even if we didn’t work this show we would attend it.  The club runs the deal like a Swiss watch….always on time and every movement knows just exactly what to do and the wheels spin on jewels to make the motion smooth as glass.  Most of the members are “old hands” at the show thing and because of that they have participants from three states that attend.  It’s like going to a chain restaurant….you know what to expect, they have done this before; the menu is the same every time.  The food is typical ‘car show’ variety….good but not something you would take your best girl out on Saturday night to sample.  The restrooms are a variable….sometimes good….sometimes not so good.  Sunday they started bad but got good….what a concept!  The venue is exceptional….rolling grass with trees on some of the perimeter spots for the early arrivals.  The club awards many trophies at this event, which is one of the reasons some attend.  But there is always a small minority that pays the entrance fee to support the cause but don’t participate in the competition.  There is always a disparity between the dollars collected and the number of “registered” vehicles.  This Sunday there were about 205 registered and another 10-12 paid but not registered!  Sally and her helpers collected around $1200 for the 50/50….it’s her most visible contribution to the show….she is such a ‘people’ person this task fits her perfectly!

This event attracts all kinds of vehicles….from the “high dollar” Riddler types that seldom see a road mile to cars like Jerry’s gunmetal grey ’30 Ford 2dr sedan that is driven everywhere.  I liked the white early 50’s Ford fire truck and the black ’68 Camaro convertible with the red interior.  I also liked the blue/white ’65 Chevy PU….very simple and neat as a pin.  There were quite a few Mustangs; Marvin’s red ’67 caught the judge’s eye too!  Then there was the grey ’64 Riviera….with the silver scallops…..someday…..  Gary brought his Track Racer, flathead powered of course!  Please be sure to spend some time with the pictures….the group is so varied and interesting, you will find something that you like.

After the awards were given out, on time, we packed up our stuff and motored home.  Once we were inside our hovel we both instantly collapsed in our favorite chairs and didn’t wake till 9PM!  I guess we were exhausted but didn’t know it….something for us to ponder.