Event Coverage Is this dying out, what's next?

You are not wrong.

 

I’m not a show car event guy as my butt can’t sit still for more then a 1/2 hour. So swapmeets is my poison and noticed the last few have been thin. I know many younger gentlemen want to participate in the hobby but some prices scare them away. I believe our youth would participate but prices and lack of guys willing to share knowledge is creating issues.
Yeah crazy as all the guy I know can help guys enough but when talking to the youth that’s a issue. I did experience the same thing 30 years ago but it was the lack of knowledge and the guys didn’t build the cars I was asking about the issue. I was at Jefferson this weekend and attendance was down and crowd was thin. Has the internet squashed the swapmeets maybe but good to see old friends and most importantly

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not pushing any agenda or trying to start any debate on it. Most of the reasons put forward in this thread are valid, and I think the truth is that it is a combination of all of them, pandemic included.
The times, they are a'changin'.......

 

Pardon my haste, no time to read it all. Will do so later buutt.
It takes only one Hot Rod to make me Happy

 

I'm 65 and recall the nats in Columbus,Oh, what '77, ' 79 there about, drove down from Cleveland, sat outside the gate, hot rods in endless streams, still can't throw away the 35mm pix, those guys must been about 10 years older than me and my buddies. Do the math, that was the "car gear head " era. Same with the local circle track racing deal, the world moves on, the hobby is still there, just on a level that wasn't what it used to be.

 

To expand, on a slight tangent, the big, regional and national events are, like print media, irrelevant and out of touch. We're all HERE, on the H.A.M.B. We're not buying print magazines, because, like NSRA and GoodGuys events, they don't speak to US, the old guys, they don't relate to the young (and by young I mean 40-50 year olds), and they especially don't appeal to people in their 20's and 30's. I was tickled to finally get an issue of "Rodder's Digest", mainly as, in my mind, a tribute to Pat Ganahl.
Honestly, I think that those days are GONE, and lamenting that is a waste of energy. We have to acknowledge that hot rodding is continuing to evolve, and move with it, as best we're able.
Go to TROG. Go to a vintage drag event at an airstrip (until somebody gets hurt and that gets shut down), go to your local cruise night. Wear a god damn mask if you're in a crowded indoor venue (no more Autorama for me), drive your car to dinner or to get groceries at Aldi's.
Yeah, I'm that old...

 

I joined NSRA in the early '70's and hit every rod run in my area for years. Had a lot of fun for awhile but eventually there were more and more high buck pro builds showing up and a lot of snobbery. The final straw for me was when they raised the 1948 limit to whatever it was. I bailed out in the early '80's and haven't been to an event since.

 

Is the NSRA dying out? Maybe. But I don’t believe the car enthusiast hobby is dying out in the least. Things change, tastes change. Pay to enter car shows may be declining. But cars and coffee type events are booming.

If the younger generations are not exposed to a traditional hot rod or kustom, how can they fall in love/ catch the bug? I think as long as we are around spreading the gospel and sharing our cars it will never really die out.

The big thing is to talk to the kids that are interested in your cars. Don’t be a jerk and blow them off. I have seen so many people treat the younger guys that come up to them and ask about their cars blow them off or just ignore them altogether. Don’t be that guy.

 

I noticed that while I was at Drag Week this year, I spent more time talking with the guys who were doing different stuff than the majority....mostly younger guys with cars that we generally think have no business being at a drag race, and these guys were there making them go really fast for what they are, or just really fast in general.

We've been around it all so long that it gets so boring seeing the same thing over and over. I went to the NSRA nats in 1989 when I finished building the only street rod I ever had, and went to Goodguys in Phoenix twice since then, with friends, because those friends were going, and I wanted to see how things were these days.

I'm not sad that it's all changing. Life goes on, it's good to find new entertainment.

 

I'd have to say that the big deal killer is the total cost of going to a lot of events.
Gas is double what it was three years ago, Rooms cost as much as twice as much, Food costs more.

Say what you want but the venues get most of your entry fee at any major event. Be it club or private promoter they hit whoever is putting the event on for a big chunk and usually control 100% of the food and beverage concessions and parking. Thats just a fact of life, Even the local clubs that put on an afternoon event in a park or parking lot often have to pay a fee and buy permits.

The numbers were down on a great little event 50 miles from me on labor Day weekend mainly because the people putting the event on didn't let folks know that they were putting the event on. You can't rely on everyone remembering that you do it every year on that weekend, you have to remind them.

Next weekend my two favorite small events are the same day. The East West Flathead run and the Concours de Maryhill aks the Mary Hill Museum car show south of Goldendale Wa. Both are great laid back events and the flathead run is 110 miles one way and the Maryhill show is 59.5 miles from my driveway when I turn south at the mailbox. There is usually a real mixed bag of cars there including some nice rods and the cars that run in the hill climb on Sunday. There are even some great wineries to grab a bottle or two to haul home if that spins your wheels.

Personally outside of bucket list events and the the likes of Billetproof I'd rather hit the small one day events in small out of the way towns. Pay their entry fee to support their cause and hopefully have some nifty places to snoop around and then a great place to get lunch. Then half the fun is the driving to get there and back.

 

Food for thought, were where you in 62. In American Graffiti Milner's car was a 32 It was 30 years old and by all accounts John and his greased back hair and white T where a throwback to a different time. Steve's 58 Impala was a 4-year-old car and Falfa's was 7. The car scene has never changed those demographics. In 1971 when I was 16 my 1st car was a 63 Catalina convertible and most cars in the car scene in the Milwaukee area where no more than 10 years old and tri five Chevys where on the back row and could be bought for a 100-dollar bill. Brand new Cudas could be bought for less than 4000.00. I honestly think the revival of 20.s 30's 40's cars in the 70's till recent years had a lot to do with the NSRA and American Graffiti. When the NSRA open up their cut off dates, that was a financial survival move even then. You think their numbers are down now, picture those events the last 15 years without the 49 and newer entries. They would have been out of business years ago! Most vendors that supported those events have been going out of business for years, those that remain are those shops in name only having been bought up by corporation companies who believe sales will be made online. I still see a lot of young guys interested in cars but remember 30-year-old cars are 92 Camaro's and cool shop trucks are mid 90s Silverado's. More things change the more they stay the same. Larry

 

I feel like we need to beat this dead horse every couple of months, so I’ll take a whack.

I have 3 old cars but I attend less than 10, some years less than 5 events in a year. I make most of those decisions by who is going to be there, usually friends or family.

I put on a reliability run in my town for several years but it got to be too much. I did like the event.

I’ll be traveling 5.5 hours one way in a 39 Ford with no AC with my 2 oldest kids to the Gathering at the Roc. I’m looking forward to the Friday run, the evening band, and the concentration of cool cars. I think this may become my new favorite event.

To conclude, for me it’s more about the people, and enjoy it while it lasts because the future of this hobby looks bleak.

 

See you in a few days.

 

The same could be said about Back To The 50's this year venders way down, car count down. The cost to drive 450 pluse miles is way up but I still had a good time. Young people could give two shits about cars they would rather spend there money on gaming and not leave the house and it shows at the local cruise nights and shows every year it gets less and less.

 

Young people these days, for the most part, don't have much of any money to spend on anything.

The economy conditions that allowed inexpensive cars to be built by kids with extra money have changed, and they aren't coming back.

The kids did not do this. There are larger systemic economic forces at play here, and we cannot discuss those on a car board.

 

At one point in life, I started realizing that the events I had always attended, were being overran with later model cars. Brand new cars, straight from the dealership, and I got pissed off about it and said fuck it, I'm not going back to that show. And then my old lady said "if everybody had that same shitty attitude, the only cars at the event will be new cars!"... I assume we've all got old cars here? If turnout and participation is low, it's our fault. "It's too cold" or "it's gonna be too hot" or "they're giving rain".... bullshit, if you're too old to take your car out and enjoy, sell it to someone that will. Then participation will go back up. If our hobby dies, it's our own fault.

 

This could not be any further from the truth

 

There's a growing diy/right-to-repair movement out there, and hot rodding has to forge links with it. I see more of a viable future in that landscape, if superficial cultural misconceptions could be got out of the way.

 

You done good. That 8 track may never make it into a car, but for some time it will sit in the man's mind and help him dream. Most of us go through the mortgage/redundancy/kids/braces/divorce/hurricane/car theft/ etc stuff at some stage. When you're in it, it can be hard to see a way to owning a whole hotrod. Little nudges like someone paying it forward, or taking the time to educate someone make a difference.

He wouldn't be the first one to build a project around a small item like an 8-track.

Cheers,
Harv

 

I think street ridding is getting boring. All most all built to the same formula with all new similar catalogue parts. Small block auto, kit front and rear suspension common accessory gauges from a catalogue. Nothing interesting to see any more. I've always messed with hot rods. Always will. But rarely go to events now.

 

They had 9,900 attendees this year. That's down a little from the ~11,000 in past years, but still a pretty darn good sized crowd.

 

"It Is What It Is" Our World has always changed, evolved and always will. Live, Love, Laugh, Enjoy !

 

I find it kind of funny a bunch of folks who put down street rods want to fuss about attending a street Rod event and it not being as big as it once was. How ironic!

I went to a local to me festival/ car show on Saturday, first one they have held in two years due to the pandemic. Sure, car attendance was down a bit as was spectators, but maybe only by about 50 cars, there were still 209 registered cars and I’m sure several non registered ones. We parked by a younger guy on our left who had his deceased father in laws 77 Chevy pickup that he had restored, on our right was a killer chopped 47 Chevy pickup owned and built by a guy that was close to my 63 years of age. I was in my 47 Lincoln, wife in her 88 F Bird. One thing I noticed, her car drew the under 50 crowd, mine was more folks over 50. There were crossovers on both. One of the guys sitting close to us was 83 years old, he brought a super nice 51 Chevy he had built himself a few years back and a 57 Ford that he had recently had a guy build for him, both very HAMB friendly. I spent a lot of the day talking to the older than me guys and I could have easily been mistaken to be their age, but I also talked with the young man with the 77 Chevy, again, I could have been mistaken to be in his age group. Point is, we all had similar interests ever though there was probably 50 years difference in our ages youngest to oldest, and we had totally different vehicles. We were all car guys, the age of the ride made no difference. I made new friends, saw old friends, got to see a lot of nice vehicles, it was a good day! We got our $20 entry fee back as a door prize for one car and got the other back by winning a $20 T Shirt that will go to our grandson.

We got to relax in the shade and rest from a hectic week, put other thought away, and just enjoy a day with each other, our cars, and friends. Plus we drove there and back without any problems, so what’s not to like about that?

I’ve been to a couple of events with over a 1000 cars, but it was overwhelming, you just couldn’t get around to see them all. I prefer the 200-400 events but even they can be too much to take in. Doesn’t bother me if Joe Blow brings out his store bought new Challenger or a new 1-800 built street Rod, I’ll look if it interests me. My stuff isn’t perfect and I don’t pass it off as such, but I enjoy answering questions about it to the uninformed. Kids are welcomed to sit in them, I don’t worry about scratches too much, I just try to make friends. You never know, that kid you let touch your car may become a talented gearhead later on and help you out. It’s happened to me before.

 

I don't go to shows. Neither do the younger guys I know (40s). I don't know why, shows just don't appeal to me. Like stated previously, I prefer to drive it. I couldn't care less about a show.

I do think that as it ages we'll see interest doe down to a certain degree. I'm a wood boat guy, and you can see it heavy in that hobby. Few people want a wood boat anymore, too much work. I'm not saying nobody does, but much fewer than even 10 years ago.

Also, to today's kid, a foxbody mustang is an old hot rod, lol. They may even dig the 70s muscle cars, but not many are interested in our stuff. They think it's cool, but no interest in owning one.....

 

^^^^ Bama hit it right on the head. Go to a show and enjoy it. And check out that 20-year-old Honda with the twin turbos and road race suspension. And after you talk to the young man or women that owns it you might discover a pretty impressive mechanical mind inside their head. I have been into cars my whole life and have experienced every style on two and four wheels. And it has always been about making them faster, safer and cooler looking. the age of the sheet metal means nothing, it's what you do to it that makes it cool. Larry

 

I love these scab picking posts. I'ma toss in an anecdote here. I recently picked up an old shovelhead. "Man, you'll be lucky to get parts. Nobody wants those fuckin things any more. It's all baggers." "Wait, you mean the 5 or 6 guys you ride with?" Did I make the point? Observation, the O/P is in New Hampshire. Not exactly bumfuq Egypt but far from say, Pittsburg, Greater Detroit, Dallas, etc. The lower the percentage of population the lower the turnout. And we look for what WE like. I may like Fox body Mustangs but I'm not going to show for them and don't care to see one at a dedicated event, like a hot rod show. By all accounts I'm glad I didn't go to K'zoo and NSRA (not street rods anymore) has probably opened it up to too many, and understandable from a biz perspective. Seeing folks like us take a pass ought be just as understandable. Did the 'rona fuck us? No, how it was handled did. Fear sells. I'm done with that topic.

Once again this "We're doomed, we're done, nobody wants..." and yet parts prices and auction results say "...hey Mac you're full of shit." Sales records smashed and I've said before how and why and what drives it. No politics here but we're all in a freshly manured wet field right now. It stinks, it rained, everybody's pissed about 1 thing or another. I'm done with that too. But the matter at hand, are we done? Maybe I'll visit this next week and the week after with a Hershey report and see if this shit is dead. I'd bet a coffee it will be good. Swap spaces are sold out. I don't know how many (few?) were lost but it used to be 9000 vendor spaces. Nine Thousand, I didn't add a zero, but we did lose 1 small section. 500? 1000? If that? The buzz leading up is getting louder. Of course THAT isn't a hot rod show but we sure find a lot of raw material there, no? Speed parts and more, stuff we need, prices up from a scant 6 or 7 years ago. Yeah fuckin dead. So once again I'll close with my std offer, I'll give $5,000 for the old Deuce roadster you just finished cuz, hey, nobody wants this shit but I'll help ya out. I'll give ya 6 for that 36 3W No? OF COURSE NOT. Carry on...

 

I like shows but enjoy the driving as much. The perfect show to me will be a few hundred miles from home. Last month did a show in Mustang, OK, a 500 mile round trip. Last week was a show in Santa Rosa, NM, (Bozo's) a 350-mile round trip, and this coming weekend is my favorite in Ruidoso, NM. That will be a 600 mile round trip. On retirement money, I've got to watch the spending. Even more so this year, so the big NSRA and Goodguys I've done so often were out.

 

Are you freaking kidding me? That’s my town Holmes.

 

My statement was not about all older guys it was about a very specific element, and is based on tring to speak with these people at events. I always enjoy talking to the older generations to learn about how things were built.

However just because someone is older than myself don't mean the know the subject, if you had read my post you see that-

I have no issuse with anyone who does build there own car and many of my friends are older legitimate hot rod builders and racers.

My critique was of the trend chasers who have invaded the sence, who have no clue about the the histroy, the parts and any interest in building a period correct car is only skin deep. I.E-Flatblack and whitewalls.

These guys are what is killing the fairgrounds type events, my older hot rod friends hate fairground events for just this reason.



A few of my legitimate hot rod and racing friends

Bud Hinman, my father, and myself


Bud's first hot rod built at 14


Bud's 1969 Championship winning car "Bug" or cut down 34 Ford





Dan Henke Harly Davidson restorer and peroid correct hot rodder -


Real deal 324 Old powered 40 Ford


"Little" Joey Lawrece chassis builder, inovantior


These guys have been nothing but helpful and share their knowalge, and Joey Lawrece came up looked over my build and started talking to me about telling me how much he liked the work in the chassis, and offered advice on how to make my car handle and proform.

Having Joey Lawrece complement my car was a great honor!