Event Coverage Hunnert Car Pile Up Traffic Pile Up

You just now finished grabbin' Breeder's ass? He wasn't kidding when he said you don't mess around.

 

I agree. There were a LOT of participants that were just plain rude to the VOLUNTEERS. I had a couple bark at me and I heard and saw others being bitched at....THAT is inexcusable. You want to complain to anyone, write or call the Morris Police, the Morris city officials and the IL state patrol. Anyone have a number for us to call....I'll bet we will get pretty far for next year if we make them get on the ball.

The ONLY complaint I have about the show is that there are too many complainers. This show is incredible.

For those who have major complaints about the show....if it is that bad, don't come back. This show is not for everyone. No event can be perfect for everyone. If you want to be pissed off at someone, be pissed off at the thousands of spectators who came to the show and caused the traffic jam. THEY are the cause of the problems. Personally, I thought that this was the best one I have been to.

Hopefully we will piss off all the jerks that complain, they won't come back and there won't be parking issues next year. LOL

The Czars put in 125% to this show and donate all their money......in return get yelled at and threatened. It makes me sick to think that there are that many people out there that just have no clue.

I can say this with heart because I did.....Have the balls to start your own show and see just how much "fun" it is to deal with some of the general public. My show went EXTREMELY smooth....but I can see it getting out of hand like this in a few years. I am very thankful that I have good friends to help out and that I can learn from the Pileup.

Can't wait for next year!

DW...are you ready for the amount of Red Shirts next year? I can see it getting out of hand. Everyone will want to volunteer so they can get in early and not wait in traffic! LOL. Couple years it will be 15,000 red shirts and 200 spectators.

I heard a story today about a 72ish year old man who parked and walked a mile up the road to get to the gate to be turned away. he went back out along the road and picked up a bunch of cans and trash and walked back up to the gate. They turned him away again...he told them he had to toss the garbage away and they let him in to do so.....he tossed it out and kept walking. he he he.

 

Great to finally meet ya jeffro!
Hope next yr we can get more time for drinks n slow dancing
my kids both thought u were a cool dude. I told them the truth!

 

We all got there around 7 AM and the show cars were almost to 47 I was lucky they make a third lane for show cars so my shoebox got to the front. Then my dad and uncle ran to the store around 11 and and got stuck in traffic. So they snuck around some country roads and then got to the joint and cops closed and they werent even going to let them in even though they had a car inside so they just did a little hikeing and walked in no problem. All and All it was the cops fault. The show was totally greant and i look forward to next year. We all had a blast. I was just wondering if it was true that show cars were ascked to leave th show cause there were to many cars. Just wondering why everyone was leaving at like 2pm and being asked to leave was a rumor I heard just wondering if it was true

 

Oh yeah a huge thanks to the czars I know you all work real hard to make the show happen it was a blast. Keep up the good work and dont take no crap from the box jockys HCPU 08 was great.

 

Wow, after reading all this I feel really lucky. I worked 20 hours on my truck to get it roadworthy and didn't get to bed until 4:00 AM. Hit the road at 9:00 and rolled into the Pileup from the North at 11:00. I waited maybe a minute on Rte 47, zipped right into the fairgrounds and into a show spot way in the back. I accidentally missed the checkpoint, I thought I was following the showcar signs but ended up going around by the track. Maybe that is how some of the stock or ratty cars got in too.

It was a great show and a great party. I worked the southgate in the afternoon. Had to deal with a few pissed off people but no real a-holes except for the guy in a white Ranger who almost hit me and then a deputy blasting out of the lot.

I left around 5:30, zipped right out again.

Hats off to the Czars for all their hard work. Will they do it again next year?

 

Drove 16 hours round trip to my first Pile-Up. What a blast ! One of the best car events I've ever been to. Got there before 8:00, parked just a couple of rows from the front, stayed until after 4:00 and felt like I didn't get to see everything. Took us maybe 15 minutes to get out. On the way out my buddy and I both were amazed that people were parked as far south as the school and beyond but didn't know about the traffic issues until the Lions Swap Meet today. Success does not come without some problems.

A big congrats and thanks to the Czars and all of the people that had a hand in putting this show together and for volunteering their time. It's a thankless task, I'm sure. Personally, I think the venue is perfect for the show and the vibe of the place matches the event. The traffic could be handled with a few simple solutions and there was plenty of room in the back for more cars. The city of Morris has gotta undestand what this type of event does for their local economy, I'm sure they'd hate to lose it and can work towards making it better next year traffic-wise.

 

hmmm....1000s of people that did not have the ability to set their alarm are now complaining about the traffic.

You see - if you show up EARLY to an event (or work) you can avoid the crush of traffic.....if you stay LATE - you avoid all the people that are trying to get over to that one restaurant in time for their reservations

Does no one GET THIS?

tons of people trying to get to one location means traffic delays.

next year set your alarm for 6am and quit bitching.

A guy I know parked in the SPECTATOR lot at 530 am cause he wanted to be sure to get in!

Now THAT is a good boy scout - BE PREPARED

and directing anger at volunteers or the Chrome Czars just shows the mental capacity of those that are doing the complaining

 

Reading this it sounds to me like any other show, you have to be there early to get in reasonable. They might figure out the capacity of the show grounds and cut entires off at that number with the caveat that if you're not there by X time they may let someone else in in your place, too bad, so sad. Work with the cops so entered cars don't get turned away. And anyone who shits on the volunteers gets sent packing.

 

What I want to know is, did the medic have a good time? Thank him for his service also!

 

I don't understand the people ripping on those who couldn't get in the show. Some people have to work, have family obligations, etc., and can't be there waiting in line when the gates open. So it's pretty understandable that someone would be upset if the bust their ass to get there, even if it's later in the day, then wait an hour plus in line to get to the show, and are told they can't get it. That doesn't give them a right to be rude or hassle anyone, but it is a legitimate complaint. Pointing fingers doesn't do much good either. Someone needs to figure out exactly what went wrong and fix it!

 

Awesome time, thanks Czars. No complaints here. And a huge thanks to the red shirts for the parking lot help. Once they got word of the mass traffic jam trying to leave, they set up and got us on the road. I'm already looking forward to next year no matter where it is......

 

got there at 830 and was in the line of cars waiting to get in. we made it to a spot inside at about 10. my leg was shaking for holding in the clutch for so long. it was a good show no the less. it did however take us over an hour to leave inside the fairgrounds to reach hwy 47. ..jones

 

First time there and I enjoyed myself. We got in at 11:30 and the traffic was all solid from the Freeway exit to the fair grounds, anytime you have two lane into an event you are going to have traffic backed up. When we left at 2:30 the parking was full and and they were parking them on the street. Thanks to the many people who worked hard to put on a good event! We will be back in 2010.

 

Very crowded event but I wouldn't miss it if I had a choice. Too bad about the police deal, as there was lots of room around back and beyond for a LOT more show cars.
Would have been great if somebody could have let the "cars" in the gates to the f'grnds as they arrive to avoid the initial backup.
I'm not complaining though, I'm sure they have their reasons for the way its handled.

 

I don't know about all the complaints, Continental John had plenty of chili, free for the asking. Thanks again John!!!!

 

I had to work "tech inspection" for Vintage Sportscar racing in Joliet this weekend and missed the "pileup" for the first time ! I was bummed, but I will say The dude that passed me on 55 in a "slammed 30's pickup" in the rain Friday comming from Missouri made my weekend ! Looked great and sounded "FINE" !! I'm still grinnin'. I'm sorry about the mess ya had, but we knew it had to happen, the show's growin' like a weed. Hope the Czars can get it worked out. The do an "Awesome" job !

Davo

 

Very well said ! Again I am fairly certain if the local police would have been managing the traffic from the get go none of this would have happened. ITS NOT THE SHOW'S FAULT the local authorities were not prepared for the onslaught of spectators! A little traffic control early on would have done wonders.
Many of you are saying "well you should have gotten there earlier" all that would have done was cause the same problem only earlier in the day, think what would have happened if they (the police) would have shut it down at 9:30 now that would have been a disaster! however any participants that gave the redshirts grief doesnt deserve to come back.asI waited in line next to a redshirt about 3:30 in the south lane I could tell they had there hands full, Im glad I was able to thank him and tell him he was really earning his shirt today I m sorry I didnt get his name but he said he liked my coupe and missed his A roadster whover that poor guy was he did a hell of a job as did all the volunteers and deserves alll our thanks. I aslo feel for the poor people that didnt have hotels and had to arrive later only to be turned away! KUDOS to the Czars and redshirts!

And yes John's Chilli was awesome

 

i guess the problems arose when the authorities accessed the traffic backed up on I80 and RT47 and determined it to be a safty issue and ordered both entrance and exit to and from the show closed until the traffic flowed normal again.
morris was chosen on a number of factors. size, reasonably good access, hotel accommodation and nearby business district to host pre and post parties. i know the guys put alot of thought into choosing the location and i know they'll brainstorm to come up with possible solutions. it will be hard to come up with a better site when taking in all the criteria that went into choosing morris.
so what other solutions might we suggest to help them decide? i think the root of the problem stems from the additional spectators, the walk in attendence. maybe they can have off-site parking and shuttle buses? maybe increasing entrance fee to ten bucks will reduce the amount of gawkers?
i've been to every pileup and denise brought up something earlier in another thread. she said remember when the pileup was mostly participant attended? so maybe the pileup becomes a drive-in only event and no spectators allowed? that seems sort of harsh, doesn't it?
what other solutions can you offer to help the czars make this event better?

 

Yeah, traffic was entertaining to say the least. The Czars and volunteers did all they could to keep the cars constantly moving it. The first two lots were full in what seemed like a matter of minutes leaving only one entrance for spectators (which also slowed down the show cars coming in). Come 11AM the sheriffs told us that we were done and closed the first entrance down.

Only thing to fix that traffic mess would be a 4 lane road to the fairgrounds. Two lanes just can't handle that much traffic coming in.

 

I drove 4 hours to get there. I was turned away from the parking lot but parked by the road anyway. Other than the walk I had a great time and so did the kids. I do agree that the show has outgrown the fairgrounds but in my opinion the cops and people working the parking area did the best they could for the amount of people that showed up.

 

Agreed, and if everyone arrived at an earlier hour, would it not close the show earlier? I guess the early birds would be bitching then!!

 

they used to start lining up at 5:00 am for the street nats, and that was a 5000 car show at a much bigger venue...

 

Wow it's too bad they have outgrown the location. I'm sure when I-80 started backing up that's when they had to start turning people away. Something to think about too guys is with budgetary issues a lot of places won't pay overtime for traffic control unless they are reimbursed by the promoters. Grundy county I'm sure is no exception to this. I'm glad I had to work and missed it I guess?

 

well just my 2 cents
I drove 14 hours one way and got there early (thursday night) but we had a blast at thr red cent friday night and we were at the south gate at 715 and waited til 9 to get in. even if they open the gates early there would have been problems earlier.
I am sorry for the people that didn't get in and yes maybe they should in the future set there alarms alittle earlier. but to me there was just some confusion between the cops and the people trying to get in and to avoid problems they shut it down.
which is there job to prevent catasthropys.
I am sure that next year the czar's will have things more organized so this doesn't happen again they are looking into. even talking about a shuttle for spectators and having more room for show cars. and just the fact that they DONATE the proseeds to charitys is great, I am sure everybody here has or knows somebody that could use some charity and they do there best to provide it. the only problem I had is the fact that the people that couldn't get in would cuss and even try to spit on the guy with the red pants.the red shirts these people are volunteers trying to help thats all there doing they dont deserve that kind of abuse. there were alot of cars that were awesome that got in and alot of car outside that were just as nice yes it sucks they didn't get in so maybe they should have just parked over in the hotel parking lots with there pbr's and lone star's and watched the cars leaving the show. they do it in shows in pa alot. thats just my 2 cents
THE PILE UP RULES HATS OFF TO THE CHROME CZAR'S FOR PULLING OFF A GREAT EVENT ITS WORTH THE 14 HOUR RIDE

 

The parking lot just isn't big enough for the spectators. This was obvious last year when the spectator parking filled up. The corn was off last year so at least you could park in the field next to it. The late harvest this year left no overflow parking. Even if the corn was off, the field would have been too muddy to park in. The show is just going to have to move to a different venue or fight these issues every year. Even if the Police handled traffic earlier, there would not be enough room for all of the spectators to park. There was enough room in the back for another couple of hundred show cars though......Letting cars in earlier would help with the congestion of the show cars at the gate, but you can't control how many spectators there are and when they decide to show up. I would imagine that charging to park in the spectator lot would keep out a lot of the cheap charlies though.......

They always have police directing traffic at the Lion's Club show and swap meet the following day (I saw at least 4 or 5 squad cars there). That show brings in about 800 cars I guess, but I have never seen the traffic backed up there because there aren't as many spectators...

Chad from the Czars told me that the Police WERE informed, but they didn't think it was a big deal and didn't plan on sending out someone to direct traffic until 11. I would have thought they would have been on top of it from all of the accidents out front in previous years from rubber neckers....

 

Glo and I got there early and the traffic was very light.



We entered on the north road (the Grundy County Fairgrounds calls the north drive "The Pit Gate", the middle drive is "The Main Gate" and the south drive is "The Barn Gate"). As we got closer to the locked Main Gate the traffic had increased substantially.



Actually this was Friday morning and we soon found our way onto the fairgrounds and started a damp, rainy, miserable day of helping setup. Glo took a bunch of candid pics but these are the only ones on-topic to this thread. Here's the last showing a couple of my Evil Step Children helping the Parking Czar layout the grid for the hopefully-improved-over-last-year's random access method. It was successful in that more cars were crammed into the space but there were a hell of a lot more cars this year! So now the Czars will rethink things and make the necessary changes. I really thought attendance would be DOWN this year because of the weather and the economy - man was I surprised. The positive comments are starting to outpace the negative views as I knew they would when the folks who participated started posting. A HUGE Thank You to the Chrome Czars and my fellow volunteers for continuing to make this the best damned car event of my year.

 

SHUTTLE BUSES FROM THE HOTEL WOULD CURE ALOT OF THIS! AND THEY COULD CHARGE FOR IT!!!! arron, i have a short bus! you wanna go into business next oct??????

 

larry, where the pic of the matchmakers>?????