Event Coverage Hunnert Car Pile Up Traffic Pile Up

Why is billetproof florida changing venues?

 

Last year, we got into Morris about 9 a.m. and just a short delay to park.
This year, we left late from the hotel about 10 a.m., waited in traffic on northbound 47 just before the expressway overpass to the fairgrounds for 45 minutes.
Whatever, I've waited longer in traffic for NSRA, NHRA and NASCAR events...this was a piece of cake.

 

This was my 4th year as a red shirt volunteer..... and as my observation the problem lies with the law and the town side of things!Ever since the Pile-Up went to Morris it has done nothing but grow!The hotels sell out a year in advance,it has gotten bigger and bigger,and crazier and crazier!If you want someone to blame...blame the town,the law,blame yourself for not getting there early enough,but don't blame the organizers who have no control over the amount of spectators that show up to gawk at the latest craze!The amount of work that goes into putting this show together is ridiculous!Us as volunteers only have to work a 2 hour shift and it takes a hell of alot out of you...the Czars start to work on the next show as soon as they get home from that years show!So think about it before you jugde them, like the show or not...period!!!!!!!

 

Errm...I think people in the Kulture have babies, too.

 

Loud pipes? exhaust fumes? cool old train horns? piston driven aircraft flying low overhead?
WTF??? Just how old and cranky are you people? IT'S A HOTROD SHOW..........................

 

Same thing---not enough spectator parking, traffic jams on the highway, county upset, etc


Marcy

 

I just can't resist.............I thought it was a Rat Rod show? LOL


What I don't get is why everyone worries about so many little things instead of just enjoying a great show. Life it too short.

My highlights of the weekend:
I got to see all my good friends and meet a bunch of new ones!
I got to help out with one of the BEST shows in the country, if not THE best!
I got a cool red t-shirt and neat first aid kit for my glove box, FOR FREE!
I got drunk!
I got to listen to a bunch of awesome bands.
I got to drive my truck around all weekend with OPEN HEADERS and SLICKS!!! Where else can you do that??????
I got cold and wet and loved it!
I got to see so many smiling faces and talk with a ton of people who complimented me on the Shakedown. I felt great all weekend.
I got such incredible motivation to build stuff over the winter.
I ate some great food.
I got almost no sleep all weekend!
I got some great stories to talk about with my friends for the next year.
I got to hand out over 3,000 flyers for the 2010 Shakedown.
I can't wait for next year.

 

Shows that don't grow will die off.

I see a ton of negative comments about the pile up. How about a few more people saying something good.

Oh, Thank You Cliffy!

 

damn right man I made some noise with my car to who doesnt love the sound of open headers on a gasser or the sound of a flatty with smithys on it (like mine) we made these cars to run them not push and trailor them thats what makes the pileup great. Its a bunch of guys and gals that built and love there rides. Were not a bunch of check writing hawian shirt wearing crying baby by a tire kinda people. We love our cars and we love the way they sound. The trafic was a statement that others must like it to so quit complaining. Go to your local cruise night youll probably be more at home.

 

i was parked real close to it .... so i still cant hear anyones complaints! lol.

it was a great show.

next year i'm selling "horse blinders". only i'm calling em rat blinders, or maybe sunglasses with some kinda sensor that blocks out the rats... for all you that cant look at the ratrods without wadding up. just alittle humor to lightin things up. g

 

It was the best pile up to date most of the cars were fresh this year. Meaning they werent all the same cars we see at every other show. It ruled I will be there in 2010 hopefully my dad will be driving my shoebox and I will be in my 56 olds (if I get it done by then) Us SLACKERS CAR CLUB guys all plan on volunteering next year.

 

Thats pretty funny man how about some traffic blinders to.

 

Amen brother! Could'nt have said it better.What a great show! So what if it was cold and a little noisy.So what if Mother nature was being a pain in the ass.So what if there were so many head scratcher cars out there where you just know the owner had way too much time on his hands.My two favorite shows this year was the Symco Skakedown and this show. Symco had what 40 inches of rain and this pileup kept my nipples hard with the windshield of -5 degrees! So what.It's the midwest.It's supposed to be a pain in the ass sometimes. It was looking at all the impressive iron and hanging out with all the old and new friends that made it a blast and kept me warm. Especially Bleed igniting the crowd at the Red Cent Sat Night. What a show he put on.

 

Here's another good comment. Czars, you guys rock. The PileUp Rocks. NUF SAID!

 

My only regret was not getting over to the meet and greet. Are there any HAMBers out here near decatur IL?

 

Sissy!

 

I did have a great time till the state closed it down..Im also one that thinks it should be moved before next year...all the people and cars that get turned away, sorry for those people but in their case they will remember that next year and wont even come...this was a place that we were all to go to talk about our cars drink a few beers and have a good time..JUST LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE IF IT DOES GET TO BIG MOVE IT!!!MORE PEOPLE WOULD COME MORE MONEY FOR THEM TO TAKE IN , AND MORE MONEY FOR THE TOWN...IF THEY DO NOT WANT TO MOVE IT NEXT YEAR IAM ONE WITH A FEW OTHERS THAT ARE WILLING TO DO OUR OWN SO NEXT YEAR WITH ROOM AND NOBODY TURNED AWAY...THANKS TO EVERYBODY THAT DID ATTEND, AND SORRY AGAIN TO THE ONES THAT DIDNT EVEN GET A CHANCE...

 

some good suggestions have been made here,...my sincere hope is that all these problems get worked out by next year, the Pileup rules!
...BTW, ...come to the "Scrap Drive" next June 12th in Belvidere, Illinois, we have a great swapmeet and no parking problems ...yet.!

 

I had no problems coming from the north on 47 at about 10:30. From inside, the only clue I had about what was going on out on the road was the lines of cars trying to leave just sitting still for long periods of time. When my nephew and I decided to leave at about 4 we went to the north end and only had to wait about 10 minutes to get out.
I think that the show can still be held at the Grundy fairgrounds, but a deal needs to be struck with some of the nearby businesse to accomodate overflow parking and there certainly has to be a cooperative effort between the ISP, the county sherrif and the local police to work with the Czars and other organizers. I know the pile up proceeds go to charity, but maybe some of the funds need to go to overhead to provide police involvement and renting areas to handle parking.
Whatever the answer is we won't come up with it entirely here, I wish the Czars and the support groups all the luck to get things worked out and thank them for a great show and a great time...looking forward to next year where ever it may be!

 

Has anything been posted by the Czars? Just wondering if any of them have commented on how things went.

 

I got caught in the I-80 / Hwy 47 traffic snarl around 12:30, and it took more than an hour and a half to get to the gate. Unfortunately the police were shutting it down by that time and we were told to scram.

I was pretty aggravated about the situation, but not at anybody in particular. The Czars + Catherine have done a great job in making this a marquee event on the hot rod calendar, and the success speaks for itself. When you have 20,000 people come for a hot rod party (12,000 inside + several thousands turned away) you are doing something right.

I don't think anyone could have predicted the situation Saturday. Last year, when the weather was perfect, 392_hemi and I caravaned down from Deerfield (about 80 miles) in our coupes. We hit the gate at 12:30 or 1 pm and drove right in, no problems. I assumed (like most people) that the weather & economy would put a damper on attendance this year, but it's obvious that the show continues to grow exponentially. It's also obvious that this year it hit the "tipping point" in terms of the Fairgrounds' carrying capacity. If attendance continues to grow at the same rate, next year there could be some serious traffic chaos and public safety problems -- something that I'm sure the liability insurers and police have noted.

I think the show can probably still work at the current site with safeguards... charge $10 for parking at the site, but provide free shuttle / parking in Morris. This would benefit Morris businesses, and be a big incentive for the the adjacent farmer to add an alfalfa parking field like Plowboy suggested (hell, he'd make more money on one Saturday than he would all year long from corn). It would also make sense to add alternative eastbound and westbound exits on 80 to ease congestion at the Morris exit. Event Preregistration a la the Roundup would help minimize belligerence at the screening gate.

Anyhow, just my 2c.

 

i don't get it. you had a great time until the state closed it down? what changed after the state closed it down? once you were inside, it shouldn't have mattered whether the gates were closed.
and do i understand you correctly, you are willing to host your own pileup, well, you and a few others? i'd like to see that.

 

I played around with mapquest and coming from the South Side of Chicago exiting at Ridge Road (exit before Morris) and taking that around to Ridge Rd and to 47 and coming in the back way adds 10 minutes and 8 miles to the trip under normal circumstances

 

it was fucking crazy thats why i was in line like at the ass crack of dawn, i think it's impressive that this show has grown so big, i only wish more people drove to it from far away and less "crap" was unloaded off of trailers in joliet and driven to morris for it...I have been there 4 years and drove there every year over 7 hours nd gotten up early and gotten in no problem and had a great time... KEEP IT UP CZARS....

 

They're all dead. We've been trying to revive them since Sunday morning.

 

We were near both of them!the horn guy thought it was funny to scare the shit out of passerbys!! Why! Why! WHY!!! I expect that out of the "fast and fu........!"

 

Starting to sound like Philosophers... not Physicists!

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What About THe Sandwich Fairgrounds? Lots of room to park and a much larger area all together. Plus the town is used to the traffic and have fixed roads to accomidate the traffic during fair. plus multiple large enterances, spectators in back and show cars in front yeah?

 

what about hotels? what about a place for the pre and post parties? the guys put alot of thought into choosing morris

 

last year we had a large hotel open only a few miles down the road , and ive got a pool