Want to do a new show in Connecticut-input please.

We have been wanting to get the ball rolling on a Hot Rod show in central Connecticut. We have a good venue centrally located and easy to get to. We have a pretty good plan and layout. What we can't figure out is a good date that won't conflict with other established events. Early June has been what we're leaning toward, any suggestions? Any input to make this show successful would be appreciated.

 

Thanks, as for the weather, we live in New England and you never can tell. Maybe we'll have a summer like this year, hardly any event around us got rained out.

 

The only June shows I can think of is Rumblers Terryville and the Push Rods show in M***.

 

Sounds good to me ............

 

Don't forget Rhinebeck in late June,3rd or 4th Week I think.

 

Hi Derrick, It may a bit far for you to drive to, but I usually attend the GG's show in Indy, however, there's rumor that the date for Indy might change from the 2nd weekend in June to ???

 

We were just talking at lunch time and thinking the first Saturday in June looks good. Rumblers and Rhinebeck aren't until later in the month. I believe York is that weekend and possibly Indy, but I'm more concerned with stepping on local toes. Feel free to post any input about things other than the date too. This show is not to make money, it's to have fun with good cars, music, food and people.

 

This is just my opinion, but why not do something a bit more different then just a car show?

I have friends in RI that restore and ride vintage scooters from the 50s-70s. Every year they hold a weekend event in which they ride back roads and circle the state of RI. Now they camp out, but with cars you could have it so the people attending can all ride the back roads and then at night you hit up one of the old roadside motels that were around in the 50s-60s. You can plan it that you hit up certain spot to meet and have breakfast and then the same for lunch and then BBQ outside the motel in the parking lot. then do the same thing starting sunday morning and end the ride along the beach.

This was an idea my wife and I had while we were living in NJ. Something to think about, because instead of just driving and parking your car, you are actually driving it and putting miles on it while with like minded people.

 

make sure its 70-78 degs all weekend, lots of port-o-pottys...,

Good food! I know cheeseburgers and bbq are staples of car shows but in this case a litle variety would be great!!

and how bout something outside ( but related to ) hotrods, maybe vintage tractors, steam powered cars, planes(if you got room)...
and then maybe minibike drags...

Ive got too many ideas. Weve wanted to do one ourselves for a while but there are no venues around that I could pull it off at

 

Derrick, Sounds like a plan.....Not everyone goes to York. We might not go next year. We need something like the Road Agents had with live bands, swap meet, and good food...

 

Exactly what I was just thinking!!

 

Every fall there is a "reliability run" held by the Rolling Bones, but to my knowledge thats the only one-us new englanders are use to driving em..I havent hit a show within an hour of my house yet this year - anyways-


I dont have any input Derrick seeing as we hit the same shows, and not just the traditional ones either, but if I come up with anything youll know.

 

Have it somewhere near a hotel or campground and the Rhode Island boys will show up for sure. We like to have a few drinks and stay a while

 

can Greco introduces himself to me again.....

 

I like how every time I post about local shows there's always a Greco comment, never an Adam comment. Its cause I'm such a gentleman you know. Oh, Greco, when will you learn

 

Thanks for the input so far. To reply to a couple of your suggestions, first off we would love for someone to replace the Road Agents show. I'm not saying that is what we are trying to do, it would be cool if we or someone could. What we want is a show that people will remember and look foward to coming back to. All of us know it's not all about the cars it a mixture of the cars with the setting, location, weather and entertainment. We are going to try hard to make the event a little different. There are many good ideas that have already been discussed, from food to entertainment to quality and value for you enrty fee. Most of the time we go to shows and try and figure out why we're paying so much to enter our cars then stand around all day waiting to leave. Car shows can become bland and we'd like to change that, at least a little. Keep the ideas coming, we don't have this all in stone yet.
As far as hotels, there are plenty within a 5 mile or less radius, and we will have a block of rooms reserved by whichever hotel wants to work with us. I'd really like to help keep everyone's cost to go to the show as low as possible.

 

I'd love to be able to plan the weather. As far as food goes, we're going to try for more of a "country fair" styled vendors. You know smoked turkey legs and all sorts of fried stuff. Area restaurants will bring out they're specialties like our local favorite "steamed cheeseburgs"

 

What you need is a good draw! How bout Bill Hines doing a little body work on a car, maybe a 52 Bel Air or sumthin? Just saying.. I'd be there.
Dom

 

Early June sounds good. Weather in CT / New England is always a **** shoot.

If I can help PM me.

 

early June is good. Going against the Nats East may not bee so good. You may not lose too many local cars to that but you might not pull in as many from further distances if you compete with it.
If you really want the show to fly- Keep it traditional. Don't worry about how much money you make the first year or so. This is why we did so well with our show.Having the live bands and hotels really close also helped it get going.
Man do I have some ideas for a slightly revised version of the show. Maybe we can get together one night or this weekend with a few beers and bs about it abit.
let me know if you are interested. If not, I'll drink the beers myself...

 

I'm gonna go on a limb hear and say..... New England is currently saturated with too many of the same type of shows. Same bands, same cars, even at times the same venue.

Every year I battle with trying to keep the Fall Out from becoming like every other show and let me tell you it's tough....

Sounds like you fellas are onto something here.....

 

Ive often thought about a poker run with a show destination with bands, pig roast, etc: somewhere around a hotel so you could crash too.

Cool thing about the rollin bones run is you not only see cars, but you hear 'em. The party afterwards is always cool too and they usually have a cool blues band (not saying I dont dig rockabilly, but I do play in a cl***ic rock tribute band, and I dig that kind of music too).

As a club, we have kicked around a similar idea going to Hemmings in VT with lodging in bennington, or the White MTNs in NH with lodging in Franconia (because of the off-season) but it never came together...

This would be a two part show....meeting somewhere in the AM with directions, and the destination where the party would be....that'd be different and people would really dig it.

What would be real cool is the same "entry fee" Radir wheels has ---- a case of beer! Then you would def. need a hotel locally.

In any case, I would support a new show 100% - as long as I dont have a gig that day or, getting dragged to another wedding.

 

early june would be good ,seems that there is a dead spot after the swaps in may ,would be nice to have a fri,sat show before rhinebeck -count me in rain or shine- if i can help let me know--joe

 

i dont know joe. with the exception of this summer, early june has felt more like april, cold and dreary for years now.. i would think more early july maybe the same dates as the road agents show.

btw derrik a saw your sedan at the alter boys show it absolutely blew me away, was my favorite of the show, and glad i got to see it person..

 

Sounds like a good idea. Was gonna suggest steamed cheesburgers...Maybe try to attract some antique racecars as well.

 

I think it's a great idea. Let me know early and I will post it on autonetnewengland.com under Gear Head's Favorites.
Good luck...Seaweed

 

Thanks again for the responses. As far as format goes, as much as I like reliability type runs, that's not the direction I want to take. We already are involved in the Rolling Bones run, again very cool deal, but not my deal. Early June, besides the threat of ****py weather, has seemed to always seemed to lack events. And having it on the same dates as the Road Agents is not good either, many other shows in our area have grabbed that weekend after they stopped their show. Thanks again, keep them coming.

 

I hate to use the word copy here but why not follow Scary Larry's idea and do a Jalopy Showdown in Conn. or something along the same idea.