We are way overdue with this announcement! When we started the Pileup we had hoped to make enough money to pay our expenses. If we had any money left after that, we set it aside for the following year. As the years went by and our reputation grew, we found ourselves with more money each year. It's just a big hot rod party, so we decided to give as much away as we can! From 2007-2009 we gave away about $50,000 to charity. However, we have not yet given away money from the 2010 show. Here's why. We still donated to charity after losing a lot of money in 2009's show, but this forced us to look at how we were handling the finances. We decided to improve how we did things. While sorting all that out, we missed our deadline for donating in 2010. Oops! Once we have everything taken care of later this Spring (2011), we will be making donations to select charities. Then, if all goes well at the Pileup in October, we will make another round of donations from that show. Eleven charities will receive donations for both 2010 and 2011: each of the 9 Chrome Czars, Catherine (DW), and the Bombers CC (who ran the swap for us) will each chose one charity. We'll keep you posted. Thank you for your help and support! The Chrome Czars Motor Club P.S. Look out for the big announcement on May 1! All the details of the 10th Pileup will be posted!
Sounds like you guys do a lot for others who need it, way kool! I have been looking at pics, but havent made it to a show yet, you guys are just on the other side of indiana from me , so hopefully this year ill make it. Keep up the great work!
This will probably stir somebody up, but... I went to the Pileup last year for the first time. Didn't drive my '40 Coupe because I wasn't sure if I could get in with the Cragar SS mags on it. It's a great show and we had fun. But if you're looking to make more money to donate to charity, instead of turning away so many paying customers, and we saw a lot of rods in the parking lot outside, how about taking their money, and letting them in. That park you rented was huge, could have held another 500 cars. Park the "non traditional" rods in another area out back. This show would fill that park in a few years, and increase the donations to charity. A win / win solution to me. Just my 2 cents worth.
We completely understand your point but we put on a traditional car show because traditional cars are what we love and try to keep the show as pure as we can. We donate to charity because its not about the money so why keep it. We don't put the show on in order to donate....if this makes sense.
Thanks for the suggestion, but the show is not specifically about donating to charity. If it were, you're right, we'd have all kinds of street rods we could welcome. But then it wouldn't be the Pileup anymore. The donations are just an added perk to all of the hard work that we put into the show (with the help of the Red Shirt Army). EDIT: Lowpunk types faster than I do.
Stay true to your Pile-up Values. Its a great show and just fun to be part of. I will be there as long as it doesn't conflict with the B-17 coming in to Romeoville on Labor day weekend (Thinly veiled plug). You could set a parking area up for Rods outside but that might create a show within a show or something... Aw hell lemme just nail my other foot to the floor! See ya'll at the garage sale.
Well just my 2. There was a lot of room at the new venue. You could put the non qualifiers all the way on the otherside of the property over where the vendors and volunteers came in and put a fence up. This way everybody is happy and you will definitly have a lot more to donate to charity. I am sure in a few years it will be as full as morris was. Its well worth the 15 hour trip. That's just my thoughts. See you in october
Great bunch of people who do this annual show of Traditional Auto's and Cycles. And every year y'all are bombarded with 'let 'em all in' crowd. Putting up with that deserves another round of thank ya's. Thank-you for not selling out and compromising the event. Thank-you for giving your time and effort to then give to those in need.
1. Nothing wrong with Cragar SS. They came out in 1964. If you're ever in doubt ASK! We field a lot of these questions via email, PM, and directly in threads. 2. What Django and Lowpunk said! The donations are a by-product of the show. Allowing more cars in would make it like every other car show thus causing it to lose what's special about it... then fewer people would come from far away, making it a local show, and then fewer people would show up, and we'd have less money to donate... so really, we're able to donate MORE by keeping more cars out. 3. Ed, that comes up every year. The problem is that there is NO WAY to control cars once they're inside. The cars in the rejection section would eventually drive over to the show car section and it would be chaos. See #2. We tried to have a special VIP section for cars that didn't fit in once in Morris. Modern cars flooded the area. We tried again in Decatur, but the RVs took over. In 2011 we will definitely have a special parking area outside the gate. I'm not quite sure how yet, but we'll make it happen. 4. It's never been about the money. It has always been about throwing a big hot rod party for people who understand, drive and build traditional hot rods and customs. At the same time, we like to think we preserve and promote history.
I don't have the figures with me, and don't remember off the top of my head, but it was around 800 cars and under 10,000 paying spectators
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