Despite the great weather, the two major downtown shows on Saturday saw a drop in registration compared to previous years.
The Performance Classic Car Show in downtown Delaware, Ohio (formerly Blast from the Past) ended up with around 450 registered vehicles. In recent years, this show had registration figures in the 600-700 range. The show set an all time high of 750 registered vehicles in 2015.
I participated in the downtown Plain City downtown show two years ago and registration that day was well over 200 cars. This year the show missed the 200 mark by 11 cars. I'm assuming the change in the hours of the show was to attract some cross-over participation from the Delaware show.
It certainly didn't help that Columbus and surrounding area had nine other shows on the schedule for Saturday. Word on the street had the Jax Wax registration at around 250 cars. If anyone has registration numbers from any of the other shows on Saturday, please post them in the comments.
PERFORMANCE CLASSIC CAR SHOW
I did not participate in the Performance Classic Car show in Delaware. I chose to spend my registration money Saturday at the Plain City Classic Car Cruise-in. The $13 registration fee seemed a bit more reasonable than the $25 being charged by the Delaware show. I also have to admit that the thoughts of transporting a six-foot trophy home in my Camaro, should by some miracle I happen to receive one, didn't excite me either.
I did, however, have a few friends at the show and they were kind enough to send some photos.
PLAIN CITY CLASSIC CAR CRUISE-IN
The Plain City Classic Cruise-in closes Rt. 161 to through traffic for a major portion of the downtown area.
Changing the time this year from 2 PM to 8 PM gave the show a "block party" style atmosphere. It didn't hurt that a beer and wine garden was available at Chillicothe Street and Rt. 161.
Eight food trucks/trailers along with the local
restaurants and taverns provided a good variety of edibles for everyone. A DJ played music on the west end of the show while the band, The Groove, entertained show goers on the east end.
The Plain City show offered the usual door prize and 50/50 raffles. Bob Chapman Ford, the major sponsor of the show, also raffled off four kids bicycles and a 55 inch television.
What are the odds that three Smucker children would win three out of the four bicycles?
THE CARS
Even with all the shows in the area, the Plain City Classic Cruise-in showed no lack of great automobiles. Here are some that grabbed my attention.
Previous "Best of Show" winners had their own "special" parking area in Lovejoy's Plaza. I thought honoring past winners like this was a nice touch by the organizers.
THE AWARDS
The awards included "Top 40" ribbons, "Entrant's Choice", "People's Choice" and "Best of Show".
The "Entrants Choice" as selected by those who registered a car for the show went to Matt and Deb Hickman of Pickerington, Ohio and their 2016 supercharged Dodge Challenger.
Brenda Collins and her 1984 Chevy El Camino SS received the "People's Choice" award.
The "Best of Show" went to Pete Lieb of Hilliard and his 1962 "409" Chevy Bel Air. Pete's car also received the "Best of Show" award back in April at the first Auto Smarts cruise-in of the season.
THE GRADE
I give the Plain City Classic Cruise-in a grade of B plus. The show was well-organized, had plenty of food choices, good entertainment, and some great raffle prizes.
The biggest knock I have on show was the relocation of the registration and award ceremony from Lovejoy's Plaza, which is a more centrally located, to the east end of the show area. This made a lot walking for those of us parked on the west end. I hope the organizers reconsider and move registration and the award presentation back to Lovejoy's Plaza for next year.
I also think a small trophy or plaque would have made a better "Top 40" award than a ribbon. Two years ago the cruise-in gave out a real nice small trophy to the "Top 40" winners. I'd like to see the organizers go back to something like that for next year.
Overall it was a fun afternoon of cars, food, and friends, and that's what's really most important.
CULP LAKE 10TH ANNUAL SHOW AND SHINE
Several friends of mine made the drive to Springfield, Ohio on Sunday for the 10th Annual Cup Lake Show and Shine. The show attracted 229 automobiles. Here are some photos they sent back from the show. Looks like an interesting venue for a car show.
Our good friend, Jeff Shankle, and his 1950 Ford F1 pickup with a '68 Corvette powertrain received a "Top 18" award. Jeff is collecting a lot of "hardware" with his truck.
That's all I have for this week. With next Monday being Labor Day, I expect next weekend to be another big one for events. Until then, I hope to see everyone out there cruising.