The sweltering heat on Saturday didn't stop more than 300 cars from turning out for the Vettes, Rods, And Classics show at Creekside.
It was so warm that at least one participant had to be taken to the hospital for heat exhaustion. I'm pretty sure I lost 10 pounds of water weight just cleaning up my car for the show. Water and shade were definitely your best friends on Saturday.
This is the 4th year the Capital City Corvette Club has hosted the show at the Creekside business district in Gahanna, Ohio. The district is a great venue for a car show. Along with plenty of restaurant and shopping choices, the area also includes a beautiful plaza and adjacent park. In four short years, this show has become one of the premiere car events in Central Ohio.
Every event I've been to sponsored by the Capital City Corvette club has been well organized. Saturday's show was no exception. There were plenty of club members assisting cars into and out of the show area as well as members helping get cars parked. Registration also went smoothly with almost no waiting in line.
I remember last year the initial surge of cars into the show area right after the streets closed was rather chaotic. I can't comment if things were any better this years since I didn't arrive until almost 12:30 PM. I had no issue getting into the area and parked. I was rather surprised by the numbers cars already there when I arrived. Mill Street was filled with cars all the way from Rt. 62 to almost North Street, which was the northern boundary of the show.
The $15 registration fee automatically entered you into the door prize raffle. There was also a 50/50 raffle and silent auction. All net proceeds from the show go to benefit Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
Seeing Frank Deering's Corvette and Kevin Jahna's Camaro in front of the plaza made me proud to be an American.
The band Rendition provided "live" entertainment starting at 4 PM.
AWARDS
All the Capital City Corvette Club shows are judged using a points-based system to determine award winners. Last year the club started using computer software for registration and to tally points. There were some "glitches" with the software last year, however, it appears those glitches have been resolved as the awards presentation went off without a hitch.
The unique thing about the Creekside show is the awards are split into two separate categories. One category for the rods and classics, and the other for the Corvettes.
The club presents a "Best of Show" in each category along with 40 Awards of Excellence or "favorites" for the rods and classics, and 38 similar awards for the Corvettes. The Corvette awards are further sub-divided into awards of excellence and First in Class for each generation of Corvette.
In addition to above awards, the club also presented special awards for picks by the Gahanna Mayor, Dave Gill Chevrolet, Lash Chevrolet, Grove Wealth Management, Lew Griffin, Corvette Care, Gahanna Parks & Recreation, Gahanna Police Department, Best Veterans, and Club Participation.
Rods and Classics Award of Excellence
Here's a sampling of some of the Award of Excellence winners in the Rods and Classics category.
Corvette Awards of Excellence
Here are some of the Corvettes that received Award of Excellence and First in Class.
SPECIAL AWARDS
Gahanna Mayor
Lew Griffin
Gahanna Police Department
Not pictured
- Dave Gill: 2001 Corvette Z06 - John Wearly
- Lash Chevrolet: 1996 Corvette Grand Sport - Tom Scott
- Grove Wealth Management: 2009 Mercedes SL63 AMG - Kent McDonald
- Corvette Care: 2003 Corvette - Dean Feldstein
- Parks & Recreation: 2017 Dodge Challenger Hell Cat - Dan "Boots" Longenette
- Best Veteran Car: 1955 Chevy Cameo - Steve & Nancy Kidwell
- Club Participation: Street Elite Corvette Club
BEST OF SHOW AWARDS
Best of Show for the Rods and Classics category went to Bruce Paul and his 1963 Volkswagon "Ragtop" Sedan.
For the Corvettes, Homer Barrett and his 2016 Corvette Z06 convertible took Best of Show. Homer's Corvette also received Best of Show at Jack Maxton's June show.
Final Thoughts
Last year I ranked the Vettes, Rods and Classics show at Creekside the second best registration fee show I attended, just behind the Champaign Cruisers Firecracker 4th of July show in Urbana. I've attended both shows again and I've got to say the rankings may very well be reversed for this year. The Capital City Corvette Club should be commended for putting on a well organized and fun car show. Now if they'd just do something about the heat for next year.?
Other Area Shows and Cruise-ins
Der Dutchman:
This past Thursday Der Dutchman registered 131 cars, 22 of which were first time participants.
One of those first timers was Dan "Boots" Longenette from Auto Smarts Radio and his BADD 57 Chevy. Boots gave a shout out to the cruise-in during his Saturday morning radio broadcast.
Wayne Nisly, host of the cruise-in, made a couple of important announcements right before the raffle drawing. Wayne is hoping to set a goal of 200 cars on September 20. He also announced that the end of cruise-in will be extended by one week to October 4 instead of September 27. The year-end banquet will be held on October 11 starting at 6:30 PM.
Vintage Auto Club of Delaware August First Friday:
A little over 30 cars turned out on Friday for the August First Friday cruise-in hosted by the Vintage Auto Club of Delaware at Freddy's Restaurant off of Rt 23.
The club offers a 50/50 and door prize raffles. All proceeds go to Hospice of Delaware.
Coffee and Cars at the Richwood Bank:
There was another good turn out on Saturday for Coffee and Cars at the Richwood Bank in Delaware, Ohio. The bi-monthly cruise-in had 44 cars stop by between the hours of 9 AM and 11:30 AM.
Everyone who registers a car gets a complimentary coffee, latte, or cappuccino from the coffee bar inside the bank. They're also automatically entered into the raffle drawing for door prizes.
One word of caution - the coffee is pretty darn strong. Those of you with a heart condition might want to stick to water. ?
Pep Boys Carnival of Cars:
On Saturday, Shaun "Big Dawg" Sanders and the C-Town Cruisers hosted their third of four Carnival of Cars 2018 at the backlot of Pep Boys across from Eastland Mall.
The show registered registered 42 vehicles.
Best of Show went to our good friend, Jeff Shankle, with his 1951 Ford F1 pickup.
Union County Military Family Support Group:
Speaking of Jeff Shankle, his Ford pickup also took Best Paint and Best of Show at the Union Military Family Support Group and Maryville Walmart Car Show on Saturday evening. Along with the trophies, Jeff also received $100 and $50 Walmart gift cards. Nice!
The show registered a total of 39 cars.
Rod Knockers:
The final show to report on from this past week is the Rod Knockers Show at the Rural King in Marion, Ohio on Saturday evening.
This month's show had a "Beach Party" theme.
One thing you can count on at a Rod Knocker's show is different and unique "Favorite" 25 awards each month.
Despite the warm temperatures, the show managed to register 89 cars this month.
I wasn't kidding when I warned everyone that this week's report would be another big one. Last week's still holds the record for biggest, but this one isn't too far behind.
The Purple Door, Marysville Charity, Mopar Nationals, and downtown Powell shows will be the premiere events for this coming week. I hope to have reports from one or two of these events.
GREAT Reporting Kim as always you are always on point with many shows to report on Thanks for what you do for the car show world BLESSING my BROTHER
Thanks Jeff! Couldn't do it without your help. Keep sending those pics!