Despite moving my father from skilled nursing to assisted living and the hottest weather so far this year, I managed to somehow attend four events this week and was a spectator at a fifth.
Goodguys PPG Nationals All American Sunday
I started the week at the Goodguys PPG Nationals All American Sunday. This event has been on my radar for the past several years. I've always had a reasonable excuse not to attend until this year.
For those that may not know, Goodguys All American Sunday is open to ALL YEARS of American made and powered automobiles. Owning a late model car this was obviously my only option to participate in the Goodguys event.
Being a first-time participant, I wasn't sure what to expect. I spoke with several people prior to Sunday and consensus was to arrive no later than 8 AM. I went a step further and got there before 7:30 AM. Knowing what I know now, I could have arrived by 9 AM and been fine.
I exited I-71 at 17th avenue. The lanes for entry of show cars into the event and for registration were well marked. Non-member cost to register for the day was $40. I got talked into joining Goodguys as a Silver member for an additional $5. As a Silver member, I can pre-register next year at a discount.
Before leaving the registration area, I asked if there was a specific area I should park to have my car judged. I was told I could park anywhere inside the Expo Center. I ended up parking in the Heritage Park area next to the swap meet building. I don't know if my car was ever judged. There was no indication like a sticker placed somewhere on the car that it had been judged. There certainly wasn't a card on the front seat telling me to show up at the awards ceremony. Next time I'll ask a few more questions about the judging.
As a Camaro fan, the Summer of '69 Celebration of the '69 Camaro exhibit turned out to be well worth the price of admission. I was a junior in high school when all these Camaros were orginally built.
Here
My favorite "customized" '69 was this one named "Tux". In my opinion, it was simply "Bad Ass"!
My only disappointment is I missed the one and only '69 Camaro ZL1 (pronounced ZED L1) in the exhibit.
If you want to know the history of the ZL1, check out my Chevy's Answer to the Mustang post.
It's impossible to show photos of all the fantastic automobiles on display on Sunday so I won't even try. However, here are some of the vehicles that I thought really stood out from the crowd.
Click or tap on a photo for slide show mode
In the end, my favorite car of all was this 1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille parked in front of the Rad Rides display. You know me and my affection for big rear fins.
Final Thoughts on All American Sunday
One of the things that struck me about All American Sunday was the absence of vehicles from 1990 and above. I bet I counted less thirty late model cars in attendance. I was expecting to see at least 100 highly customized cars and trucks all under the age of 20 years or less. Boy was I off. No doubt the $40 registration and possibly the heat kept a lot of
All in all, it's nice to say I've shown my car at Goodguys. Whether I do it again next year is up for debate. I can see this being a once every couple of years kind of thing. The other years I'll go as a spectator.
The Der Dutchman Monsoone
Thursday I drove out to Plain City, Ohio for the weekly Der Dutchman Cruise-In. About 30 minutes after arriving, the heavens let loose with a
Even though everyone huddled under the picnic shelter, it didn't much matter. The wind was blowing so hard the rain was coming down in a horizontal direction right under the shelter.
You know it's a bad storm when you have to dry out the money that was in your wallet that was in your pocket.
There were a couple of moments during the storm I thought the roof of the shelter was going to blow off. Fortunately, the only damage was some very wet cruisers. The gift shop inside the restaurant didn't fair as well. It got hit with 3 inches of water in places.
Since the rain continued for another hour after the strongest part of the storm passed, there was no raffle drawing this week. Wayne has promised a special drawing for those fools who ignored the weather radar and decided to go to the cruise-in anyway. If you were there on Thursday during the monsoon, save your raffle ticket for this week's special drawing.
A Very Heated Jack Maxton Friday Night Cruisin
With temperatures in the mid-90s and a heat index in triple digits, the July Jack Maxton Friday Night Cruisin may likely go down as one of hottest on record.
You know it's hot when Jeff Mauk, owner of Jack Maxton Chevrolet, is in shorts to do the awards presentation.
The heat also contributed to the registration of only 130 vehicles. That's down more than 100 from the June show.
This month's "live" entertainment was provided by country artist Simba Jordan.
Jack Maxton's "Favorites" for July were the Chevelle, Nova, Monte Carlo, Camaro, and Wagon.
Maxton also gave out the usual "Top 70" award plaques. Here are some of the Top 70 winners.
1967 Camaro
Owner: Mark Lester
1968 Camaro
Owner: Nick Sgandurra
2014 Camaro
Owner: Dan Fancelli
1970 Step Side Pickup
Owner: Charles McMahon
1962 Pickup
Owner: Kevin Martin
1996 Pickup
Owners: Bill & Vicky Gates
1977 Vega Pro Street
Owner: Jay Glasser
2017 Corvette Grand Sport
Owner: Sue Ristucci
2016 Camaro
Owner: Connie Reda
2018 Camaro ZL1
Owner: Jeff Irwin
1968 Camaro
Owner: Tom Rizek
1969 Chevelle
Owner: Cliff Small
1984 Monte Carlo
Owner: Dan Varner
1957 210
Owner: Darrin Roberts
1972 Monte Carlo
Owner: Ken Godsey
1970 Chevelle SS
Owner: Graig Strauss
1969 Camaro
Owner: Dave Roberts
2001 Camaro SS
Owner: Adam Lester
Maxton Theme Awards
DJ's Choice
1955 Nomad
Owner: Rick McDonald
Maxton's Favorite Monte Carlo
1973
Owners: Dave & Judy Tighe
Maxton's Favorite Nova
Owner: Dale Owens
Maxton's Favorite Camaro
1969
Owner: Randy Hicks
Maxton's Favorite Chevelle
1970
Owner: Curtis Miller
Maxton's Favorite Wagon
1970 210
Owner: Neil Byerly
Best of Show
1968 Camaro Z/28
Owner: Doc Meyers
If you
The next show is August 16. The band will be These Guys Live. The Full-Size Chevys will be the featured vehicles.
26th Annual Performance Classic Car Show
Saturday afternoon I played spectator for a few hours at the 26th Annual Performance Classic Car Show in downtown Delaware, Ohio. This show was formerly known as
This year the show "unofficially" registered 311 automobiles. No doubt the heatwave gripping the eastern half of the country over the weekend had some impact on registration.
Here's the galary of photos I took from the show:
2018 Chevy Camaro
Owner: Daryl Collins
1956 Ford F100
Owner: Bob Exline
1948 Chevy Fleetline
Owner: George Pavell
1935 Buick 57 Series
Owner: Peter Nathan
1933 Ford 2 Door Coupe
Owner: Tank Stroupe
1979 Ford Van (My Favorite)
Owner: Marc Dinopoulos
1962 Chevy Bel Air
Owner: James Nutter
2003 Ford F550 Dualy
Owner: Forest Halleck
1927 Essex Speedabout
Owner: George Wickes
1955 Chevy Bel Air
Owner: Jeff Shankle
1989 Chevy C1500 Pickup
Owner: John Ressler
1937 Ford Convertible
Owner: Dave Bratton
1959 Chevy Bel Air
Owner: Wes Coup
You know me and big rear fins 
1933 Ford Vicky
Owner: Larry Scaggs
This car took Best of Show at the Urbana, Ohio July 4th show 
1971 Chevy Camaro
Owners: Mike & Denise Smith
1969 Dodge Charger
Owner: Josh Wilkerson
I wasn't tall enough to take a photo of the window placard 
1955 Chevy Pickup
Owner: Ted Wierzdicki
1970 Dodge Challenger
Owner: Don Denton
Morgan 3 Wheeler 
1935 Ford 2 Door Coupe
Owner: Robert Mele
1982 Chevy C10 Pickup
Owner: Thomas Stewart
As you can see there were lots of great vehicles in Delaware on Saturday afternoon. I didn't stick around for the awards presentation. However, I'm sure the judges had some tough decisions to make.
UPDATE: The Best of Show and Top 100 winners have been posted to the Performance Classic Car Show web site.
Cruisin' with the King in 2019
I finished the week at the Burger King in Marysville, Ohio for the July Cruisin' with the King show hosted by the Mid Ohio Cruisers car club.
I figured with the heat, the show would be lucky to register 50 cars. To my surprise and that of the club, It surpassed that number by 24 vehicles. There was probably another 10-15 cars show up that didn't register. It was
The club presented a total of 18 awards.
This month's O'Reilly Auto Parts Picks went to Mike Bostick with a 1969 Chevy Camaro and Richard Baker with a 1987 Chevy C-10 pickup.
DeAnna Nease and her 1981 Chevy El Camino received the Lady's Choice pick.
The club Favorites for the month of July were:
2006 Ford Mustang GT
Owner: Damon Reese
1947 Buick Super Convertible
Owners: Mike & Sandy Gibson
1971 Ford Torino Cobra Jet
Owner: Doug Blevins
1966 Ford Fairlane GT
Owner: Greg Barcus
1948 Chevy Fleetline
Owner: Bob Bayes
1965 Pontiac Tempest
Owner: Pete Russell
1977 Chevy Corvette
Owner: Julie Perry
2015 Ford Mustang
Owners: Stan & Barb Caster
1937 Chevy 2 Dr Sedan
Owners: Denis & Donna Miller
1967 Pontiac GTO
Owner: David Salyer
1973 Ford Mustang
Owner: Bill Thaman
1940 Chevy Coupe
Owner: Kelly Roberts
1987 Oldsmobile 442
Owner: Andy Williams
1967 Dodge Charger
Owner: Bob & Donna Clady
Not Pictured: 1980 Camaro Z/28 - Owner: Ron Smith
The Club Favorite went to Craig Mullins and his 1957 Chevy.
That's it for this week.
Got a big weekend coming up. I'm counting no less than 11 events for Saturday and Sunday. Look for another big report next week.
Thought I would point out some things about the Arthritis Foundation Show that I observed Saturday while attending and to add that this will be my last show to support that event. I have faithfully attended these shows for many years, but Saturdays actions was the final straw. It is about judging. I was able to observe the judge that was suppose to judge my cars and the one next to mine. He took less than two minutes on both of mine and never looked at the third car. All he did was walk up to the car, place his judged sticker on the car and walked on. Never once gave the car a glance. Here is where it gets good. While attending awards ceremony, he and 4 others were sitting on a service cart. He received an award along with 2 others. Why do they allow judges or anyone working the show to enter their cars? This goes on at the Dublin show and consistently many judges and other workers get awards.
I called the foundation and asked. They had no real good excuse other than he assured me those people could care less if they got any award. I said if that is the case, call their bluff and not allow it for the benefit of others that travel and pay the deep price of attending. He said he will bring it up at the next meeting.
Bottom line to all this is it appears judges take care of the buddies first, they spend little time looking at your car for the high price to attend at $25.00. Attendance is down from the previous Blast from the Past show. Soon they will be raising their price to match what they charge at Dublin to attend. People have stopped coming to Delaware cause of the entry fee. It is a true fact. I have no problem giving to charity, but how deep are peoples pockets. No more Arthritis Shows for me.
DJ, Thanks for your comments. Judging and cost are the two main reasons I stopped participating in any of the Arthritis Foundation-sponsored events.
It's hard these days to find judges with some knowledge of cars, especially classic cars. I think that's why you see judges being allowed to show their cars at these events. I'm not trying to defend it, I'm just trying to explain why it happens. I do agree that there is some favoritism going on.
As far as registration cost, I agree $25 day of the show is too much for a show of this type. Drop it down to $20 day of the show, $15 pre-registration and I bet they'd get 150 more cars. The Vintage Auto Club of Delaware was able to raise money with a $15 day of the show registration fee. Something tells me the overhead costs are too steep.
DJ, I was the head judge at the Delaware show and I am sorry you were not happy. I'll tell you how the judging goes for that show and I doubt it will change your mind, but at least you will be in the know.
For this show, we had 8 judges for the 310 cars. NOTE- one judge passed out from heat exhaustion at some point in his rounds. Each judge basically gets to choose 100 cars and he gives those 100 cars a point. The sheet used simply has numbers from 1 to 500 and the judge quickly decides whether to award his point to a car or not based on his personal preferences. We do this on Friday at the Dublin show, too. The question is simple - is this car one of the top 100 here, or not.
The sheets are returned to the registration table and numbers are input. The 100 cars with the most points are awarded the 100 trophies (6-footers at Dublin, plaques in Delaware).
Saturday in Dublin (where I am the event chairman, not a judge any longer) we have a 100 point scale for each car and judges take the time to review those precious points. In major classes (like Mustang and Corvette) the clubs typically do their own judging by people that know those cars very well.
I did judge on Saturday in Delaware and I believe I know the person and truck you mentioned. Did you look at this vehicle? It was clearly within the top 100 cars in the show. However, I do agree with you that if volunteers win awards it looks bad, but is it bad, I don't think so. Volunteers are super hard to get, especially ones that do as much as ours do and spend as much on their vehicles as ours do (as most of the people out there do).
I can tell you I looked at almost every single car there and picked my 100. Some were very obviously in the top 100 and some were very obviously NOT in the top 100. I assume if you were judging you would feel the same way, and move quickly (especially in that heat).
I'll make you the same offer I make everyone that has an issue with the show, be part of the solution. We'd gladly take you on the team to judge, drive carts, help people, raise money, make decisions, answer questions, etc.
We do appreciate you coming out to our shows and I guarantee you we spend a lot of time thinking about how to make them better for our car owners and visitors and for the charity. We will continue to do that and hope to win back your business.
Kevin, Thanks for taking the time to explain the judging at the Dublin and Delaware shows.
One of the biggest issues I see with the judging at these shows is that all the judges don't seem to be on the same page. You say there were 8 judges at the Delaware show, yet Mr. Simpson describes only seeing one judge. Where were the other seven? Why didn't they stop and look at his vehicle? His experience on Saturday pretty much describes what my experience has been on Friday at the Dublin show. I have never seen more the one person look at my car on any given Friday. Once the first judge puts that sticker on, it seems like the rest of the judges just ignore it. From what you describe, EVERY judge should look at EVERY vehicle. Unfortunately, I don't think all the judges are following that procedure.
Kim, I can tell you that we tell the judges to hit every car and only the first person puts the sticker on it. There was a lot of people milling about at that show, so it could be very possible that more judges saw his car, but not obviously. I.e. I know I viewed many cars from the other side of the street and did not go right up to the car. Again, it is usually pretty easy to make the determination if this is in the top 100 at the show or not without going up to the car.
We also gave the judges SIX hours to get all of their judging in. I know I did one side of the street then had to sit in the shade for a while and cool down. I hit the south part in two sections, again because it was just too hot.
We reiterate, and will always reiterate, proper judging guidelines to our judges. This is one of the most important parts of our shows. And again, we will gladly accept volunteers to be part of the judges, or the committee at either of our shows. I've been on this committee a long time and I've never seen 100% satisfaction with judging results. Someone always is unhappy they did not get a trophy for a variety of reasons. But, our judging team spends a lot of time trying to get it right and that is all we can ask.
Sorry, Kevin, I have to respectfully disagree with you that one can determine a top 100 car without going up to it. I have seen hundreds of cars that look great from a distance only to find the engine bay a hot mess with rust and dirt or the interior has ripped seats or better yet they're covered with blankets.
If you're picking cars for an award from across the street then you're proving the point that judging is an issue and needs to be re-evaluated on how it's done.
It was a big week, thanks for all the updates Kim!
I have to say, just cruising the Polaris area Saturday night of the Good Guys event might have been the coolest thing I've ever seen in Columbus. It was fantastic seeing so many cool old and modern cars actually being driven.
I had full intentions of hanging out around the Polaris area the Goodguys weekend but just couldn't find the time. From the sound of your description, I should definitely make time next year. Thanks for the comment.
Delaware results here. http://www.performanceclassiccarshow.com/event-info.html
Kevin, Thanks for sharing the link to the results from Saturday's show. I have added the link to the Week in Review posting.
I went to Dublin for the Friday/Saturday shows and Delaware as well. First time attending either one. At the Friday open show in Dublin I counted at least 5 different judges that looked at my vehicle. It was top 100 so they had clipboards with all the numbers in a circle and penciled in that number if they were voting for that vehicle. I'm assuming they have a scanner that tabulates it all when they feed the sheets in. At the Saturday class show our class had 1 judge. I heard that larger classes could have more. The judge in our class spent at LEAST 10 -15 minutes with everyone. He actually engaged and asked questions, looked in, over and UNDER the vehicle. From what I saw he took over 2hrs to do the class, maybe more. At Delaware I had at least 5 judges look with the same sheet system as Dublins Friday show. I went to Marysville last year and it was the same so I'm assuming this is their normal system. I did stay with my vehicle most of the day so I saw what happened. Lots of people and they didn't have shirts/tags that said they were a judge from what I saw. I can't say what happened for others but that was my experience. I was at the far end and one thing that would improve it is if they had some speakers down there. We really couldn't hear much but they did come by and tell us they were going to move the awards presentation up. I guess they had printer issues and it ended up being at the advertised time.
I did four Dublin shows in a row prior to 2018. I can tell you I only saw a total of two judges in those four years look at my car at the Friday show. It would not surprise me if a lot of judges ignored my car because it was a newer model. I can't, however, complain about the Saturday judging. My car was thoroughly judged each and every year I participated in the show.
Besides the inconsistency in judging, my biggest complaint with the Friday show is the Corvettes and Mustang get their own set of judges. It gives both models a distinct advantage over the other vehicles. It is much easier to compete against 100 other Corvettes or Mustangs than it is against 700 other cars.
Kevin, thanks for the comments and you know I love the truck! You made a couple good points in here. Speakers farther up the road is a good one. I will take that to the committee at the next meeting.
Also, as you noted, not all judges were wearing something to identify them as a judge. I just happened to have a bright yellow shirt and hat, so I probably stuck out!
And, yes, for those wondering, the stupid printer was overheating! We had three guys with clipboards waving at it trying to get it to print. We had to get multiple copies for the top 100 and the special awards. So, yes, we hoped to do it earlier because of the heat, but it ended up being on time.
Thanks for coming to the show! Kevin...
Personally, I have to agree with Kim's unsatisfactory comments regarding the Friday judging at the Dublin show. 8 judges why only one per car. You might also tell these volunteers you defended so strongly, to be careful what they say out loud to their friends riding around with them.
Show some respect for the guys that spent their time and money bringing THEIR pride and joy to this event. Even if they are not part of the group or drive a car you like. My wife and I were both extremely disappointed with the ONE judge that we ever saw come by with comment to his golf cart partner as he placed a sticker on my car.
Saturday was more of what I expected with a judge that cared and showed appreciation for me spending my time and money to display my car. It was too long of a day though.
I attend car shows as a relaxation. My only expectations are to enjoy myself, interact with others, support a charity and be shown some level of appreciation/respect the work I have done.
This is in reply to Kevin Gladd. After reading what you wrote to me I find it even more upsetting. Several things need to be said at this point. First, I made no mention of anyones truck at all. Where are you getting this from? Something needs to be clarified from you. Secondly, you are probably wondering what I had at the show. One was a 2 time Concours Gold Winner at nationals, the other was of near same quality but never was in concours judging. That is all you need to know about my cars. The huge question is where were all the judges?? You said 8 judges were suppose to judge all 310 cars? I was with my cars all day, with maybe exception of 45 minutes as it was too hot to do much walking. So what could be your explanation for that? They must have all showed up in that 45 minute window I suppose? I didn't tell you everything in my first email, there was another judge walking around with a pad and pencil. He was with Mr. Larger, and they both walked past and never gave my cars a glance. So that leaves 6 judges. Where were they?? Im here to tell you without any doubt that 8 judges could not have looked at my cars. That is what I get for paying you $50.00 and sweating my butt off to get two cars ready for your show and only for judges to take the awards home. You shamed me saying I should be part of the solution to the problems, but I won't volunteer for a group that snubs at what I drive. Im done. Enough said
I think Friday at the show is ######## just like lots of shows buddies give each other trophies or cars they personally like not the quality of a car
Also feels like a small time car show when so many great spaces are saved for friends so only 1 has to show up earl like I did, chairs everywhere
Don't care if you have spaces together but not the best spaces
Put stickers in window without looking at a car seen too many times. like a dummy I keep going back thinking it's going to get better
Looks like a nerve has been struck. The common complaint of both the Arthritis and Delaware shows appears to be the judging. Might be a good time for the promotors to take a step back and re-evaluate just how the judging is done. At the very least get everyone involved in that aspect of the show on the same page.
I for one appreciate the Delaware Arthritis Foundation car show immensely and I appreciate the fact that this group saved it from extinction. I too have very nice cars that I spend a great deal of time on. And just like everyone else - I too have felt snubbed before at a car show. I learned a long time ago that you can't take the judging/award process too seriously. Those plaques and trophies are nice, but they are NOT why I go to the shows. I go to the shows to enjoy the company of those who share in my passion - be they participants or spectators. I have met so many incredible people over the years, made some new friendships, and had some fantastic conversations - All while supporting some worthwhile causes. That's what it's REALLY about.
The Delaware show is a premier show in my opinion. On a normal year if the weather is right the quality and quantity of the cars is outstanding! The downtown has lots of places to eat and interesting shops to enjoy. And the residents come out in droves to show their support and appreciation. It is far and away the best show I attend each year. Yes - I wish they would drop the fee to $20 and if they did I suspect they would more than make it up in volume. That said - I would rather pay $25 to go to a show in a downtown setting with all the amenities I described above than pay $10-$15 to sit in a sweltering/ shadeless parking lot with 1 crappy food truck to eat from (if you are lucky) and the other participants being your primary spectators.
We need to appreciate all the hard work that these VOLUNTEERS put in to make these events happen. They are the ones giving us a place to share our toys with each other and the world. Keep complaining about the work these people do and soon you will find yourself with nowhere to go and nobody to talk to. All for a piddly little award that typically means 1 person liked your car... Woo hoo.
Kevin Gladd....thank you for all the good comments to all the readers. I had hoped you would reply something to my last email. You and others are saying this is about not getting a trophy. Not true...it was about judges getting trophies. Read and understand your emails. I could offer a simple solution to this but from your response you implied it was not a bad thing. So we all can assume that is not on the agenda for any change. Secondly, was the concern that you INSISTED all cars were VIEWED and JUDGED by 8 judges. Well, Im pretty sure I have caught you up on this one because the judge I accused of passing me up I believe was you. You described yourself perfectly in one of your last emails. I distinctly remember your bright orange yellowish tee shirt and that big brown hat that had a rather wide rim on it and that you seemed to over tower Mr. Larger as you are taller than him. Finding this out alone would all be worth giving up a trophy for. Be honest, don't snub peoples rides, appreciate and acknowledge others presence and their rides, don't say you judge cars from across the street, don't say a judge will pick from a "personal preference" as you stated in another email to me. That is not judging, that is picking a favorite. Call the awards as Top 100
Favorites. That is how it all ended Saturday..Favorites. Judges simply gave a high score to the cars they liked along with their buddies cars. This explains why the only judge that looked at my cars and the one next to me took less than 2 minutes. These cars weren't to your "personal preference" as you would say or one of you're favorites. Simple put, your judges pick their favorites. Im cool with that.
Btw...Give Kevin Russo a big thumbs up...he is a hard and devoted worker and works at other events diligently.
Kevin
I am sorry to beat a dead horse but I was really insulted by the lack of appreciation for my time and money shown to me at the Friday Dublin show (and it sounds like some felt the same way there and at the Delaware show also)
Just because I don't have the funds to buy, build or have built a high dollar show car,
Does this make me have any less pride in the car I have been able to build?
Does this make me or the amount of money and time I spend any less valuable?
If not then why am I blown off and I treated like I don't matter by some of the only people I see that represent the show and the charity. The judges have an opportunity to show ALL OF THE contestants that they value the fact they have spent their time and money to display their cars.
After my bad experience on Friday and good experience on Saturday. I would recommend that at least one judge is required to personally thank the owner of the car for spending the time to display their car and actually look at their car BEFORE its gets a sticker. Or a least make 3 or 4 stops back at the car and attempt to thank the owner.
You can make some improvements or keep being defensive and treating your customers the way you are and your judging problems (and number of participants) will continue to decline.