10th Annual Central TN
Classic Chevys
Open Car, Truck & Tractor Show
Dickson, TN
August 18, 2012
Show Summary
Participants: 150+
Classes:
55 (Classes with 8 or more are split)
Awards: Plaques with a custom picture of
the participant in his or her car
Specialty Awards: Trophies, Best Paint Trailered
Original/Modified, Best Paint Driven Original/Modified, Best Engine Trailered
Original/Modified, Best Engine Driven Original/Modified, Best Interior
Trailered Original/Modified, Best Interior Driven Original/Modified, Trailered
Best of Show, Driven Best of Show, Club Participation Award, Dickson County
Saddle Club Award
Registration: 8 am – 12 pm/$20.00 for first
car (preregistration)/$25.00 day of show for 1st car, $15.00 for 2nd
car
Judging: Drive-Through Style at
Participant’s Discretion, Concourse Style (Point System)
Dash Plaques:
1st 100 entries
Special Events:
Cash Drawings $1500.00, 50/50 Drawing, Swap Meet, Concessions
Presented by:
Central Tennessee Classic Chevys Club
Heading out to Dickson, TN on an early Saturday
proved to be an easy task. There was
relatively no traffic, and we didn’t have any disastrous events. We really didn’t have to leave too early; our
cars were already clean from participating in the previous Saturday’s car show
in Pegram, TN (Harvest Fields Baptist Church Car Show). However, we really like dash plaques, and they
were only giving them out to the first 100 entries. By now our collection is
getting rather large. Another car show means another chance to add another token of our car show infatuation to
our assortment of little metal plates.
Dash plaques remind me of little gumball machines of
the past. I remember when I was a kid,
I would stare at the prizes inside that little metal boxes lined up in
groups of three or four at the grocery store.
I only had a quarter and had to make a decision of whether I wanted
a handful of chicklets, a chance to win a watch or maybe a necklace, or
possibly got a tattoo. I put the money in the slot and slowly turn the dial. . .
clickety, clickety, and then CLACK…With my hand below the spout, I waited for
the gumball lottery machine to reveal itself.
With a thump, the little plastic egg found its way into my hand and rewarded me with a well-deserved treat …or…I get the item I wanted
least of all. Dash plaques bring back
that feeling for me because I never know what they are going to look like or
what they will be made of, but I do know that I will be taking one home.
As usual, Toby led the way with the help of our
Garmin GPS. The talking box led us
precisely to Dickson, TN with no fuss.
As we came through town, I noticed that we passed a little white sign
pointing up a hill that said, “Car Show.”
I saw it, but apparently, Toby did not.
As we kept going down the street, I gave up on him figuring out we had
gone too far and gave him a call. He
argued that he had not seen a Tractor Supply Store anywhere in sight. The car show was supposed to be across from
it. After what seemed to be forever, he
finally gave up and let me lead the way.
When we arrived at the sign, I really wanted to call
and brag that I knew what I was talking about, but instead, I focused on the
mission at hand . . . getting to the show.
We made a right turn and headed up a hill, down a nice winding road, and
finally reached the crepe myrtle lined drive to the Dickson County Saddle &
Bridle Club at Grab Creek Park. The park
was very picturesque, nestled at the bottom of a hill with a creek hidden among the trees that lined the park on three sides. It was a car show peninsula.
We followed the well-maintained
Saddle Club driveway to the Classification
area. We were greeted by members of the
Central Tennessee Classic Chevys Club.
They asked year, make, and model of the car; wrote the number of the class on a post-it note, and directed us to find a parking place under the
shade. They made sure to let us know
that we had plenty of time to get ourselves parked and clean up our cars. The class I was given was number 5, Production 1996 – 2012. Toby was in class 33, Modified Mustang 1974 - 2012. Even though
this car show used drive-through judging, they provided everyone the
opportunity to do some last minute clean up and detailing on the cars. We were told that when we were ready, we
could go register our cars and then participate in the drive-through
judging. All we had to do is mark our
spots with our chairs so that no one else would claim them.
Once we parked, I
unpacked our chairs, and Toby got started on his car cleaning routine. He did my car first and moved on to his. The picture below shows Toby with a new
friend he met, Todd. Todd is a Army National Guardsman who has recently returned from active duties overseas. He was at the show with his Nissan 300ZX
twin turbo. He spent a while with us
talking general car maintenance, modifications, and other car knowledge as well
as sharing his experiences as a military man.
We could relate to his stories somewhat because Toby’s dad had been in
the Army National Guard for many, many years.
Car care tip: When cleaning especially dirty areas, Toby
always wears gloves. This keeps all of
the grime from the brake dust off his hands and makes for a much easier clean
up of his hands later.
The car show was packed
with 150+ in attendance on this mostly sunny lower 80 degree day. It looks like we were smart to get an early
start so that we could snag one of the dash plaques.
There were many
extremely well kept clean cars at this show.
Several cars were trailered in.
In fact, there may have been more trailered cars at this show than at
any show I have attended so far. This
venue was perfect for trailered vehicles in that there was ample space for all
of the extra parking needed for large trucks/trailers. The specialty awards dedicated to this group of cars may have enticed more people to bring their cars out. Below is a picture of the backfield where the
trucks/trailers parked.
While Toby shined up
his car, I took time to stroll up to the registration area. Even though I was placed in class 5, I really
wanted to be in class 22, Stock Chevy
1986 – 2012. When
I tried to change my class, the nice ladies at the registration tables weren’t
sure what to do. After conferring with a
member of the Chevys Club, they allowed me to change my car class and proceed
to register Toby’s 1999 Mustang. I guess
I must have been distraught over the ordeal in changing my class because I
ended up messing up on his. I entered
him into STOCK. If you have seen his car
before, you know that there is very little left on his car that is stock. I put him in class 31, Stock Mustang 1974 – 2012. Oops.
The facilities were
very nice at this Saddle Club. Probably
some of the best I have seen. Registration was in a nice cooled building. There were restrooms there, too – also
cooled. The concessions were on the left. Take a look at the picture and notice that the
porch wrapped around this building, and by the end of the day, it was packed with
several participants enjoying the shade and the nice breeze from the several
ceiling fans that hung overhead.
I must also say that I
was extremely impressed by the landscaping of the area. It was well kept with
greenery all around. The whole grounds
were wonderful. This has to be one of
the most relaxing car show events that I have attended in a while regarding the
scenery. Gardening is my second favorite hobby next to car shows.
Drive-through
judging was from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon.
The time was actually extended for a while so that everyone who arrived
had time to clean on their cars before pulling up to the judging area.
Judging went like this: When
you were ready, you entered either right or left. Classes 1 – 30 were on one side, and 31 – 55
were on the other. The process was easy:
pull up, pop the hood and trunk, hand your registration sheet to one of the
judges, wait, and then close up everything.
One thing that I really liked about this show is that you were given the
judging sheet to hold on to. It had all of the categories listed such as
engine, chassis, trunk, etc. Under those
were the subcategories.
Above we see an awesome race car custom built by students at East Hickman High
School being judged. It is a 1987 Fox Body Mustang with a 434ci Windsor. If you
haven’t seen this car yet, it is something to check out. We saw it for the first time in Mount Pleasant,
TN at the 5th Annual Classics in the Park Car Show. All I can say is that I would love to take it
down a drag strip one time. I am sure it
goes so fast that it leaves a layer of paint behind on the track. My poor
little daily driver, a 2006 Mustang GT, wouldn’t stand a chance against it.
Below
is a picture of the car that won first place in Class 23, Modified Chevy 1986 to 2012.
This car is a V6 Chevy Camaro with extensive modifications. Even the
door panels have painted murals on them.
If you see this one at a show, really stop and take time to notice all
of its modifications. If you are not
sure what is modified, come take a look at my extremely stock Camaro and
compare. The owner of this car has put a
lot of time and money into his Imperial Blue Camaro making it his own.
This car show was just
like Christmas. I felt like I was unwrapping presents all day long. After the judging,
everyone was directed to drive around for a photo of your car while driving it. Below, you can see one of the
Classic Chevy Club members taking a snapshot of a C5 Corvette. What you can’t
see is me drooling on the sidelines.
Walking back to my car,
I saw a few vendors selling the usual car show swap meet kind of stuff. My husband likes to call it “women’s
what-knots,” but as you can see from the picture, there were men’s what-knots
as well. Just look at the cornholes for
sale in the picture….
At any car show, one of
my favorite things to do is to get to know other car enthusiasts. The Nash below belongs to a retired air force
gentleman who moved down here a few years back from Chicago, IL. He had some neighbors build this car for
him. I am pretty picky when it comes to
checking out a car, especially if it is blue.
This one was immaculate. If you are interested in it, it is beautiful
and for sale. The hard work is already
done. All you have to do is drive
it. I am sure he will be around at other
car shows.
For those who have met
me, I always seek out the Corvette people. I really want my next car to be a
Grand Sport Corvette and I am always asking them questions about their cars. Cross your fingers
for me. Here we have a 2006 Z06 Corvette. If you are not familiar with this type of
Corvette, I only have two words for you:
track car. This car was built to
run around tight corners quickly with ease. The
owner talked with us at length about his track day experiences. He stated that it is a great day when he has
a chance to burn up the tires and wear out the brakes. This car, even though a little rough around the
edges, is truly enjoyed by its owner.
I thought I would
include a section dedicated to my favorite kind of paint: FLAMES, FLAMES, and more FLAMES.
Here
we have a show winner with a 90s model Ford Bronco decked in a Pink Panther
theme.
Here
is a great fender shot showing off the flames on a 70s model Stingray Corvette.
This challenger was
trailered in. I personally don’t blame the owner for not driving it. This car is fantastic. Orange and yellow flames engulf this late
model Dodge Challenger. In fact, this
car took home several awards today for Best Paint and Best of Show Modified.
Here
is a close up of the East Hickman High School 1987 Mustang.
It won first in its class.
Here
we have a great example of shadow flames.
This
was Toby’s favorite car at this show.
This
super low, super modified car was extremely impressive.
At the end of the day
we gathered for the awards presentation. It began with the 50/50 drawing,
followed by the cash drawings of $100, $200.00, $300, and $500. As usual, we
didn’t win. The anticipation of winning
was fun, though. Below is a picture of
the trophies for all of the “Best of Show” cars. The trophies were rather impressive. The largest ones looked to be about 4 feet
tall. The class winners received plaques.
Although, Toby is not usually fond of plaques, he really liked
the ones at this show. On each plaque was the picture of the owner in his or her car that was previously taken. That made winning even more
special. Those who didn’t place still
received their picture. No one left this show without a keepsake.
Below are a few
pictures of some of the winners of the show:
This bearded gentleman
below owns a 60s model Chevy Camaro that is beautifully done. Here he is receiving one of the many
trophies his car has won. Looking at his car it is obvious that the awards are well-deserved.
Here
is another winner receiving her trophy.
Below are some shots of
a few more cars at the show. Maybe your
car is one of them that caught our eye today.
To sum it up, the 10th
Annual Central Tennessee Classic Chevys Open Car, Truck & Tractor Show was
a huge hit. I was pleasantly surprised
from the time I got there until I left.
The day was relaxing and the landscape was fantastic. I already have my calendar marked to be on
the lookout for the next year’s show so that I can make another drive to the
Dickson Co. Saddle & Bridle Club Park.
Maybe you will see me and my 2010 Aqua Blue Metallic Camaro SS there.
