Anniversary

Last weekend, among other things, we visited the famed House of the Seven Gables. And my home-made surfboard is almost beginning to look like one. But I'm still not holding out much hope - the hardest part is yet to come.

And Cheryl says I don't have enough pix up - so I have added three miscellaneous galleries with a total of 182 new pix - but because of the server limitations, those galleries are only temporary, so check 'em out while they are up!

Well, it slipped by without fanfare, but HotKarz.com passed the First Anniversary mark earlier this month. And the first anniversary of this blog will arrive on September 9th.

And I like to think we have made a real impact in that year. We have brought issues and problems out into the open, so they could be addressed and fixed. We have tried to provide as complete and up-to-date a listing as possible, of shows, cruise-ins and events. We have added free classifieds, funnies, pix of shows, pix of winners and more.

We have tackled some serious issues, such as class jumping, and enforcement of classes and have begun to get folks to refuse to vote for those who register in inappropriate classes. This for the purpose of fairness and integrity for all.

We have assisted show organizers in creating more successful venues, and have begun receiving letters from them, thanking us for the input that was missing in previous years - as an example, read the letter from the Gorham Lions Club. (Of course, there were a couple who were not so thankful :o)

And our Letters pages allow everyone to speak their piece, and have a say.

But there is a long way to go. The problems have always been there, but until now, we did not have any way to bring them to light. Now we do. And in the light of day, the good will thrive and the bad will shrivel. So, yes, we may end up losing a couple of shows - the ones that simply do not care to make inroads to greater success. No big loss! But the shows that remain, they will get bigger, better, more fun and - for the organizers - more profitable. In the end, we will all benefit.

I am not so naive as to think there will be little or no opposition. There will always be those who do not want change. Trophy poachers will not like losing votes when they register in the wrong class. Organizers who do not care what participants want will oppose changes. And some organizers will refuse to provide spectator cards, which are for the express purpose of helping provide greater protection for participants' vehicles. Why they would oppose something that is helpful - and free - is difficult to comprehend. But if recent activity is any indication, it looks like most of the better shows will be using them in the future. I know one thing for certain - I feel safer and more secure bringing my car to a show that informs spectators about the rules associated with being a spectator. After all, many spectators just do not know! If they did, we would not have to put "Do Not Touch" signs on our vehicles. Currently these cards are being used in Bath, Augusta, Farmington, Auburn, and Merrimack (NH).

Unfortunately, the committee for the Two Trails Cruisers show at Windham WalMart has voted against using these cards. We do not know why - as I said, some folks are simply opposed to change. Others may have personal issues. I understand the club President and the committee chairman wanted the cards, but they were apparently out-voted. Too bad. Perhaps next year a new committee will see the benefit. Meanwhile, it still looks like the TT show will be a winner this year - a lot of effort has been put into making it better than ever. I would not miss it - and you shouldn't, either. The only problem: how do we keep our wives out of WalMart? They'll have several hours - they can spend a lot!

I can honestly say, however, that several shows have already taken into consideration the recommendations and criticism from HotKarz and its readers, and have already scheduled some great improvements, so it looks like next year will be a corker! More great shows; fewer dogs.

Now, if only we could do something about the weather...