Windham & Settler's Green

Two big shows were held today - the Windham Boosters Show in Windham (ME) and the Mt Washington Valley Old Car club's Settler's Green show in North Conway (NH). I went to Windham, but so far the reports on Settler's Green say it was excellent. For those interested, here is a letter from the organizer of Settler's Green show:

"HI BILL; Mt. Washington Valley Old Car Club show had great weather we also had 227 cars and 631 Paid spectators. The (vehicle safety) cards worked great - some of the spectators said thanks when we handed them to them. Hope to see everyone again next year.

Thanks Bob"

Sounds like a fine crowd. And while it did not look like Windham had such a big draw, it still did very well. And Bob already has his Vehicle Safety Cards for next year's show :o). Some folks are on the ball!

The biggest drawback of the Windham show was something over which they had no control - the layout of the school grounds. The property is such that vehicles had to be separated by vast expanses, making it difficult to mull around and see everyone. And it was nearly 1/4 mile to the concession stand.

Other than that, there was one really noticeable problem - and it was a biggie. Anyone who was there can likely guess, because it was obvious and blatant - class jumping and abuse of certain classes. For example, there were two corvette classes, so all corvettes SHOULD have been in one or the other. But one decided to enter into the 80's class because there was a better chance of winning - and he did. That was completely unfair to the others in the 80's.

But the extreme abuse and disrespect of class occurred, of course, in Special Interest. If you were not there (or were there and did not notice), here is a sample what was found in Special Interest. As you can see by the pix, there was a stock, nearly off the showroom floor Caddy; a stock nearly off the showroom floor Grand Cherokee; a stock nearly off the showroom floor GMC Jimmy SUV; a Cobra kit car (there was a class for Sport Compacts); a stock, unrestored 1967 Ford pickup truck (there was a class for 2WD trucks); a rather stock Firebird (there was a class for GM Muscle); a car whose lineage was not readily known, and our own PT Woody SurfWagon. The last two were the only ones that belonged in SI.

Such disrespect and abuse of any class is untenable. Both the people who wrongfully entered the class AND the show organizers are at fault, and both should be thoroughly ashamed. If a show does not have a class for you, don't go. Do NOT put your car in a class in which it does not belong just so you can be there - it is incredibly rude, dishonest and unfair to the people who do belong in that class. And if the show has gone to the trouble of having a class specifically for you (like Corvettes, Mustangs, Camaros, Mopar, Muscles etc.), then that is the class you should be in.

I will tell you this: if I were to register my PT Woody into your class, you would be pissed - and rightfully so. And if I took votes away from you, you would be livid, and would likely complain loudly to anyone who would listen. And you would be absolutely right!

All we ask is that everyone give us the same respect and consideration that y'all would want us to give to you if the tables were turned.

Slowly but surely, class jumpers and poachers are beginning to pay the price for their dishonesty. People are not voting for them as often. The folks are becoming aware. To the jumpers I would say, "You have been warned." If you choose to cheat, you will likely lose. Most folks want honest shows, and they are beginning to look for the cheats now that the problem has been brought into the light.

That said, the Windham show was a very fine show. I did notice that many of the judges were not particularly qualified, and some even looked lost. One was observed walking past 25 vehicles in 28 seconds. That judge did return later, but spent minimal time looking over only 1/2 the vehicles.

I fully recgnize that qualified judges are difficult to come by, so we do need to accept such problems in a judged show. But that is a shame - organizers really need to start training their judges better. If not, perhaps they should consider another form of judging.

I know this does not sound very good for the Windham show, but that really is not the case. They did put on a very good show. Pretty well organized, they were ready for us when we arrived. Food was good. Music was OK (not my type). Award ceremony was well-done and moved along rapidly. Yes, there were problems, but some were not within their control, and the others were, if nothing else, expected. Perhaps their 16th show next year will include improvements in the enforcement of classes, and the training of judges.

Thank you, Windham Boosters, for one of the better shows of the 2008 season.