Bonny Eagle

The Best of the Best pix for Bonny Eagle are up - check 'em out; cast yer vote!


As is often the case with the Bonny Eagle show, it started out WET! But quite a few intrepid souls spent hours getting soaked just for the chance to show their rides.

Nowhere near as big as last year, partly because of the weather, it was still a good show. It is still a great deal of walking, however, since the categories are split up between the two school grounds.

The only major shortcomings including a missing class (Mopars, which usually draws a couple dozen) and with the lack of class enforcement (there were several Jeeps, but only one registered in the Jeep class). And of 13 vehicles in Special Interest, only 5 could actually be considered as even remotely of special interest - the other 8 were stock, off-th-showroom floor models or ordinary vehicles.

A suggeswtuion for Bonny Eagle organizers - if your show is going to attract so many "orphans" that do not actually BELONG in a class, perhaps you should consider including an Orphan Class, or an Open Class, so all those vehicles that do not fit in any other class can competer amongst themselves, without treating other classes unfairly by inserting them where they do not belong.

I really hate to harp on this, buit for the benefit of show organizers, please note:

Special Interest is an actual class. It is not a catch-all for anything and everything. Just as the Mustang class should only include MUSTANGS, Special Interest should only include vehicles with a SPECIAL INTEREST. It is not a place for stock vehicles, or newer vehicles you do not have a class for. It simply is not fair to other owners to toss orphans into classes where they do not belong.

For the record, here is the actual definition of Special Interest:

"Special Interest - a vehicle uniquely distinguishable from the usual, and/or designed for a particular purpose, such as a race car, military vehicle or bus, or built to a specific and unusual theme, either of which would generate interest because of its uniqueness or specialty function". Stock vehicles of newer vintage are neither unique nor do they have a specialty function. Nor are older cars from the '30's or '40's, unless there is something UNIQUE about them. Being old does not make a vehicle Special Interest.

If a vehicle does not fit that description, it should not be allowed to register in Special Interest. Period.

In the case of Bonny Eagle, several of the stock vehicles that incorrectly were allowed to register as Special Interest did, indeed, have legitimate classes to register in. A newer Ford Fusion, a newer Cadillac, and a newer Dodge Magnum all could have, and SHOULD have, registered in the 90's to present. They did not have a chance in Special Interest (unfair to them), and the vehicles that really were Special Interest may also have suffered (also unfair to them).

By having an Orphan or Open class, you make it possible for ANY vehicle to compete fairly.

Still and all, it was a great show, and a fun time. If only the weather had been more accommodating...

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