First off, the rest of the galleries (the show pix & Winner's Circle) are up for Litchfield. And I would be sorely remiss if I did not send KUDOS to Norm Gray for his exceptional showing yesterday at Litchfield. Norm not only took 1st place in his class, but also took Best Chrome and Best Paint. Congrats, Norm! Well done.
And thanx (?) to Dale Chasse and Bob Sanborn, I will now proceed to work on pages for the many pix they submitted of yet another Vermont car show...
I have received a ton of emails lately from new readers of HotKarz because we are extending our reach to new areas to the north and northeast. And we welcome each of you.
The vast majority have expressed their thanks for our fight to end the lack of integrity in our hobby, but they often ask why we bother. Rather than even try to respond to each email individually, I will use this post to explain exactly what it is we do at HotKarz, and exactly why. With any luck, you will come to know us better by the time you finish reading this. Even some of our closest friends do not know the whole story, so here it is.
I organized my first car show in the 60's, for my school and again for New England College in Henniker, NH when I was about 16. It was quite by accident, and I really had no experience. But I was good at organizing, and the college needed to beat out Nathaniel Hawthorne College in Antrim, their elitist ROTC rival. So, I got "elected", thanks to a couple of college girls I happened to know.
I have organized, judged, or participated in several hundred show since then, in about half the states in the US, and even a couple of shows in Canada. I can finally say I do have some small amount of experience, even though I am not really a "car guy". I can't make 'em run, like some of you can. And I am not a great body man. But I know shows. And I have studied the various rules, point systems, and learned class definitions. I have at least a modicum of organizational ability (which I rarely use at home). So I know, without a doubt, when there is a problem, and I know how to fix it.
I am not a "know-it-all". I do not know how to rebuild a carb, and I do not know much about clutches, glass blowing or grooming dogs. No, I am not a know-it-all. But the few things I do know, I know well. And one of those things is car shows. I even helped write a rather comprehensive book on the subject.
That background brings us to the day we moved to Maine, and began hitting the shows here. And I immediately discovered two things:
1) there was no single source for getting info on shows and cruises, so knowing where to go, and when, was an uphill battle, and
2) the shows hereabouts seem to be run more by an Old Boys Network than by the show organizers, and it made for a lot of cheating. Shows were more a personality contest than a competition for vehicles
I knew right off that I would try to help alleviate both problems if I could. That's just the way I am. And I knew it would be an uphill battle.
First, let me say in all sincerity that I don't mind losing, when I deserve to, but when I deserve to win, I would like to do so. The trophy is not important, but I do like to compete. Competition is the main purpose of car shows. But in order to be deemed competition, it must be fair and honest. If a person cheats, it destroys the competition, itself, because it is no longer a level playing field, and is "rigged". Having a cheat in a car show is not unlike having a weasel in the henhouse - the chickens simply cannot compete against the weasel.
I decided to start by investing my own time, money and effort into building the website HotKarz.com, to provide a singular source of much needed info on the shows and cruises, so EVERYONE would find everything easily. And to make it more enjoyable and beneficial, I added a lot of other features. And everything is free.
Once HotKarz was up, to serve the first purpose, it was time to start tackling the second one - the problems. For that, I started a BLOG on a separate server. The purpose of the BLOG is to provide more pertinent information, instant updates on changes to the calendar, reviews of shows and cruises, the latest news, and a place where you, the folks, to chime in if you do so respectfully. But the underlying purpose is to discover the problems, expose them to the daylight regardless of who it angers, and suggest ways to improve the shows for all.
Now for an important piece of this story: anyone who thinks I do all of this just for kicks has got another think coming. I spend many hours each week building and updating web pages, seeking out the relevant info on shows and cruises, meeting people, making phonecalls, taking thousands of pictures, writing the posts and doing the homework. And I do it alone. Without pay. I am often found posting at 2 or 3 in the morning. All of the funding comes out of my personal pocket, because everything on HotKarz is free. We give away great trophies in contests I dream up, give away T-shirts, plaques, jackets and more. At cruises we even give away free, fresh veggies from our garden. Sometimes we sponsor a class, or even a show. We provide free copies of "The Complete Car Show" to every organizer who requests it. Frankly, without tooting my own horn unnecessarily, I think we give a lot, and have some small right to say so because we ask for nothing in return. Nothing except a little respect. Most of you offer it. Those who do not are generally the same people whose respect we do not want.
Now, I do not expect, or even want everyone to agree with me. And I understand that the "Good Ol' Boys" don't like this one little bit, and will do anything to damage and shut down HotKarz, or find some way to minimalize it. I understand all that, and it really doesn't bother me, personally. Their insults, slights and vile attacks mean nothing to me, except as fodder to turn it into a learning experience for you, the readers, so you can get a better look at the dirty underbelly of the cheating; to see it for what it really is, in the hope that YOU will also stand up against it.
But I do believe I have earned respect.
Do I make mistakes? Everyone does. But when I make one, I fix it. And I do not make mistakes in the reporting of what is going on. If I write that a certain thing is happening, you can take it to the bank.
Go ahead and post, anonymously if you must, even if you disagree. Just be civil. Big Mike often disagrees with me, but his comments have been thoughtful, respectful and polite, so he has earned respect in return. But if anyone chooses to be insulting, crass, or uses other tactics designed to spread hate and discontent, forget it - they will never be posted.
So that's about it. I am a bit of a renegade, and have always been a rebel of sorts. Outspoken, to be sure. Willing to fight for what I believe is right. Willing to put my money, time and work where my mouth is. Willing to take the punches from those who fear change, because they will no longer be able to poach trophies if we win this fight.
But I am not a fool, either. I will put my resources into this, freely, as long as there is a chance that you, the folks, want it and will benefit from it. And if it turns out that the folks are unwilling to stand and fight with me, then the day will come when I will just say there is no longer any point, and walk away. And the Ol' Boy Network will just keep on putting the screws to the honest folks.
Because when push comes to shove, Thomas Jefferson said it right - every person gets what they deserve. If the folks are not willing to fight for what is right, then right cannot prevail. Or John Dickenson, who said in 1768 "United we stand, divided we fall." Or even the Good Book, "What you do not use will be taken from thee."
You, the folks, have to decide just what it is you want - the old way where certain dishonest folks run things and you simply accept it because "that's the way it was always done", or shows that are run fairly that make it better for us all.
The choice is not mine to make. It never has been.
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