The Car Club of the Month for November 2007 is: <CENTER></CENTER> Poor Boys Sacramento chapter: The determined dozen The Sacramento chapter of The Original Poor Boys Car Club is a clear-cut choice for November's Club of the Month. Their spokesperson and informal leader Jay Walding started the chapter in 1998 after a Billet Proof show. "I met a guy named Curt and he was the president of the East Bay chapter and he approached me about starting a Sacramento chapter." Walding didn't give it a second thought; he got a group of friends and locals together and began to represent Poor Boys in the state's capital. The East Bay chapter dissolved and they became the sole West coast representation of the Poor Boys. They have other chapters in Michigan, Florida, Tennessee and Alabama. The Detroit, MI chapter covers East coast shows and representation, "and we're the shotcallers out here in the West," Walding laughed mischievously. The twelve members of the Poor Boys' Sacramento chapter are all friends with different specialties and backgrounds, "but we all get along and respect each other like brothers," said Walding. "We had to reduce the club to just me and my dad [Bruce] about 7 years ago. The personal politics got in the way and people started to lose sight of what we wanted to do as a club." They reformed and are showing no signs of slowing, it's full throttle for these rat-rodders. "We don't always get the respect and recognition for our work. It's ironic that even when [rat rodding] was trendy Poor Boys were overlooked, but we aren't in it for the glory. Plus if you get too big, people expect too much from you," Walding said. In October 2007, the Sacramento Poor Boys chapter was awarded by Sacramento Magazine as Editor's Choice for best local car club of the year. "I got a phone call when we were doing Midnight Mass in late July and it was secretive and kind of weird, but I didn't know what their angle was other than just doing a story and some pictures of us. Then I got the call about the award and I was floored." They don't hold structured meetings, because as Walding puts it... "We see each other all the time anyway, we hang out on the weekends and work on each other's cars, so it something comes up we just talk about it." The only time the conduct official business is when they are preparing for a show. You can find the Poor Boys Sacramento chapter in full force at the Sacramento Autorama in February 2008. Otherwise, they frequent local show & shines and cruises. They collect no dues, but if the club has any needs, the members contribute and any profits that are made at a show or event go back into the fund for the next show. "Money does weird things to people, so we avoid the problems of dues and fees. The club is comfortably self-sufficient," Said Walding. They host an annual show in late July called Midnight Mass and "don't plan to get too big. A show swallows up your time and especially since we have families, kids and lives apart from our cars, it's too crazy otherwise," said Walding. Next time you see the Poor Boys at a show or cruise, let them know you heard about them on Rods and Wheels and we thank Jay Walding and the rest of the Poor Boys' Sacramento chapter for their influence on the West coast rat rodding community.
Yup, Congratulations to Jay and all the Sac. chapter. I'm very much looking forward to meeting more of you at the Florida Billetproof.
Yeah, that's going to be quite an eye opener, putting all those names to faces, that I've talked to so many times.
Media whores....... hahaha! I might fly down for FL Billetproof----Gator shouldn't have to be the only one of us hillbillys representin'
Nice write up there, it sums up just what this club is all about. Congratulations guys, you deserve it!
In case nobody has noticed, the Curt in the article is actually our very own KIRK. They never get it right, no matter how many times you tell them.