Event Coverage L.A. Roadsters screwed up the swap

So if you guys are like me you knew you had to be at the show a bit early on Friday to get a decent swap spot. If you didn't here the rumors about the layout this year it was a shock.I think over all this was by far the biggest it ever has been and that was nice. If you were not one of the lucky people that camped there and partied overnight you would understand that there was almost NO toilets and trashcan like usual no Honey hole trailers for the comfortability for the females and the entrance was only on the north side of the fairgrounds at gate 9 people were pissed

 

I wish I could share your tirade, but I can't. I really liked the way the changes were made this year at L.A.R.S. After 20 years of trips over for the show, they finally expanded in way that gave the show allot more room. Why worry about porta johns when there are permanent rest rooms with running water to wash your hands within about two hundred steps in every direction? The only negative that I heard from the swap was the reduction of size on standard swap space. As far as entrance, it has always been one entrance for the swappers, just that it used to be gate 15 and also shared by prefered parking.

 

my legs were done just walking from gate 9 parking to the swap . let alone hawl something back. What if I wanted to buy a '23 T body, do you think they would let me put it on the Tram??? I usualy walk every row! That wasn't gunna happen. Whoes bright idea was it to keep you from parking through gate 17? I'm gunna have to come up with different ideas to keep my handicaped wife happy.

 

Don't blame the club. The Fairplex tells them where to put the show. You may have noticed all the construction going on. This dictated where the different parts of the show had to be.

DW

 

yea but that doesn't explain the lack of toilets in the swap it was like 6 shiters for 5000 people give me a brake the club could have called some more in look how many are at the normal Pomona swap and I do agree it was a way better show due to the size and relocation but the amenities needed to be addressed

P.S. THE SHOW WAS AWESOME

 

it was a lot better last year , the swap layout was not that great.... just my .02

 

After I got oriented I was fine. I don't give a dam how much gas I get, I'm renting a gizzer cart next year. These old legs were shot by Sat evening.

 

IT was nice that is was so big a ton to see its for sure a to day show and my wife still like to go into the halls for the venders like grand national so for the future that might be a suggestion

 

We were set up in the Swap Meet on both Friday and Saturday. We were kind on on the north east side, near the giant green tent. There were plenty of Porta Potty's within 100 feet of us and there was Never a line. Not to mention the permanent ones with sinks etc.
As for getting Big Parts out to the truck - I picked up a Brookville Body and frame and drove to gate 15, told them what I was picking up, showed my wrist band so they knew I had paid and drove in through the swap meet and right up to Brookville's booth to pick it up.
I also sold some big stuff and the guys who bought it told the folks at gate 15 and they let them in to come and fetch it.
I thought overall it was the best in years. Could it have been better? Sure. Hopefully next year the Fair will have the construction and repaving done and swap meet people will be able to park out there again, but really it didn't seem to be a problem.

 

by Saturday evening the stationary shitters were unusable for the rest of the show. the hand soap was gone by Sat. afternoon. the guy setup next to me found the storage cabinet and refilled it. he also kept the paper towels replenished. it was completely disgusting and unsanitary. that is the fault of Pomona Fairplex staff.

besides that i had a great time, its my favorite swap of the year.

 

I don't know the politics of not having parking in the "yellow" lot but I saw plenty of pickups picking up car bodies and driving them out of the swap area towards the NORTH entrance/exit which is gate #15, (Gate #9 is on the East side, although White Ave does cut diagonally it's still a N/S road making it the East side of the grounds, yea, nit pick, but so's the original post.)
I believe the gate keepers must have let people in to load up?
Although there were more than a few post '75 vehicles in the preferred parking.
I liked the mellow way the "shiny" roadsters were displayed between the buildings. made it easy to just do the rows and see everything.

I am still sore from walking the huge swap meet Saturday (although I went for a 15 mile bicycle ride Sunday to work out the kinks) and bought what I was looking for for a fair price, and I don't mean "County Fair" price. I was parked in preferred but could see when I was walking past Gate 9 that that was a much better entrance to first see what the SHOW had to offer when first getting there.

Maybe next year the other parking lot will be open, or maybe the whole show will be back in the "New" Great Western Exhibit Center! (parking there was hell on the local streets if you went later than dawn.) JK

 

i was so sore saterday night. It was my first time and i was simply amazed at the amount of early ford parts. Fucking blew my mind. There wasnt many porta johns but i wasnt drinking beer soo............

 

pros and cons

 

Hey what about us poor shits who are on the other side of the country that only dream of going to something like this?, wish i had your sore legs!,hope to make it someday. Harvey b

 

It was the biggest swap yet... and the parts were quality and a lot of good deals were there to be had...

The parking on the East side and having to walk about a half mile to my car to carry two loads of parts out there SUCKED!

I hope they put some parkign near the swap meet for next year.

I was able to find a rest room when I needed it... so that wasn't a big issue. But them running out of paper and filling up is crude.

Lastly... the layout of the swap meet made it confusing.

The isles went along, and then jogged. Where they jogged, they didn't line up.

My advice would be to run the isles North/South instead of East/West.

They'll get it right next year.

Sam

 

it was a good show..lots of good stuff..the only problem i saw was a few vendors selling non-car related stuff like hats and shoes..and the guy selling rice rocket shit..

 

Me too!

I saw your truck... but didn't see you there... would have liked to have said "Hi!"

Sam

 

Why not tell the people putting on the show instead of us? HRP

 

I went to a swap Saturday morning. There was like 15 vendors in the whole place. Wish I had a swap like that to complain about.

 

Whatever they do they are not going to be able to please everybody and there is always somebody ready to jump in and complain about something because it was not 100% perfect - for them. It was one of the best shows I have ever been to and I have no complaints. The L.A. Roadsters do a great job period.

 

I think the L.A. Roadster Club should give some thought to keeping the swap vendors and preferred parking guys around on Sunday. It was a ghost town out there (perhaps the morning drizzle scared them off?). Even the number of roadsters vs Saturday was way off........

 

When you buy the swap space it is for Friday Saturday and Sunday. many guys just figure that they don't want to spend Sunday there. It has nothing to do with the club. I know for me, i sell on Friday and Saturday then pack up and go home. I come back on Sunday with the Roadster and do that part of the show with the wife. Not sure what the LA Roadsters could do to keep sellers there ??

 

Well said!

 

It wasn't too bad i was sick and coyld hardly leave our swap space i was too sick to walk from our swap space to building 4. I heard good and bad about it. Don't blame LA Roadters nor thier doing. Still glad i was there

 

The FACT is ...

The LA Roadster show and swap is about the BEST event going.
Has been for a long time.

95 per cent of the HAMB members would LOVE to be there ... but distance, time and $$$ keeps them at home where just about NOTHING was going on that weekend.

I have been many times ( from here in South Carolina ) and plan on being there in 2012. I was there in 2010

The LA Roadsters have to follow the guidelines and rules of the Pomona Fairgrounds management. Bitching and moaning about the way the layout was is fruitless and mostly useless.

Get a life, put your big girl panties on and deal with it.

 

Us poor shits on the other side of the country do have many show that are as big, or bigger. This is what we build so that us old timers can make it around the shows. A guy can walk ten miles on a weekend, and on the average there are one to two hart attacks victims on a weekend. So don't be concerned about us poor shits, where doing OK. Ya, It's not the LA show. I've been there in the past, and it's great, but we also have good shows in the East.

We have a lot of friends that come down from the cold country. You should make the pilgrimage some day, you would enjoy it.

 

I liked the new layout. Of course we had a good spot (3rd spot in on the front row) and had a lot of traffic go by. Not a lot of people buying stuff but my buddy sold his 29 roadster.

I really liked the shiny roadster layout. I usually don't spend a lot of time looking at them when they were all grouped together in one spot. Now they were spread out and under tress and looked much more interesting. It's like a so so car at a car show. I might not give it a second glance but if I was the same car in a store parking lot or driving down the road I'd check it out.

There was definitely a lot more walking but hey, I need the exercise anyway!

I'd like to see it busier on Sunday too but there were a lot more people in the vendor/roadster area although I think they were spectators.


My only complaint was the DJ on Sunday that was begging for $ every two minutes. It was like a PBS or Jerry Lewis Telethon! I wanted to go over and give him a hundred bucks so I could tell him to STFU! I know it's for a good cause buck give it a rest!

Anyway, another incredible LARS and I'm thankful I get top go every year. For those complaining, think about all the guys that couldn't make it or have never been. I wore my LARS shirt from 1990 (yes, it still fits, but just barely!) and it reminded me of how lucky i was to live so close.

On the other hand, when I was driving home I kind of wished it was further away so I could have had a longer cruise!

 

I think you fellers should take your pussies off and put your dicks on.

I would have LOVED to be physically wrecked today due to the fact that I was there all weekend digging up treasure. Sounds like a good trade off to me.

 

My only complaint was the marine layer burnt off too early on Saturday and by the time I got through the entire swap meet my neck was burnt to a crisp.

 

So here's your solution: since the swap meet facilities were not to your liking, don't go back again and the problems goes away for you.

P.S. Spelling and punctuation are clearly not your friends.