I understand, but a small "sleepy" town like Pismo/Morro Bay (the list can go on and on) is more than used to it's fair share of "invading". Go to Pismo on the 4th of July....tell me that town isn't "taken over". Would Ivanhoe love this type of car show? Would Three Rivers want to deal with the crowd? Would Wasco be the place to hold next years WCK? Is the town of Taft goin nutzo because Penny won't call them back? no to all 4. It's great that Santa Maria stepped up but it's not hard to realize why people don't dig it as much. It's a great car show but it's supposed to be a replacement for the previous shows at Paso....same show new location....but it's not the same show (and that's ok) and it still needs a new location. It's still cool that Santa Maria helped Penny out!! It's cool that the city welcomed everyone!! the door is starting to shut on this thread....Before it does my advice would be to keep going at Santa Maria until you find another city that would capture the essence of the old shows. find a small town (50,000 or less) that isn't out of the movie deliverence or the hills have eyes. example: Oildale & Delano? NO Porterville & Pismo? SURE Avenal & Kettlmen City? NAY Hanford & Exeter? I don't know...I'm getting tired...close thee thread? (Porterville will always be a shameless plug of mine)
Been going to West Coast Kustoms shows since 1985. From the NORTH COAST REDWOOD RUN to BACK TO THE BEACH and all those in between. Paso was great, but one hell of alot of work. We put on the first WINE TOUR CRUISE (taking people around in a bus, donating to a lot of city causes and joining the city Chamber of commerce,ect-ect-ect.) In the end the city put too many restriction on the club to make it a go. Penny had no choice but to look for another place that would have us. Paso wanted to restrict the event to a MAX of 500 cars. No PRIMER at all. Must have been show Quality and NO VENDERS period. Plus many more restrictions requiring a steep increase in monetary outlay up front. So if your car is a SHOW CAR with no primer with alot of money to pay for a very steep increase in entry fees to cover the cost to put on another PASO show, go ahead and keep bitching. To all the rest of us, I'll see you next year in SANTA MARIA. To me this is more than a car show, it's a gathering of OLD friends and friends I have yet to meet.
Hey if we're throwing "sleepy towns" in the mix, why not move it to ................. Hollister .................. Hell, 10,000 Harley's invade that town every 4th of July. And the City holds their hands out every time to collect the revenue from tickets generated from exhibition of speed. The've figured out how to make the best of it. Paso is trying to become Napa. Its all the wine manufactures there that wanted us out. We were tainting their image.
Any of you serious showgoers date back to the '70s and Lodi? It was the original cast for what was to become Paso. The WCK used to hold their show at Los Banos. Then came Paso...(the whole town was 'Rod & Custom' all weekend, like Lodi had been) Los Banos was the model for Santa Maria. Closed fairgrounds, 'concentration show' atmosphere. It just gets good, then back again. "Get over it"? I'm over it.
The first year they had roller skating at one or the buildings at the fair grounds. It worked out kool for the kids. They should bring that back.
a suggestion as far as vendor go, maybe just have vendors that are automotive related and cut out the ones that just sell t-shirts?
Me too, thats why I've stayed home for the last three years. Santa Maria sucks, Paso didnt.........simple as that.
i will say that i dont miss all the 4 door, primer black, red rim, rock a silly crowd that took over paso the last couple of years. you couldnt even check out the cars at the park from the sea of spectators. i dont miss getting up at 430 am to get in line just to drive in the park i dont miss getting harrased by the cops
Thanks for not showing up ..."MUTT" ...the last thing we need is another dog in this town barking up the wrong tree.
Idea for space... Why do you need vendors at the very front near the enterance?? Cant you put them with the rest in the buildings or in the middle... ? Clear out that space for more cars. I would also see if the roller rink would bring back a skate day for the kids.....Blue Collar Guy is right about this!!
I went to the last year of Paso and as an "event" and for the vibe it was cool as a car show not so much. The park was so packed with people you could barely make your way through it, you had no hope of taking a picture of anything without 20 people standing in it and you had to search random side streets just to see all the cars. Add that to the fact that if you were not staying close by you had to park about 30 minutes walk from the show it was less than ideal as a car show.
thanks numbnutz and smfyr241 you are right on track.i have gone to every meeting at paso with penny and kin smith and i can tell you it was hard to deal with. w.c.k. wants to make santa maria the best show we can and we take all the input very seriousley. thanks rit for starting this thread.
thanks numbnutz and smfyr241 you are right on track.i have gone to every meeting at paso with penny and kin smith and i can tell you it was hard to deal with. w.c.k. wants to make santa maria the best show we can and we take all the input very seriousley. thanks rit for starting this thread.
Amen to that. Hollister IS a small town, perfect location, killer weather, AND community support. hell, if they can host a plethora of bikers, I think they can handle us. unless the extra $30 in gas is too much.
Still trying to figure out why you guy post on a thread just to bitch...... They are doing the best they can with what they've got. I guess they could make all you guys happy and just stop putting on the show, that way you have more time to sit at home thinking about "The good old days". I thought the show was great, WCK works hard to put on a good show. For all you guys to come on here and take a shit on what they are trying to do is pretty lame. If you don't like it, find your own sleepy litte town and put on your own show.
HaHa... right ...figures you would fire back with lame comments. Both you and johhnykck must have dropped out of the same high school. Not saying Santa Maria is a "Great Town" .... Im standing up for Penny and the hard work that goes into this show. WCK chose Santa Maria....we did not go finding her and ask for it. Im just happy its in our town... the people here appreciate it and welcome everyone to come to the show every year. Like I said.... I enjoy ALL old cars and would go to any location to see this show.... If you have to bash a city and for some people calling it "Ghetto" then get the hell out of the topic and find another show to go to.
The only point I was trying to make was that even though the Santa Maria show looks ok, I understand why some people that posted in this thread weren't digging it as much. My comments weren't of any help as far as benefiting the current Santa Maria show. I should have just kept my "mouth" shut. Sorry.
Brandon...I think people get it now....no need to "keep your mouth shut" ...Penny did ask for good and the bad. Little towns and their atmosphere are cool.... just seems like its a big burden on little towns when its invaded by 800-1000 cars.... It is too bad there really isnt an "IDEAL" spot for this show that would silence all negative comments...
The Friday cruise and the Sunday swap really connected all the dots for me. My only suggestion would be a voucher for a piece of pizza for all car entries (the bigger of the 2 sizes offered)
Brandon, I reread your comments and mine as well and I can see how that may have come off as an attack on what you were saying. I honestly didn't meen it that way, sorry bro! You have been one of the more constructive and polite people of the bunch actually. You have put forth ideas in a constructive and positve manor. My comments were directed at the people that are not offering advice or ideas but are mearly comming on this thread to complain. Later, Roger
Hmm..............my comments on this thread have nothing to do with the city of Santa Maria, the only time I've ever spent there was driving to & from the show. My comments were directed at the show itself. For all I know Santa Maria could be the greatest city or the biggest dump on the face of Gods green earth........I dont know or care. The one thing I do know is that the show cant hold a candle to the old Paso gathering. I went the first year was not impressed..............dont plan to return to the show but that has zero to do with the town itself.
Other than the fact that the city has cancelled the last two years and once in 2007 due to financial and security concerns so this may not be the best example of small towns welcoming this type of thing with open arms.
it not paso but i still enjoy it, i would like to see a cruise added in the fairgrounds perimeter inside the fence going in one direction only on saturday. the sunday swapmeet was a good start hopefully it will grow.
I think we can all agree that Paso was awesome in its heyday. Nothing could hold a candle to the vibe it once had. But alot of that, at least for me, was because it seemed like a special place that actually appreciated the whole scene. Turned out the opposite was true. Like so many things, once the bubble is burst, the 'vibe' thing can't ever really be re-created. Continuing to lament is not 'input' At least Santa Maria does seem to appreciate it.
Guys your first piece of ass was the best you ever had....it will never be that good again! PASO is gone, Santa Maria is great!!!! We can all make it greater!!! I had a good weekend...lots of friends and cars what could be worse!
The Jalopy Journal
