2016 Wheels of Freedom Motor Show

2016 Wheels of Freedom Motor Show Report

The 2016 Wheels of Freedom Motor Show is behind us, and what a day it was! We could not have had better weather, and the crowd was bigger than ever. What a fun day. It took a lot of effort for many people, and it showed. As far as I know, everyone, including participants, the general public, and volunteers had a very enjoyable time at the show.

A few statistics are in order: Attendance:
We had 140 vehicles pre-registered, with 134 vehicles signed in for the show. Of that number, 37 were Poway Cruiser Club members, 97 were non-members. We had 15 no shows/withdrawals of pre-registered cars, with 9 party crashers register at the show. With 134 vehicles parked, and with a few exceptions everyone used only one parking space, we were pretty full. We probably could have parked another 6-8 cars. We’ll have to keep this in mind for next year. The show was very well attended by the general public. While a count was not possible, it seemed that attendance was much higher than previous years.

Fund Raising Results:
For the first time the event took on a direct fund raising mission to become self-funded. Soliciting a voluntary $25.00 donation from participants, 50 event t-shirts were pre-ordered and distributed at the event, and another 11 were distributed at the event. We had 3 shirts left in stock at the end of the day. Dash plaques did not fare as well. We had 125 in stock to start with, and we still have 65. As for the 50/50 Opportunity Drawing, we did very well, netting $350.00. All totaled, the event raised over $1,750.00 for the Spirit of the Fourth Celebration.  That was enough to cover the costs of producing the car show, including the t-shirts, dash plaques, awards, and support equipment, with a little left over for next year.

Awards:
24 awards were presented, 23 of them from the Spirit of the Fourth Committee (SOTF), and 1 from the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association Area Representative Dago D’Agosta. The SOTF Awards were determined by participant voting. The Poway Cruisers voted for their favorite non-members vehicles, and the non-members voted for their favorite Poway Cruisers vehicle. The results of the voting are as follows:

Award of Excellence Winners (in no particular order):

Jess Van Deventer – ’32 Ford Roadster; Jim Wayman – ’32 Ford Wrecker; Lynn Christy – ’41 Ford Convertible; Larry Kucera – ’60 Impala; Keiichi Yamamoto – ’55 Jaguar XK140; David Lewis – ’49 Buick; John & Linda Wilkinson – ’65 GTO; Denise & Jim Payne – ’42 Ford BC; Vince Ciccia – ’62 Chevrolet Impala; Sandy Mayer – ’63 Corvette; George Griffin – ’56 Dodge Pickup; Mike Adamson – ’67 Chevelle SS396; Pete Jimenez – ’67 Nova; Richard Torres – ’37 Ford 2dr; Larry Mullins – ’66 Plymouth Belvedere; Charlie 7 Julie Plavi – ’70 Dodge Sportsman Van; Karl & Judy Kahn – ’54 Corvette; Michael Griffith – ’65 Ford Ranchero; Ed Snell – ’52 Willys Aero.

Goodguys Rod & Custom Association Rep Pick: Jim Wayman – ’32 Ford Wrecker

Best Decorated: Barry Penn – ’50 Ford Woody Wagon

Favorite Poway Cruisers: Kathy & Ron Shedd – ’40 Ford 2dr Sedan Standard

Best of Show: Michael Miller – ’75 Ford Ranchero

Poway Cruisers Volunteer Support:
Without the help of at least 20 volunteers, the show would not be possible. Here’s who I remember helped make this a fun day this year. I’m sure there were several others that I missed listing that also helped:

Early Arrivers and Setup:
Earl Asbury, Bill Bryan, Ed & Carol Asbury, Ron Shedd, Fred Adler, George & Joyce Cowman, Joe & Carol Artino.

Admission & Parking:
Bill Bryan led this effort, supported by Bill Personius and Jerry Badders (entrance screening), Matt Galaski, Fred Adler, Joe Artino, and at least 1 or 2 others (directed parking).

Registration:
Joyce Cowman led this operation, assisted by: Carol Artino, Drew Cowman.

Balloting:
Kathy Shedd led the count, supported by Joe Blazick and Gerrie Griffin.

50/50 OD ticket sales:
Carol & Ed Asbury walked the show hawking tickets, and Linda Bryan and Molly Personius handled sales at the registration desk.

SOTF Donation Collection (T-Shirt & Dash Plaque):
Carol Asbury led this operation, with assistance from Brenda Grinceri and Molly Personius.

Public Address / Music System:
Provided by Earl Asbury, setup by Earl, and operated by Earl for the whole show.

Awards Ceremony:
George Cowman acted as the announcer, with the awards presented by Rick Milford, assisted by Joyce and Drew Cowman. The ceremony was photographed by Chris Cowman.

Cleanup:
Everyone on hand pitched in at the end to dismantle the booth and clean up the parking lot. I think it was cleaner when we left than when we arrived. All things considered, a very fun and successful event. George Cowman Wheels of Freedom Coordinator Spirit of the Fourth Committee Director 7/6/2016

Pictures by George Cowman, Click on an image to enlarge