It Looks Like…
…we're going to see another beautiful Saturday, May 20th, so we're on again! Can you believe it? Two weeks in a row! We're on a winning streak! This is more exciting than broken bathrooms on a five-hour flight! This is more exciting than 2 AM swamp donkeys at Waffle House. This is going to be one of those perfect mornings, so come out and see all the amazing cars and meet interesting people while it's nice out.
We only get about 20 shows a season, and the weeks fly by, so don't miss a single Saturday because there are way too many amazing cars and people that make an appearance only a few times each season, if that. This is also a great chance to make new friends to replace the ones you forgot about over the winter. Some are still waking up after months deep underground in their burrows and still have dirt on their lips.
We've tried many times to estimate the total pool of exotic and rare cars that show up at least once each season. It's a frequently asked question, but we just as frequently don't know the answer. We think it has to be somewhere between 4,000 to 7,000 qualified cars in the Pacific Northwest, if we include Gorst. While that seems like a lot, when you divide by the total number of shows, it's not that hard to believe. It would be a great survey question. Anyone else have an estimate? Write me if you do. Let's say we average 300 cars for each show all season, so that's 6,000 cars, but then how many are repeats, how many are one and done, and how many never make it every year? Then you have turnover of exotic and rare cars moving in and out of the Northwest. We really don't know the answer. Our peak, packed in, is about 510-530 cars, and our lows on a crappy day can be 200 cars, so 300 is a good conservative average.
To make the best show possible, we generally watch how often you come out, what's popular, what's not, and we adjust the criteria accordingly. We see this arc with some brands where we get the first one, it's all exciting, then it turns into a whole pile of them after a few years, and the interest dies down and we have to set limits on how many get in, something we prefer not to do. Hooters probably suffers from the same issue.
Rules
We're still having problems with participants not returning to their cars by 11:00 AM so everyone can leave or move their cars into normal parking spots. You don't want RTC to tow you, and they will. Think about it. It's a bit like staying at someone's house after the party's over and you’re still mowing down pretzels. It's just as awkward. You can't be blocking people in or you'll look bad. You don't want to look bad, do you?
We also discourage people from trying to leave early because we have enough to contend with as we're wrapping up the morning. So please, plan accordingly and be back at your car at 11 AM. Either park in a normal spot or follow our directions for getting out and on your way. This isn't like we’re teaching you to polka.
Let's be honest, when people see you leaving at 10:30, they automatically think you're doing it for attention. Everyone thinks that, but they just don't say it. It's like when your fly's down. Meanwhile, you want to be seen driving out, thinking it's your own personal parade without the shitty floats. Nope, you just look bad. So, don't. They aren't looking at you because you're cool. There are still plenty of people around to see you leave at 11:00 AM, so hold tight.
It's a bit like that train wreck you see passing through the airport. They think you're looking at them because they are hot. You're looking at them because they remind you to pick up soda at Walmart.
We're trying to make this work for everyone, but it's not a come-and-go show. What, you left a casserole in the oven? We don't believe you. Besides, a good casserole can stay in the oven for a week and not kill anyone. We'll get you out, assuming everyone is back to their cars on time. It's a small ask. It's not like we're requesting you to co-sign a car loan for some pimple-farming teen.
I don't know if you've seen these go up around the US, but it's a reminder of the fragility of these shows. To keep putting on great shows, we need the cooperation from everyone.
I found this image on Facebook and I have no idea where it is. We want to make damn sure it’s never us. I so want to paint out the S.
We're convinced that if we hadn't strictly enforced our rules, we would have disappeared by now, like hundreds of other car shows that never thought rules were necessary. We're not trying to be dicks about it either. We're just out to sustain the best weekly car show in the US. However, to sustain it, it has to work for everyone, especially Redmond Town Center, whom we hold in the highest regard.
We again apologize for the line this past Saturday. We had a lot of people show up very early, so we had to quickly catch up. We're going to arrive a little earlier and get cars situated a little sooner to ease the congestion. But the new double line moves fast and it didn't take long to get past the problem.
German Car Day is Coming Up!
Don't forget, the 27th is German Car Day, our first theme day of the season. How this differs from a normal Saturday is that we showcase German cars in the center circle and along the side street. However, all cars that are normally there are still welcome and we encourage you to come because there are so many spectators who show up wanting to see all of the cars. It's not just Porsche, it's also BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and many others. Our theme days draw from all over the US, so you don't want to miss any of these special events. This is a bigger sausage fest than Leavenworth.