Labor Day Monday is an official closer for the summer season in our area.
Not a closer for the car show season here, but it marks the last day of summer holidays for school age kids when they will once again be sentenced to scholastic confinement until next summer.
That’s why a Labor Day Monday car show at a local lake is a fitting way to signal the end of the summer holiday season and the big breakfast angle is just the whipped cream on the pancakes, literally and figuratively at this show. We did not jump into the lineup for the breakfast because our primary mission is still a search for yet another car story and the food lineup was busy.
Every car guy and girl who did take in the breakfast was in awe of the quality and quantity of the food. The wait was worth it for them and we will indeed take a big interest in the breakfast next year- we like good food and we’re fast eaters.
The Gull Lake car show is something has the crucial ingredient of a sense of community that has already turned this young event into a must-attend for the local car guys. It was a perfect day and the show was well-attended.
The organizers provided plenty of room for the vehicles in the show, plus they had plenty of room for the people who wanted to see the cars. It was a laid-back and friendly show with live music and plenty of awards for the people who entered the show.
The Gull Lake show ended early in the afternoon and many of the vintage rides were free to hit the road for a late season car cruise with some four-wheeled friends to another lake near Gull Lake along a very scenic route.
As usual, we were able to find some amazing stories at the show, including a future feature story about a young woman and her 1966 Plymouth Barracuda. She got the car when she was only 11 years old and she has quite an amazing story to tell about her car.
We also found a story about a 1954 GMC truck resto-mod with a now-you-own-it-now-you-don’t twist to it and a very happy ending for the current and formerly past owner.
We found a bare bones 1961 Ford four-door sedan with a unique first owner story told by the second owner about how the car only cost the first owner 2 dollars. Look for a future story about how a brand new vehicle cost only two bucks back in ’61.
We at MSCC live and die by the notion that every vehicle has a story to tell and our main goal is to find the story. The Gull Lake show on a beautiful day on the last day of summer holidays was another example about how the stories are both varied and interesting in most cases.
The crucial ingredient is the people factor in every story because the relationship between the owner and the vehicle make-or-break the story. If they have an emotional investment in the vehicle, then we have a story. If they have a financial investment in the vehicle and a For Sale sign on vehicle, then we do not have a story. We pass that story along to our buddy Grumpy and let him tell the story in his For Sale ads.
Thank you to Barry Cunningham and his Gull Lake squad of organizers for a great show.
Jim Sutherland
