Winning Car Show for 2008!

The weather prediction for May 18th this year was good and it held true as the day started out with plenty of sun shine for this year's event. We all got to the park at around 7:30 AM for the show's set-up. Everyone had their assigned jobs and went to work. Banners and decorations went up, vehicles were un-loaded, registration was set up, give aways and raffle items were displayed, trophies were brought out and adjusted, vendors came and set up in their respective areas and everything else was going along very well. It was almost to good to be true.

We had told the city of Moxee about our electrical needs well in advance of the show. The city was in the process of remodeling their park and we had a trench in the ground to work around but had talked about that with Public Works and for the show, it presented no problem. However, the electricity for the vendors was still locked up. It was Sunday and the workers phone number that I had did not seem to work. We had electricity at the main gazebo but found that part of our PA system was not working.....Like the Music! Finally, we reached a member of Public Works to provide our vendors with some electricity. Vendors were now up and running, but ...still no music.

People started arriving and the parking layout was going well. Because last year's judging was such a disaster, we had a member who came up with a different way of judging this year. It looked like it might work. We had approximately 64 trophies to give away for everything including best paint, best interior, distance, classes from the 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's to Present, streetrods, ratrods, trucks, 4X4's, lowriders, motorcycles, bicycles, participants choice, and best of show. Whew!

As noon approached we had upward of 110 entries. The show was declared a success! I think our local advertisements helped bring more spectators this year than in the past. There also were several people that attended this year that were not here in the past. There were also a few that had promised to attend that did not make it this year. I think it was their loss because the show was great. We had people from as far away as Camino Island, Port Townsend, Enitat, Moses Lake, Wenatchee, Chelan, and Spokane, just to name a few.

This year we had contacted the local "Make a Wish Foundation" to do the 50/50. The club took a vote and decided to match the money received by Make a Wish, dollar for dollar. During the show, Make a Wish managed to sell about $440 in tickets. The idea of the 50/50 is that they gave $220 of that money to a lucky ticket holder. The club in turn, will donate $440 back to Make a Wish, so their total for the show will end up at about $660. Not bad for an afternoon's work.

Some of the comments received were "Beautiful Park" and "Nice Show" . And we did it all without Music.

NEXT SHOW--MAY 18,2008

The American Reflections 8th Annual "Open" Show will again be held at the park in Moxee, WA. This year the show is on Sunday, May 18, 2008. Each year we proudly show off Custom Cars, Classics, Streetrods, Stock Vehicles, Trucks, Vehicles Under Construction, Foreign Vehicles, Tuners, Lowriders, SUVs, Motorcycles and even Bicycles. If your vehicle is a little different from the rest and you are proud of it, bring it on down and show it off.

Registration for the show until May 10th is just $15. After May 10th registration will be $20. Registration allows you to show your vehicle, receive a goodie bag, receive a dash plaque and become eligible for prizes and trophies. This show will go on, "RAIN OR SHINE".

In the past shows the car magazines have been a hit. Members bring in their magazines to share with show participants. There just may be an article about a vehicle like yours or project you find interesting. Go ahead, take one home, they are free.

Great music, amazing vehicles, new friends, prizes, trophies, and lots of good food are all expected at the show again this year. If you love to look at vehicles but don't have one yourself, come to the show anyway. Spectators can look around free of charge.

I am including a copy of the 2008 registration form on this page. Right click on it and either print it or "save" the picture to your computer. Then print it, fill out and send it in with your fee to The American Reflections Car Club, P.O. Box 11377, Yakima, WA. 98909. You will then receive a number in the mail or we can hold it for you until the show. See you at the show!

Gas Milage. What is that?

As 2007 comes to a close we are generally preparing our classic cars or trucks for the winter ahead. Some of us have shops where we can work on our rides or even work on new projects. It is always a special treat to see how a vehicle has progressed or a new project has been prepared for the next year's get togethers. The rest of us do the best we can to protect our classics and prepare them for the next year.

Mark your calendars everyone. The American Reflections 8th Annual Open Car Show is scheduled for May 18th, 2008 at the Moxee Park again. If you have joined us in the past, you know what a nice park this is with plenty of grass, shade and clean restrooms. Again in 2008 we will try and have plenty of food for your enjoyment during the show. Dash plaques for everyone coupled with over 40 trophies and lots of prizes, raffle items, free magazines, music and fun are again scheduled for the day. If you haven't been to our show before, please join us. Moxee is just 4 miles east of Yakima Washington on highway 24. All Customs, Classics, Stockers, Trucks, LowRiders, and Bikes are welcome. This year our show's pre-registration until May 10th is $15. If you choose to register after that or the day of the show, registration will be $20.00 for 2008.

THIS SHOW WILL TAKE PLACE, RAIN OR SHINE...

We always are looking for new club members. Our Club is in the process of changing some of the things we do. With your e-mail address, I can keep you up to date on local shows, and cruises as well as send you several newsletters and jokes. Joining the club also gives you an opportunity to talk about your passion with others that enjoy the same things that you do. E-mail us at AmReflections@yahoo.com for more information.

I always say that If you drive it and are proud of it, join us and we will help you show it off. Even if your project is rough, bring it on out. Lets show it off. Chances are many people have not seen that make or model.

IF YOU HAVE TO PAY $3.00 A GALLON FOR GAS, YOU MIGHT AS WELL HAVE FUN DRIVING A CLASSIC!

Now let me show you some pictures of un-usual vehicles from the past. Click on the pictures to enlarge. Click "back" on your browser to return to the blog. Thank you so much for visiting our blog. View the posted blog before this for pictures of our 2007 Show!



















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2007 American Reflections 7th Annual Show

My 1948 Ford F-1 Truck

We are the second club in the area to have our show in May. Some say that it is a bit early and we are usually taking a chance with the weather. The first "Hot Rods and Harleys" event was on Friday night, May 18th. The turn out was incredible! As the 20th of May approached the weather report started calling for rain as usual.

I advertised our 7th annual show for the 20th of May on every possible web site that I could find. I contacted the newspaper and enlisted their help on sort of a "count down" to the very day of the show. Club members contacted many sponsors and obtained money for trophies, bag stuffers and other give-a-way items for the event. Internet sponsors were coming through for us by sending coupons, certificates, caps and items for goodie bags. We have sent out hundreds of flyers inviting everyone to the show. We were ready.........

The morning of May 20th arrived and I looked out the window to a gloomy sky in the west. This is the time when people make decisions for the day. It was raining lightly outside as we readied the vehicles and took off for Moxee city. The show must go on.

After arriving at Moxee and joining other club members in the early morning set up, we found that the light rain had stopped, people were arriving in their classic and custom vehicles and by 9:30 AM the sky was beautiful. Several of our vendors arrived and we now had a well rounded mix of food on site with tacos, corn on the cob, hamburgers, hot dogs, espresso, and barbeque. There was even a Northwest based magazine on site called "Cruzin Times" doing show coverage for us. In addition to the magazine, "A View of America" (http://www.aviewofamerica.com/) was at the show covering it for their web site. Our show should be on their site a week or two after this blog is published.

Cars kept coming, steady until about 11am. We finally ended up with over 148 entries! The show ran smoothly and everyone had a good time. There were plenty of door prizes and we had about 63 trophies that were handed out. Because of all the spectacular vehicles, judging became a little tough as Shawn,our current president tried a point system of judging this year. It was the best show ever. We set the bar high for other shows in the area this year.

Here are some pictures... Clicking on a picture will enlarge it for better detail and when you want to return to the blog, just click on "back".

Hey everyone, check out this website www.localhowlie.com

American Reflections for 2007!

American Reflections will announce some of their great new things coming up for 2007 at their December meeting at Magics Pizza in Selah (7PM) on December 14th. This is the annual Christmas get together where we have a small gift exchange, work toward the election of new officers and learn what is in store for the new year.

In the past the club has been open to American Vehicles up to and including the 1974 model year. Our show each year has been open to all vehicles regardless of year, make or model. As of January 1, 2007, our club will become an open club and all American vehicles regardless of age will be allowed in the club. Yes, if you have a 2006 truck or car that you have tricked out and feel that it stands out above the rest, you are invited to join the club. We would be glad to have you.

Now, lets talk about the up-coming 7th Annual American Reflections car show in Moxee. The show this year will be at the park again with the same date as last year, May 20th, 2007. May 20th is not a Saturday this year, but a Sunday instead. We thought we would try a Sunday just to see if we could increase local participation. It should prove to be a good show and as always, we will have loads of trophies, prizes and fun. Lets hope for good weather this year, but either way, "The show must go on".

I have found that more and more people are working on classic cars. Either restoring them or building them up. This hobbie is becoming very strong again. New vehicle prices continue to climb and so everyone is looking for classics. Older station wagons are now becoming very popular. Television shows such as Overhaulin, Pimp My Ride, American Hot Rod, Unique Whips, Pinks, My Classic Car, Hot Rod TV, the Barrett Jackson Auction and others are causing people to get the bug. The auto manufacturers are getting into the act with the PT Cruiser, the return of the Ford Mustang, the Chevrolet SSR, and the Dodge Charger. In 2009 we will see the come back of the Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge Challenger. So, between now and then more and more people will be joining the craze. This is part of the reason we are opening the club up to all who want to join. Joining a car club such as ours helps a person keep up to date on trends, finding classics and parts, keeping up on the shows as well as making new friends. Classic Car People are some of the nicest people in the world.

Listed below are just some of our sponsors for 2006. These are the ones that you can reach through the internet. Please support these sponsors when ever you can because they support us.

www.Chevsofthe40s.com
www.Rocknrod.com
www.GoodGuys.com
www.K&NFilters.com
www.NationalPartsDepot.com
www.Mothers.com
www.Edelbrock.com
www.YearOne.com
www.OldRide.com
www.PaddockInc.com
www.InLineTube.com
www.Borgeson.com
www.betterall.com
www.johnsonautoglass.com
www.careymotors.com
www.hahnsauto.com
www.mikeolsondodge.com
www.ford.valleyfordnissan.com
www.stewartsubaru.com

May 20th 2006 "THE SHOW"

Saturday, May 20th finally got here. We had prepared for this day for almost a year, the day of our 6th annual open car show. We were to be at the park between 8 and 8:30 AM to greet people and start setting up. We were hoping for a good day but as we looked outside we found it was raining. Unfortunately, morning is the time when the daily decisions are usually made. I only hoped that the clouds would pass quickly and the rain would subside.

We arrived at the park in Moxee at about 8:15 AM and joined other club members who were already there starting to set up. Usually, we have several anxious vehicles waiting to get in the gate at this time of the morning. There was one car. The vendors were starting to arrive. We now had one car and two vendors. It was raining.

PA system on, music going, banners up and registration area set up. Trophies being put out along with the prizes and raffle items. It was now 9:30 AM and we had about 45 cars, and it was still raining. What a day, the band we had planned on pulled out only two days before the show. We had 5 or 6 vendors scheduled to arrive but only 3 showed up. The day looked as though it was going to be a total disaster and the rain was just not going away.

I found out as I talked to the arrivals that there were not many local folks at the show yet. We had arrivals from as far away as Everett, Mossy Rock, Moses Lake, Onalaska, and the Tri Cities. They all said that they didn't hit rain until they got into the Yakima valley.

At about 10:30 AM the skys finally started to clear and the rain quit. People were now wiping down their rides as more cars started to arrive! At about noon we took a count and had 107 cars! Lets have a show!

We had a poker walk planned and lots of raffle items and give-a-ways to bring some excitement to the show. One other thing we did last year that proved to be popular was to give away all of our old car magazines. Everyone had a great time. If it had been a nice day and all who were invited had come, we would have had well over 200 cars at the show. Well, maybe one year we will have. We wrapped up the show with an auction and awards between 3 and 3:30 pm and gave away over 45 trophies.

Keep and eye on this blog as I am going to post show pictures and a list of many of the sponsors who made our show possible. As a car buff, you may or may not have already purchased some of your automotive supplies and parts from our internet sponsors. We contacted sponsors as we prepared for the show. These great businesses stepped up to supply us with information, catalogs and items for the show to help it along. I truly recommend them to anyone who is looking to buy auto supplies.

Next year, we are going to try and have the show on a Sunday to see how that goes. Mark your calendar for May 20th, 2007 and the 7th Annual American Reflections Open Car Show in Moxee City at the Park. Come rain or shine!