Blacksburg meet pt 2

[R W Burgess]

Matt,

I alsmost got to see you at the awards banquet. When they called your name, I looked but was not quick enough to distinguish you from the others moving toward the front tables.

Jim

Matt was sitting right beside me Jim. Maybe you remember?

Wayne

[John_S_in_Penna]

More on the importance of good directions--

Here's a helpful tip to the hard-working volunteers putting on a show or a tour. Please remember that most people are coming from out of town and don't know the area. Good directions to the host hotel, the show field, etc. are vital!

In Blacksburg, we did not hear that the show's location had been changed. The evening before the show, we drove to the Virginia Tech campus and located the drill field, where the event's brochure told us the show would be held. When we drove to campus on Saturday morning, trying to meet the deadline to be on the field, there were no cars at the appointed location! And there were no signs or volunteers to tell us where the show had been moved!

The Virginia Tech campus is 2600 acres (4 square miles), with 379 buildings for 26,000 students. Most of those buildings are surrounded by verdant landscaped grounds and have parking lots. It took us 40 minutes of driving and questioning to locate the field. While we were wending our way around the many roads, we saw other antique cars wandering around lost too. In essence, we were directed to middle of a small city and left to ourselves to find the show.

So folks, in all your excellent planning--and the show was otherwise excellent--please try to think of those who come from out of town or stay at hotels other than the host hotel. Future AACA events always benefit from the experiences of previous ones. Please write this down for future reference!

[R W Burgess]

John, I understand that the show field location was changed 3 different times, at the request of the University. That's why the brochure was incorrect. Handy show field directions were given out at the host hotel, but I'm sure not everyone went there.

There were show field signs on route 460 west to the show field on Saturday morning.

Not making excuses, just reporting what I saw. And, of course, every National Meet and Tour is critiqued after the fact to prevent future glitches. On the other hand, with so many cars, people, and decisions to be made, there is always a problem or two at every event.

Wayne

[john2dameron]

Got to the host hotel Saturday morning and asked a gentleman in an AACA shirt how to find the show and a place to park. No help. Started out the street blindly and happened to see a couple of antique cars and went the way they went. Was happy to find spectator parking right across the street from the show. That is unusual. Really enjoyed the show. Thanks, Roanoke Valley Region. Met Steve M., our executive director (he was polishing the Oldsmobile), a few people I'd met previously, a lots of friendly strangers. Didn't take time for lunch and still didn't get to see all the cars. Bummer. Took 269 photos. Great. Overcast day so no shadows to worrry about. No filtered semi-shade. Great photo conditions. Will post them on facebook in a few days. I don't see the point of posting photos with no ID. On Facebook I can caption all my photos but it will take a while. Am I the only one that does not enjoy looking at unidentified photos? Would you buy an automobile book full of uncaptioned photos? After I post the albums on Facebook I will post a link that will make them available to anybody that wants to see them. No, I'm not really bitching; just sharing my thoughts with you wonderful car people.

[R W Burgess]

John, I agree that photo captions are handy. In my case though, taking 200-300 + photos and writing captions for each is a very lengthy process.

Generally, people will e-mail me if they have a question about the use or info on a photo that I have taken.

And, again, everything I have uploaded in the gallery is free to the public.

Wayne