The little car club that could

It all started when a couple of members got the idea of the Roamin Angels Car Club putting on a car show.

Maybe a bit like some of those old Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland movies, except they were both male, married and rather older than teenagers.

Chris Mulder and the late Mike Zankich suggested it and, as often happens in volunteer organizations, ended up running it.

It went well for a small show, a one-day event by Rawlins Lake that drew about a hundred cars, many belonging to Roamin Angels. There were a handful of trophies awarded and a small raffle to raise money, mainly to cover costs.

Being tucked out of the way on a dirt road, it was mainly for the participants and drew no great crowds of the general public.

That was in 2000 and 2001 went much the same. Cute, small-townlike, but nothing to write home about.

More Andy Hardy than P.T. Barnum. Using the "fortune favors the bold" approach, the club dared to move to the fairgrounds in 2002 and go big time with a two-day event.

With commercial vendors, activities and food, the show drew about 400 cars and the first "gate" from the general public.

Now the snowball was rolling. Chairmen of the show changed from year to year, but the show got bigger and better.

Some ideas did not succeed, like a gravity drag race in the parking lot where you turned off your engine, put your car in neutral and coasted down a slight incline, powered only by the force of gravity. Almost as exciting as watching paint dry.

But for every plan that did not fly, there was one that did. Like a gravity drag race for Hot Wheels cars for kids with a cash prize. Those little speedsters zoom down a steep wooden track and the kids love it.

Sort of the inverse of "size matters." Then there was the shopping. Women, especially those being dragged along by husbands, said they were not interested in a new set of spark plugs or a used socket wrench.

Why not give them something better to buy? That was the birth of the Craft Faire. Some "crafters" are auto-related artists, but others sell things like jewelry, purses and "home goods."

There are hundreds of such stories, so I will move on. Obviously, the show has been a success, with almost 900 cars showing and thousands through the gate last year.

But success brings another problem. A good problem. What to do with profits? The club could buy a limo to ferry around the president (an idea that only a president could love), but it decided to plug money back into the community by helping worthy groups and organizations. So while I drive my Ford around town, I have something of greater value: being the president of a club of which I am very proud.

But enough rah-rah. The car show has evolved from a small mainly-club affair to a well-known major car show. And it all started with a simple idea.

ooo

Ron Cherry is president of the Roamin Angels Car Club.

Nevada City Car Show this Saturday night



The independent Nevada City Car Show will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday in the historic downtown area on Broad and Pine streets.

The show will be preceded by the annual Nevada City Sidewalk Sale, where merchants will offer items outside until 5:30 p.m., when the streets close for the car show.

For more information call the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce at 265-2692, or visit their Web site at www.nevada

citychamber.com.