Love Me A Car Show...Even A Small One

 Last weekend we celebrated Hay Days, it's our local community's summer celebration, We've only been here a few years, but we already know that Hay Days means several things:

A free breakfast

Local vendors

Activities for the kids

Baby Beauty Contest

And a car show.

We love the car show.

It's not the biggest car show around. In Cache County next door they have a car show around Independence Day. It's great...big and great. The car show at Hay Days is smaller, but there are some beautiful vehicles. Antique trucks, cars, even some motorcycles. This year a family brought two dragsters and a funny car.

The 2015 Corvette isn't an antique, but it's a beautiful car. We know the owners--that's always fun. They've shown their car several times over the past couple of years.

Seeing these cars causes a stir in me. I'd love to have a car at the show. Back in the day, after my cousin painted my '72 VW beetle, that might have qualified. It had issues, of course, but it was a good looking car. A few years ago a kid brought a couple of VWs to the Hay Days show. He hasn't been back since.

Yes, car shows are fun, and you have to put in a lot of time, effort, and money to have a car show-worthy car. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that...

Maybe one day.

Oh...What Might Have Been

 The family and I climbed aboard our minivan this morning and headed to an event called "Hay Days." It's a chance for the people of our community to gather and enjoy each others's company as well as celebrate the wonderful little town we call home.

Plus, there's a car show.

It's not the biggest car show, but it seems to get bigger every year...this year included. There were many classic American cars, corvettes, trucks, what have you. And they had one Volkswagen Beetle, my favorite car. It was a beautiful car. I took pictures of it as I always do. Every time I see a bug these days it reminds me of my earlier years, back when you could buy a bug for $500 and the bug ran and it was (semi...) reliable transportation.

Too bad those days are gone forever.

I have a picture of my first car. It's a 1965 VW Beetle (we lovingly called "Greenie"...), original 1200cc engine, top speed - 50 m.p.h. unless you drove downhill, or behind an 18-wheeler. 

What if I had kept that car instead of basically giving it away...

Oh, what might have been.

I've thought about this several times over the years. Using the advantages of age, I know keeping that car would have been a terrible idea. Just finding a place to park it would have been a nightmare. Plus, I don't know how long it would take me to get it running and if I did, would I dare drive it anywhere far from my home? 

That car, in the condition at the time I got rid of it, in today's dollars would be worth many thousands of dollars...a far cry from the $500 I originally paid in1982. That sounds great, but I would have paid for that appreciation in other ways. No, my logical mind understands not hanging on to that car was the best decision...

Just my heart doesn't share my brain's reasoning.

Oh, what might have been...I only hope someone took car of Greenie. I'd love to see it at a car show one of these days.

Hanging Out In Logan...At The Cache Valley Cruising Association

In Northern Utah last weekend, a car show was held. And I attended. The place was packed with amazing cars, trucks, motorcycles, and even a dump truck. There was also 1934 Bentley race car.

So many beautiful cars.

I brought my Nikon thinking I would snap dozens of pictures, but in reality, I took only a handful. It was almost too hot to do anything else but walk around and see what was there. I went with my mother-in-law and I loved hearing her tell stories of her history with cars. She pointed out cars her father owned, cars her husband owned, cars she and her friends went for drives back when she was in high school.

Wonderful memories.

For me, many of the cars generated no memories, but there were some cars I connect with, especially the the Volkswagens. Too bad there were only three that I saw, two convertible bugs and a convertible Rabbit...or cabriolet, as they say in France and L.A.

The race car was magnificent. Apparently, there are only two in existence. It's own by a talk show host and news personality. He was not in attendance, but I did pet his dog.

Going to an event like this for the first time, you learn things. If I return (and I hope I do...), I'll perhaps go on a less busy day. I may pack chilled water, and maybe other family members will be able to attend. One this is for certain, going to a car show you see and meet people what absolutely 100% love those vehicle. Their passion is on display and infectious. It's so nice to see that level of dedication nowadays.