CRMC’s 25th Anniversary Show
| 01 November 2005
Carolina Regional Mustang Club held its 25th annual Mustang and All Ford show on September 24, 2005 at Dale Jarrett Ford in Indian Trail, NC. Dale Jarrett Ford sponsors CRMC and for one Saturday each September; they clear a significant part of their inventory-lot for our use. Participants and visitors alike enjoy the venue because after they check out all of the show cars, there are more cars to look at in the showroom and there are day-of-show pricing specials to drool over. At any given time, several show-goers can be found in the showroom where Ford accessories and more than 100 Ford cars and trucks are on display in air-conditioned comfort.
The weather on show day couldn’t have been better with sunshine and a light breeze all day. Well, maybe it could have been a little bit cooler than the 91º we reached by afternoon but the temperature didn’t put a damper on the fun. Cars started rolling in before 7:30 AM and continued through close of registration at 11:00 AM, when we reached a total of 188 vehicles. And what a fine cross section of Ford products there was. From a ’28 Model A to a ’34 5-window coupe to 40s and 50s trucks to an English Ford to T-Birds to Lincolns and Mercurys, a nice representation of other Ford vehicles supported Mustangs from every generation except the Mustang II. And if anyone doubts the popularity of the S197 Mustang, there were 14 examples on the show field. All of the fine entries glistened in the sunlight like diamonds in a jewelry case, as their owners prepared them for judging.
Judging was changed this year from a points-based system to first impression ranking of each car. Judging teams quickly assessed interior, exterior, trunk, and engine compartment for cleanliness and workmanship. After a short caucus, a gold, silver, or bronze, ranking was assigned and the team moved on to the next vehicle. The approach worked very well and kept us on track for presentation of trophies at 3:00 PM.
All told the wonderful machines earned 95 gold, 31 silver, and 14 bronze trophies. Owners of all display cars plus judged cars that didn’t earn gold, silver, or bronze each received a participant’s trophy to thank them for taking part in the show. And at the end of the day CRMC received many thank yous, as well. It was rewarding to hear several participants express pleasure with the show. But the highlight had to be when we welcomed eight new families into the club bringing our membership to 513.
Other innovations this year included real-time mapping of the show field as the cars were parked plus real-time computer tracking of registration and judging results. Mapping allowed judges to walk directly to their assigned cars without the need to search for them. Computer tracking facilitated the ability to sort data quickly and to print a comprehensive trophy roster for use in the awards ceremony. The roster had pertinent information including car description, car owner’s name, and trophy type in an easy to read format arranged by class.
For the first time in CRMC’s history, a branded trophy was presented to winners of gold, silver, or bronze. The trophy will be a CRMC standard in future years with small self adhering plaques affixed each year to identify the show venue, the date, and the level of achievement: gold, silver, bronze.
With the 2005 show in the rear view mirror, CRMC is already looking forward to 2006 and (hopefully) an even larger show.