Any problem with attending the CLC show on Saturday?

[57 Eldo Seville]

My wife and I are thinking about driving down to Louisville on Saturday to look at the Cadillacs on display.  We have not registered.  Will there be any problem with us viewing the cars on the show grounds?

Dave Morris

[Dan LeBlanc]

I'm 99.999% certain that the show is open to anyone, so, go, enjoy, take lots of photos, and post back here for those of us who couldn't attend this year to enjoy.

[Jim Miller]

We found that we'd be driving through on the way to a family event. So, was able to get a room for Friday night and will stay till lunch on Saturday which should give some time to look at the cars and say hello. I asked and was told this would be fine and didn't have to sign in anywhere.

[chrisntam]

I'm at the host hotel, there are guards allowing only Cadillacs in the special parking (show) area.  We don't have the whole hotel, there are other guest in the hotel, they (or anyone) can walk in or through the hotel and exit another door and get to the show area.

You're fine, come on!!

It should be (and likely is) open to anyone if we want to grow the sport.  I hate, in some respect, that it's mostly on the back side of the hotel (though it may wrap around it a bit), it should be more visible to the general public.  But for the trailer queens, they may not want the gen pop to get too close...

[57 Eldo Seville]

Thanks for the info!

[D.Smith]

If you are a club member you can attend.  Obviously you can't park your car on the show field as spaces are assigned.  Just park in the hotel public lot and walk in.    I've seen posts in the past saying that the GNs are closed events and you must be registered, but the truth is, it is an open venue and any hotel guest or visitor can just walk right into the show.    The Security is there at night to watch the cars so nobody messes or tries to steal one.   Nobody is there walking around making sure everyone is wearing a lanyard showing you are registered for the event.

[Lexi]

Ditto Dave Smith's comments. Clay/Lexi

[Barry M Wheeler #2189]

There were Cadillacs and LaSalles parked in front (where my spot was), in back, a few on the side and in the swap meet area. Our Director needed all the space they would give him and made countless trips from the North side of Indy to make sure the cars were exhibited well. These were round trips of about 260 miles each. With the exception of our Chairs and a few others, the Indiana Region was asked to put on this meet "long distance" with most members being over 100 miles from the location.

(Why is it, that no matter what you do, there is always someone who thinks they could have done it better?)

[chrisntam]

snip...

(Why is it, that no matter what you do, there is always someone who thinks they could have done it better?)

It will be an opportunity for them to get on the planning committee and get involved!

Until I do, I won't nit pick, nor should others....

chris.

[Caddy Wizard]

I left the show field late Saturday afternoon to begin my drive home to Georgia in my 55 FW.  I stopped for fuel a few miles from the hotel and a 50? 51? Cadillac pulled in behind me.  The driver had been to the event and was basically turned away because he was not a CLC member.  He indicated that he was treated poorly and made to feel unworthy.

Perhaps in the future we can find some way to include locals who own Cadillacs but who aren't yet members.  Perhaps we can find a way to make such non-members feel welcome at the GN.  Perhaps we could pick up some new members at each GN that way. Perhaps.

[Jason Edge]

I left the show field late Saturday afternoon to begin my drive home to Georgia in my 55 FW.  I stopped for fuel a few miles from the hotel and a 50? 51? Cadillac pulled in behind me.  The driver had been to the event and was basically turned away because he was not a CLC member.  He indicated that he was treated poorly and made to feel unworthy.

Perhaps in the future we can find some way to include locals who own Cadillacs but who aren't yet members.  Perhaps we can find a way to make such non-members feel welcome at the GN.  Perhaps we could pick up some new members at each GN that way. Perhaps.

I would be curious to know how he was "turned away"? Did he expect to drive his car on the show field on show day of a pre-registered club event and show his car?  If so, I am sure someone explained that the parking assignments are made in advance, parking spaces are assigned, and the fact there are deadlines for registering cars.  Or ... did he just show up at the hotel, and park in the general parking lot and was "turned away" in some other manner? 

I have two examples where the the opposite occurred: 
1st Example: Non-member Gary Fields from Louisville had found my info online and had called on Thursday, the day of our 1963/64 Cadillac Chapter Meet-up and said he was headed to the hotel and asked if I would like to see his car. I said, absolutely, but also asked him to join our Chapter Meet-Up which he did. That Thursday he was able to drive around on the show field and up actually right to the the entrance.  He came in and joined our group and I gave him the paper application and website address to join the CLC online. He said he was definitely joining.  By Friday the cars that were not assigned a spot were asked to leave, but I later saw his 63 CDV parked around in the general parking lot. (See 1st picture attachment)  He asked about the car show and I explained you have to register in advance to show the car. He completely understood.  We had a great time and he talked at length regarding his tenure in local law enforcement and the fact he knew Ali and a few other famous people.

2nd Example: Non-member André Heiligers,originally from Germany, now living in Florida, and a website contact, texted me on Thursday night after 11pm and asked if our  Chapter Meet-Up was still ongoing? I told him absolutely, so he joined us around 11:30pm and stayed and talked Cadillac until 1:30am. We went through all the ends and outs of Club Membership, and the Grand National, and he not only signed up for the CLC online, but went to the registration desk the next morning and registered for the GN. He found someone selling an extra banquet ticket and sat with me at the 63/64 Chapter table. So he was not only able to join the CLC, but he registered for the Grand National, attended the banquet and is now a member of the 63/64 Cadillac Chapter.  The  2nd picture attachment is André at the banquet.   

My point is the person that shows up with their Cadillac or LaSalle site unseen has to have realistic expectations of showing their car on a pre-assigned car club show field.  On the flip side, we do need to keep the door open and the light on for any new potential members.  I think my specific two examples are the norm and believe most CLC members would welcome new members with open arms.   And there are always those that show up with unrealistic expectations.  I'm a Lifetime CLC member and National Board Director, however, if I just show up at the GN with an unregistered car on show day, Bill Anderson is going to say Not a Chance!

[Scot Minesinger]

On critical comments about GN, they are hard to read for me.  I was a big part of the GN 2017, including finding the host hotel, volunteer chairman, working security, managing the bus departures for the tours every day, many other duties, and the like.  There were many people attempting to drive into the show field that were not registered just to park for convenience or low cost, and after a while it was impossible to have much patience.  Be part of the solution next year and fix what you did not like this year.  If the early 1950 Cadillac owners had made some advance effort to coordinate entering the show field with their cars, it probably could have happened, but to just show up - probably not.  It is impossible to please everyone every time.

Art, you can spearhead the effort to make an allowance for unannounced Cadillac owners that expect to be treated as if they registered in advance and are welcome with open arms - that is a good goal, we seem to suffer an incident once a year on this.

[cadillacmike68]

We definitely would need more info from Art to have any hope of following through with a resolution to an issue, if there was any.

[Scot Minesinger]

It is difficult when you are working the show at GN to manage an unexpected local with a classic Cadillac to enter the show field, or any other deviation from the task at hand.  Any accommodation in this regard will need to be planned for in advance.  It is a good way to get a few new members.  The registration fee for a car is like $25 or more, so that would need to be collected in fairness to all the other show car owners that registered.  This seems to happen every year, so maybe it is a good idea to figure something out. 

[Bob Hoffmann CLC#96]

As a long time member, I've experienced this quite a few times. It's happened at GN's, our North South meet & other venues. These people can be members or not. They blow in either for the show or banquet. NO reservations or prior contact. YES, you're going to get politely turned away. Many of these pushy people had never been heard from before or since.
Bob

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

I witnessed that happening in 2002, when a Resto-Rod 30's car pulled in, and was politely told to leave.

I did feel sorry for the bloke and his passengers, but rules are rules, but weren't rules meant to be broken?

Maybe there can be a space set aside for "ring-ins" in future.   Near the Show Field, but separate.   And the downside is that there would need to be policing of this area, taking people away from other duties.

Bruce.

[Scot Minesinger]

It is impossible to please 100% of the people 100% of the time.  Researching further the drivers of the early 1950 Cadillacs Art referred to were unreasonable, and I'm glad they did not get in.  This is a club event, and a club is a group of people, not a collection of cars, although that is pinnacle to our club.  We just have to accept that there are some non-club material out there that also own Cadillacs.  As suggested we could have a few spaces reserved somewhere adjacent to the show field for non-members that show up the day of with a Cadillac, but that is extra work and even then someone would not be happy.

However, club members who show up the day before (late registration) the show with a Cadillac and the show field is not full should be accommodated once a late fee is collected.  A great example is Chris with his 1970 DVC in TX (GN 2018), where the show field looked extremely barren of cars and he had to park by vendors.  This can be a "if space is available, first come first serve" basis.

[Caddy Wizard]

I have since received a thoughtful explanation of what happened from the CLC member involved.  It sounds like she did everything right and the non-member guy is just a difficult person.  Still, I wonder if there is an opportunity going forward to create a bit of an outreach program with each GN to attract local non-member Cad/LaSalle owners to come to the GN, see the benefits of joining the local and national organization, and participate in some limited way (just for the GN).  Such an outreach program might help garner new members.  The GN will only be there for that short duration and won't likely be back in the same location for many years, if ever.  So there is little risk of the guy or gal freeloading.


I liken this situation to church.  When a non-member shows up on Easter, everyone in the congregation is glad the person is there and tries to make him/her feel welcome.  They know that by going the extra mile to make the person feel at home, they might gain a new member of the congregation.  If we want to create such an outreach program, we might want to promote greater awareness of the GN in the community prior to the event.  Perhaps get a local TV station to cover it.  But maybe we don't want to do any of that.  I am not so cock-sure of myself to suggest that my ideas are best and that the current state of affairs is inappropriate.  Just the opposite -- I trust the leadership of the CLC to do what is best.  My musings are only food for thought, and are not intended to criticize the CLC, the Indiana Region, or any person in particular.


I hope my post wasn't critical.  If it was and if it offended, please accept my sincere apologies.


Art Gardner

[Barry M Wheeler #2189]

Local publicity was discussed on at least one of our conference calls in setting up the GN. It was decided that alerting the TV stations, etc, would not be worth the trouble. Most old car enthusiasts have learned how to suck your middle in when leaning over a car to keep your belt buckle away from the paint. (Or buckle it on the side for one day.) I'm sure we have all heard (or seen) horror stories of what the general public has done to our cars on display.

While we need new members and all that, please keep in mind that this is OUR day. And that the event has been planned for at least two years, if not three by overworked volunteers that are doing their best to please their fellow members that have come to their part of the USA for a few days to enjoy the local sights and see a few different cars than they have at home.

If a local car nut finds out that we're having a meet and wants to attend, great. But it might be best for him to leave his/her car at home where it will be safe and sound in it's own garage instead of a crowded parking lot.

[Jon Hunter]

     On the Saturday of the meet, we came inside to eat lunch near the registration desk. A man who wanted to join the CLC came up to us who had been sent there by someone else outside. No one was at the desk. He wanted to become a member. He did not have a car at the hotel, but was a guest there. There were no flyers, or any info about joining the CLC by the registration area or on the bulletin board. I wrote down the website for him. Later, I saw Glenn B had some brochures in his car, so I got one and we gave it to him. By that time he had purchased a shirt. Did he join, don't know, but we should welcome someone who WANTS