Villa Park- On May 7^th, 2011, Villa Park High School held their 8^th annual car show to benefit the Villa Park High School Marching Band. Attendees were treated to a pancake breakfast, DJ and live bands, and numerous raffles. Proceeds all went to the Marching Band. Nine SoCal Challengers Members and two guests attended this show for the third year in a row and took home the Group Participation Trophy for their efforts.

Of course this show means something special as it’s my alma mater. This time one of my childhood friends, Dave and his son Jake, were joining me to ride in with us in my car. I hadn’t seen Dave in several years. I hadn’t seen Jake since he was about three. He is fifteen years old now and he absolutely loves Challengers! I offered to have him ride in with me and I’m glad he and his father took me up on it. Klaus had also brought and old Chrysler Long Ram 300 to the show to bring in as well. Our surprise guest of the day was Jim D. (aka the Diceman) who brought his brand spanking new Toxic Orange 392 to the show. Jim’s always smilin’ but he was smilin’ extra extra that day! His car looks fantastic. It was great to have two 392’s at the show, the other being Chris and Mellows’ Black 392. Nick and Loni also joined us in their Charger so we had a nice group at the Coffee Grove to roll in with.

We received our usual response as we pulled up to the gate. One of the kids yelled, ”Yes!” as I pulled up to the driveway. The kids love the Challengers and especially a group of them showing up all at once. After getting our pictures taken in front of the Marching Band trailer, we went over a few mean and nasty speed bumps and parked in our spots. We really needed Fred, as the staff parked us nice and crooked. No biggie though, but it just shows you how much we appreciate the magic that Fred can do parking all of us.

After we shined up our rides it was off to the pancake breakfast. I had a great time with Dave and Jake at our table just hanging out and talking stories from High School. I’ve been at this show three years in a row and had only run into two alumni. It was great catching up. After breakfast we hung out, walked around and looked at what was there and had a relaxed time.

James killed it in the raffle AGAIN. James and my wife are the raffle kings. I just went in the 50/50 raffle along with Jim but we both rolled snake eyes. The kids won big though as a lot of money came in from the raffle items.

In the end, we took home the Group Participation Trophy, and I was surprised to have won for the best Late Model Muscle Car. It was a great day for the kids and their program.

I’d like to thank everyone who cam and donated their time and money for the kids this day. When we were awarded the Group Participation Trophy, we were announced as the Car Club that can be counted on to show up year after year and support their program. That was huge to me to hear that. It makes all the work we’ve all done to have a great reputation worth it when we were announced that way. Thank you for all your hard work and participation!!!!

Mojave- On April 10th, 2011, MKM Racing promotions held their Mojave Mile Competition at the Mojave Air and Space Port. Cars and motorcycles raced down the 12,000ft. runway vying for the top speed of the day in the standing mile. SCC Co-President Dave M. took second place in his class with a top speed of 149.2 mph! The top speed of the day was won by a twin-turbo Ford GT40 with a top speed of 226mph! Participants were treated to a great day of racing and music. There was also a catered food truck for much needed munchies.

I left for Mojave at 5a.m. that morning. Eesh. That was damn early and I had a 140-mile drive to go to get there. Thanks to the early time however, I hit zero traffic and got there at 6:40a.m. I met Bill and Fred at Denny’s where we chowed breakfast before heading over to the airport. When we got to the airport we were able to park in the pit area with Dave and Karl. Dave was getting his pre-race instructions from the event organizers and the cars were lining up fast. Karl and I couldn’t find Dave so Karl put Dave’s car in line to get his first run in. Karl’s car still wasn’t done so he was there to help out and support. He was a great help to Dave who was nervous about racing his car for the first time. Karl was fantastic about calming Dave down and getting him focused and ready to go. After the pre-race meeting it was time for Dave to hit the runway.

The event puts you in five to six car flights and sends you down to the end of the runway. The cars in your flight are a mix of all classes so you saw a bike and a GT40 and an old hot rod for example all in one group. Dave finally went out in his flight and I set up to get pictures. The spectators are set up just past the finish line so you couldn’t actually see them start so far away. You had to keep an eye out for the cars coming. The announcer said nothing but the speed times as they finished so you didn’t even know when they started. After a few runs I saw an orange speck off in the distance coming at me fast! I started snapping pics as fast as I could. I was able to catch Dave right as he passed the speed sign. His first run was a new record for a stock block R/T, 149.2mph! Unfortunately, he didn’t hold it for long as there was another R/T there that on it’s first run ran an impressive 149.4mph! The competition was on from that point. The two of them went on to do two more runs a piece after that but were unable to beat their first runs of the day. As the temperature rose, the times slowed for all the cars. Everybody’s car liked the cooler air better.

There was also a pretty severe crash of a motorcycle ridden by John Noonan. For those of you who don’t know who John is, he holds the record for the top speed in the Mojave Mile on a motorcycle at 251.1mph. Yes, that’s 251.1mph…ON A MOTORCYCLE. � Insane! That day he was riding a motorcycle with a full body fairing that decided to partially detach and send him speed wobbling and down to the ground at around 190mph. John just broke his foot. No biggie. I would have had to have a complete change of my shorts as well. We were all glad to hear he was ok other than the foot. Another motorcycle lost his brakes and went off the end of the 12,000ft. runway. He went down but was uninjured. Other than that, it was a completely safe and well run event.

Dave had a fantastic time and is fired up for the next Mojave Mile event in October. We’re hoping more SCC Members decide to come out and watch and even send their Challengers down the runway. MKM runs a great event and it’s gotten bigger every time.� I‘d like to thank Karl, Dave, and Fred for coming out and supporting Dave in his first Mojave Mile competition. You all made sure Dave was good to go and had a cheering section throughout the entire event. Hope to see many more Challengers going down the runway in October! For dates and times for the October event, go to www.mojavemile.com

Irvine- Over eight-hundred LX bodied vehicles descended on Irvine, California the weekend of � � March 26^th, 2011. Hundreds of Chrysler 300’s, Chargers, Magnums, and Challengers spent the entire weekend with fellow Mopar owners, vendors, and Dodge corporate personnel. The star event of the weekend was the Saturday car show set on the de-commissioned El Toro Marine Air Station. Attendees parked on the runway and were treated to vendor displays, a challenge course, and a drifting demonstration by Sam Hubinette. �

My fellow Co-President Dave, makes this event special. He takes this one over and pretty much takes the week off and attends every function the Springfest folks put on Thursday til Saturday. Thursday night was the event at Beach Burger in Huntington Beach, Ca. It’s the site where SoCal LX (The car club that sponsors Springfest) has their once a month meet and greets. Many of the Mopar masses made the trek from Irvine to Huntington Beach to get the weekend started. Dodge personnel also made the trip and mingled with car owners. Friday, US Wheels held their open house at their shop in Huntington Beach, Ca. After that event, it was back to the host hotel (The Doubletree) in Irvine for a BBQ social that ran well into the night. Dodge put on a superb party Friday night for everyone that will be hard to top next year. The weekend culminated on Saturday with the car show at the Great Park (Formerly the Marine Corps Air Station).

Saturday morning I came in and was there to help Dave and my fellow SCC brothers and sisters get to the show. We had quite a few Members signed up and Dave had been talking to quite a few Challenger owners the previous two days about riding into the show with us. We didn’t know how many of those he talked to would take him up on the offer. Turns out we had twenty-eight Members come to the meeting spot (Two more came to the show later). Dave obviously worked it well as twenty-one guests came to the meeting spot to roll in with us.� We had Mopar owners from Louisiana, Michigan, and Ohio that made the drive to come here. Now that’s Mopar passion! Nor Cal Challengers also brought their own contingent. It’s always great to see them at events. They are super-class acts. We had a line of fifty-one Challengers going to that show. That was amazing! I rode caboose and it was great watching that line snake through Irvine to the park. We all parked together, no club divisions. All Mopar brothers and sisters together. That was the best part of the whole show for me seeing us all parked together with all of our banners together having a great time. � After we were all parked it was time to see what there was to see!

With over eight hundred cars registered, there were plenty of cars to look at. Dodge also had a booth with many new models for attendees to check out first hand. There was a challenge course where you could race a new Charger around a coned course for time. Sam Hubinette also ripped around in his Challenger and Viper wowing the crowd and spraying them with rubber bits. I knew right away who went and saw the drifting demo as they came back with rubber bits all over their face and shirt. Everybody loved that! Klaus brought the 1955 Chrysler 300 and parked next to Jon’s 2011 Chrysler 300. That was a great shot. That ’55 was the first Hemi that started it all! Ralph Gilles, the CEO of Dodge, came by and talked to us more than once and took photos and signed cars. What a fantastic CEO. Approachable, down to Earth, and truly made an effort to connect with the customer. I was very impressed with him. I believe many CEO’s could do a better job learning from Ralph’s behavior. The fact he was even there was impressive. Most CEO’s couldn’t be bothered.

All in all we all had a great time. I’d like to thank Jon for creating a new t-shirt design specifically for this show. The design was incredible and we sold all but two of the forty-five shirts that day! We are so lucky to have his talents in our group. He does amazing work. Jeff G was slammed selling shirts and signing up new Members. We picked up five that day! Thanks Jeff for your partnership in taking care of what needed to be taken care of Saturday. And to Dave who works this show and doesn’t miss a thing….You exemplify what SCC is all about. Thank you sir!!! �

See you all next year!!!�

San Juan Capistrano- � Twelve SoCal Challengers Members attended the 8^th annual CARE Car Show in San Juan Capistrano, Ca. on February 5^th, 2010. The show, (CARE stands for Capistrano Animal Rescue Effort), � benefits the animal shelter and pet adoptions in the city of San Juan Capistrano. Attendees were treated to vendors, live music, and food catered by Ruby’s Diner. Approximately five hundred cars were present at the show which was held on the grass at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center and Sports Park. An estimated 1,500 spectators, some with four-legged friends in tow, walked the rows of cars, trucks, and motorcycles. The car show raised over $30,000 dollars for their organization.

The CARE show is the first car show we went to as a group back in 2009. We’ve attended this show in 2010 and now 2011. It was a reunion of sorts, especially for the Members who were present back in 2009. Rick and Fred, James, and Chris and Mellow had gone to all three years car shows. How things have changed for SCC since then. We had plenty of new faces that morning. It was great to see them. Jason came in his SE. I’m really glad we have representation of an SE in our group. We’ve been missing that model and now we have one! Tammy and Don brought the purple, Chuck came too for the first time as well as Ryan in his black beast. Rick L. brought his black Challenger as well.

The morning was cold. My car outside temp gauge said 42 degrees. Rick L. and I were the first there at the meeting place and were pacing around staying warm. As the others showed up quite a few went over to Starbucks to get some central heating. After everyone arrived, we had our pre-meet meeting and saddled up to go get in line for the show. As we made our way to the line we were a good three blocks or so back from the gate. It was going to be a big show! We watched too as the line behind us grew, and grew, and grew. The show opened their gate right on time at seven o’clock and we ventured out on the wet grass to park for the show.�

After we got our rides shiny it was time to get breakfast in the community center. Ruby’s provided breakfast burritos and donuts for the hungry crowd. James, Mellow, Tom, Isreal, and I discussed our bacon ideas for future car shows. I think it would be a big seller that cup o’ bacon. I’m looking into it. Seriously. The rest of the day was spent looking at the other rides and enjoying each others’ company under the ez-up. There was a stunning 1966 Charger there that won one of the top trophies. They didn’t have a sole best of show, but simply the top fifteen cars. That charger was one of them.

Rick L. had the lone bummer experience of the day. Seems a man and his daughter were walking their two very large pitbulls on chain-link leashes down our row of cars. They also had wonderfully long spiked collars. As I was talking to Rick by his car the daughter whose dog was taking her for a walk instead of the other way around decided to relieve itself on Rick’s chin spoiler. As the daughter watched this happen, she then pulled the dog away (After he had done his business) which let the dogs collar scratch Rick’s front fascia. Rick confronted the two as they simply walked away without saying anything and they initially denied anything happened. After getting an Orange County Sheriff involved who was at the show the man admitted what happened and compensated Rick for the damages. It was sad there are people so disrespectful of other people’s things but we were glad Rick was taken care of in the end. That was a first and hopefully last experience like that at a car event.

I’d like to thank all of you that came out in the cold very early in the morning to give your time and donation to the CARE organization. The four-legged world benefitted from your contributions and time. It was great spending time with everyone as usual. See you at the next event!�

Burbank- On December 17^th, 2010, the Dodge Hemi Highway Tour made a stop at the famous Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank, California. Thirteen SCC Members and other Challenger and Charger enthusiasts braved the rainy weather to catch a glimpse of the new 2011 Challenger SRT-8 392 and Charger R/T. Hurst Performance brought their Hurst Barracuda and two Hurst edition Challengers to display under the canopy next to the new Challenger and Charger.

The Hemi Highway tour began November 14th as a forty-day cross country tour to promote and show Dodge enthusiasts their latest muscle. Scott Vandekerckhove and Heather Heughens were the pilots of the two Dodges as they made their way across the United States stopping at dealers and car events along the way. Mark Seguin, the Dodge head of advertising for the Challenger and Charger also made an appearance at Bob’s Big Boy. When he asked why he chose to attend the California locations over others he replied, “Things just seem to happen bigger in California”. Bob’s Big Boy has been a SoCal car enthusiast stop for many years holding regular Friday night car shows.� Many celebrities, including Jay Leno and Carmen Electra, have made appearances at Bob’s to either promote vehicles or show off their own.

California certainly didn’t give the Hemi Highway Tour a warm welcome as they began their California stops in Burbank. Instead, Southern California gave them the worst rainstorm in a decade. It rained for five days straight starting that very Friday. I met James, Mellow, and Klaus at Stack Performance to caravan up to Bob’s. It was pouring there. As we left and travelled north up the 57 Freeway I watched a lady spin out her vehicle right in front of me and stop less than three feet from my car. That was a 9.6 on the pucker factor scale. We eventually got ahead of the rain and pulled into Bob’s and started lining up under the canopy. Bob’s had reserved spots for SCC Members as well as Hurst and the two new Dodges there. The rain soon caught up with us and began coming down with fervor and strong winds. Other Members began to show and soon the canopy parking was filled with Mopars.

It was great to meet Scott and Heather. My fellow Co-President Dave had been in contact with Scott as he and Heather came into California. This was my first chance to meet and talk to them. They were both enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and all around great people. Mark was on it too. Very personable and not the stereotypical stuffy corporate type we’ve met so often in the past. This was a man who was passionate about the Dodge brand, and we loved it. About 7 p.m. the three of them spoke to the rain-soaked crowd about the Challenger, Charger, and Dodge the company. The crowd paid very close attention to what the three of them said about the new cars. Afterwards, the crowd was even more excited about them having been explained all of the new features that many of them weren’t aware of. Attendees were allowed to sit in the vehicles and were given hands on demonstrations of the interior features by Scott and Heather. The crowd ate it up. I heard people as they were walking around the cars and after being in them saying positive things about both. I never heard a negative comment all evening. Dodge, you hit a home run…… Keep it up!

On Sunday, several of us stopped by another one of the Hemi Highway Tour stops in Huntington Beach. We were greeted with more rain and wind but that didn’t stop the parking lot out in front of Beach Burger from being filled with Mopars. I was so impressed that even in the terrible weather so many Mopar owners showed up that weekend. I am so blessed and proud to be a part of it. It’s definitely a special community. Under the definition of passion you’ll definitely find a Mopar owner somewhere in there. The level of enthusiasm is amazing.

Scott, Heather, and Mark, we were honored to be able to co-sponsor one of your tour stops. All of you are class acts and passionate about Dodge and its products. We hope you were able to see our level of passion and commitment to Dodge in return. We love your cars! Please come back to California anytime….you’re always welcome here.

Yorba Linda- � On December 5^th, 2010, thirteen SCC Members and two guests attended the 13^th annual John Force Car Show held at the John Force Race Station in Yorba Linda, California. This show benefits the CHiPs for Kids Charity Toy Drive. Admission for spectators was an unwrapped toy. Most of the show participants brought toys as well. SCC and guests contributed fifteen bicycles to the CHiPS for Kids Toy Drive.� Attendees were treated to live music from several bands, raffles, a tour of the John Force Museum, and to top it all off the In & Out truck was there for lunch. The top cars were given billet awards at the end of the day and John, Ashley, and Courtney Force were there signing autographs as well as drag racer Robert Hight.

This is one of my favorite shows that we do as a car group. Last year, James suggested we do this show and I told him to post the thread and go for it. Richard brought up the idea too last year that we bring bicycles as gifts. CHiPs for Kids gets a lot of toys, but not a lot of bikes. Last year, we were the only people that brought them. They were extremely grateful we did. I was thankful this time that when we walked up to present the bikes as a group there were some bikes there already. I know some kids this year will be riding bikes for Christmas and that makes me smile. What we do at this show is what we are all about.

One thing that was definitely the same as last year was the temperature. It was damn cold as I stood at the meeting spot with Kevin. It seemed to get colder as we stood there. I already had snot and sinus issues and that cold wind wasn’t helping at all. So rude, that cold wind. Good thing everyone was on time and we were able to get going and get back in the warmth of our cars. It was good to meet Jeremy and his wife Tracey, as well as Jason who brought his SE. We don’t get many of those at the shows so I was happy to see him there. We needed some black anyway. Way too much Orange going on. Thankfully Brandon brought his silver R/T so I had some company too. Jeff came in white. Isreal in inferno red. It was good to see Bill M as well. I hadn’t seen him in months and he brought the fam and the pooch too! It was nice pulling out of the meeting spot with fourteen pristine Challengers and snaking our way to the show on city streets. I love that sight as we pull in and the look on people’s faces. It’s priceless. I never get tired of that.

Once we were parked, we got everything shiny and went to look for breakfast. It was burritos and cider for many. They were warm! Richard brought down one of Burgundy’s dragsters and parked it with us. We did the bike presentation after our group picture and then it was time to relax and wander around and look at the billions of cars. It sure seemed like that many. And the crowd was insane….all day. The show didn’t open until 10 a.m. but there were a ton of people walking around when we got there at 8 a.m. Amazing. Tom and I were tripping on that several times throughout the day. We’d stand up and look down the street at the sea of people. I kept thinking,” That’s a lot of toys right there”. I was glad to see it. The fun started too for us about 2:30 p.m. when the first sprinkles started. Many people started running like cockroaches out of there. It was quite funny. I could understand if you had vertical Weber stacks or an open blower face, but some were seriously freaking their car had water on it. This one guy down from us just kept wiping his car off as it kept raining. Rain, wipe, rain, wipe. He was fighting a losing battle. I got a kick out of watching him. Maybe if he kept wiping it would stop that bastard rain! I was talking to Tracey about that and I said,”Umm, do these people wash their cars?””And what do you wash it with?….WATER”. Amazing. But it was fun watching them run. Most of us stayed until the end and had a great time. Marcello stopped by as well and hung out with us in the afternoon.

It was great to meet Jeremy and Jason. I guess we didn’t scare them because they both signed on to become SCC Members.� Now we’ll see if we can really scare them. It’s on.!

I’d like to thank the John Force Crew for putting on one of the best run shows we attend and thanks to all of you that attended and brought a bicycle for a child for Christmas this year. His tree will not be empty because of you. I can’t thank you enough for that.�

Mojave- � On September 25^th and 26^th � , 2010 the Mojave Desert rumbled loudly as both cars and motorcycles screamed down the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California for the latest Mojave Mile competition. SCC Member Karl S. who competed in the Super Sport Class(Up to 205 mph) set a new top speed of 183.80 mph in only his second Mojave Mile event. � This beat his previous top speed set back in March of 2010 of 157.50mph. SCC Co-President Dave M. was also there to witness the Sunday festivities in the wicked heat. The overall top speed was set by John Noonan on a motorcycle at 251.1 mph. The top car speed was set by Bob Griffith at 222.7mph. The competition now moves to Texas in February and back to Mojave in April.

For those of you unfamiliar with this competition, this event is held on a 12,000ft. long airport runway. After a twenty foot rolling start you get one mile to hit your best top speed at the final trip position. It doesn’t matter what your speed is in between, only what your speed is as you cross the line one mile later. This is a two-day competition where you get to make several runs each day to set a final top speed. Karl set his top speed on Sunday after already making four runs on Saturday.

Last March Karl was entered in the GT Class(Up to 160mph) and hit a top speed of 157.50mph. He made several changes to the car to compete in the Super Sport Class. He switched superchargers from the Magnuson to a Kenne Bell. The boost was changed from 6lbs. to 16lbs. Adam at ST Performance also installed 80lb. injectors and a transmission valve body to handle the extra power. A tune specifically for the extra boost was also added.

A plethora of safety equipment is required by the Mojave Mile event as well to protect the driver. Karl had a six-point roll cage installed, a complete fire system with nozzles in the cabin, trunk, and engine bay, a five-point safety harness, as well as having to wear a helmet, fire suit, and Defender Hans device.

Karl’s goal is 200mph. “I want that jacket they give you for going 200mph”, Karl told me when I spoke with him shortly after the event. “I’ll be competing in the Texas Mile in February and the Mojave Mile again in April”.� Knowing Karl, I’m sure he’ll be sporting that jacket soon enough.

Karl would like to thank BJ’s Race Cars in Lancaster(Roll bar, Fire System, Seat Belts), Stack Performance in Anaheim(Suspension, Springs, and Sway Bars), and Adam at ST Performance in San Bernardino(Supercharger and Tune).

On behalf of SoCal Challengers, I’d like to congratulate Karl on an outstanding effort. Members like you who want to be more than average are what make this group special. We will be there in April cheering you on. 200mph or bust!

Costa Mesa – On Sept. 25^th, 2010, the City of Hope put on their 11^th annual Cruisin’ for a Cure Car Show in Costa Mesa, Ca. at the OC Fairgrounds. Sixteen SoCal Challengers Members and guests attended the show in tandem with the SoCal LX Car Club. � Somewhere near three thousand cars in total lined up row after row in the fairgrounds parking lots, buildings, overhangs, and grass areas. Attendees were treated to many vendor displays, demonstrations, and live music along with food stands everywhere you looked. Proceeds from this show benefitted the City of Hope’s fight against prostate cancer. Attendees were able to receive free blood PSA tests at the show.

This show is prominent for many reasons. It’s the largest show we attend. The pre-registration sold out this year (That’s 3,400 cars people). Probably 3,000 were actually there. It takes you well over an hour by foot to walk all of it. It’s also the longest show we attend. We met at the meeting place at 4:30 a.m. and the show doesn’t end until 5:00 p.m. This made for a really long day for everyone in 90 degree heat. And most importantly, it benefits research to cure a type of cancer we know all too well, that of prostate cancer.� My fellow Co-President, Dave lost his father to the disease. My father has it currently. For both of us it was much more than a car show.

I pulled into the Best Buy parking at 4:20 a.m. Some of the SoCal Lx members were already there as well as Dave and Bill. It was damn early. At least this year we didn’t have heavy fog and drizzle like we did last year. Our freshly detailed cars were going to stay shiny today. Slowly everyone began pulling in. G2 and family came for his first time all the way from the inland empire. Mellow did too. That’s a long drive for both of them. I was so appreciative they took their day to come out for this event. Klaus brought a stunning 1955 Chrysler 300 to roll in with us. This car looks brand new. This car is totally restored inside and out. We met some new people there too, Kean and wife, Dan and wife as well. Super nice peeps.

We left shortly after 5:00 a.m. and rolled to the event. For being such a big show their entrance procedure went pretty smooth. It was another story once we got in. See there’s a drive way we were supposed to turn in. It was labeled for us, Challengers, Chargers, Magnums, etc. But the man who was manning that gate didn’t know what a Challenger looked like so he told us to keep going to another driveway. Then some other parking guy yelled at me for being in the wrong place. When I finally got to the right place I went over to the guy manning our gate and asked him why he waved myself and the others following me. His answer puzzled me. He said,” Well, I can’t see well in the dark and I can’t tell if it’s a Challenger or not. I mean he was nice and all, but dude, why were you at the gate if you can’t see? I stayed with him and pointed out the rest of our group as they came up so he’d wave them in. After we were all parked we saw another Challenger come in and that gate guy waved him by. We watched him go around and around. Finally he got over to where we were with Dave’s help. It was Terry aka Rattler 249. After parking and setting up the ez ups, we were good to go.

There are so many cars here it just boggles the mind. One of the unique things about this show is they set up a cruise route inside the show. You can leave your spot and go cruise around the show and come back to your spot. I’m glad many people chose to do this. It’s really one of the best ways to see the show. I got to do it in the 1955 Chrysler 300 with Klaus, James, Mellow, and Heather. That’s the way to see things in my opinion. Many of us also walked over to the Meguiar’s display to see Jon’s car there wrapped by Wraptivo. They had his car wrapped in a matte black. Nice! It’s a great way to change your car without repainting the car. Just wrap it and when you’re tired of it or want to change it, take it off with no harm done.

During the show I was told by Terry and Tom about a silver 1971 Challenger a couple of rows over. I approached him and asked if we could take pics together after the show. He was down for it. He was the original owner and had bought his car from the same dealer as I did. Small world. We got some really good pics together. G2 joined the pics as well. I’m collecting new meets old colors. Three down, more to go (You can see these on our Facebook page). We all had a great time hanging out under the ez ups, seeing the thousands of cars on display, eating 14 inch hot dogs, and cruising our Challengers. As the end of the day rolled around we drug our tired butts out of the show and promptly collapsed at home. It was a long, long, day

I’d like to thank everyone who got up so early and travelled so far to hang out and support a fantastic cause. It means a lot to us you gave your whole day to support the cure for prostate cancer. All of you rock. This one’s a long one…but it’s worth it. See you next time!

Cambria- Eight SoCal Challenger members and four guests attended the 4^th Annual Pine Dorado Car Show on Sept. 5^th, 2010 in Cambria, Ca. SCC Members Rick B, Isreal M, and Dave M swept the Modern Muscle Class with 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place respectively.� SoCal Challengers also won the Group Participation Trophy, their sixth such award this year. Proceeds from the show benefitted the Lion’s Club Charities. The show’s theme this year was honoring our military heroes, past and present.

Members make a weekend out of this event, some coming up Friday and the others on Saturday. I chose the Friday option as most of the other Members had too. I ended up catching Rick and Bill in Ventura. We travelled together from then on. The drive was fantastic after we got past Santa Barbara. When we turned in towards Morro Bay off the 101 the fog was so thick you couldn’t even see the rock. That was some serious fog. It would hang with us most of the day throughout the weekend. We stopped at the “traditional liquor store” that Rick and Fred stop at and then finished the drive to the Cambria Pines Lodge. We had a great trip up and checked in with no issues.

�

I had arranged for Diego again to lend us his shop for detailing on both Friday and Saturday to get our cars clean. Bill and I were the only takers on Friday. Diego had his bay empty and let me keep my car there Friday night. Nice! Diego has been such a gift to us. He was accommodating and helping us all weekend. I can’t thank him enough. We’re so lucky to have him up there. That night we hit a new Mexican restaurant in town and Bill’s girlfriend Kandace ordered this burrito that was so big it came with a birth certificate. That thing had to weigh five pounds or something. It was ridiculously huge. The food there was excellent. Afterwards we went back to the lodge and hit the bar where a live band was playing. I found out I have a fellow Crown Royal teammate in Bill. I always kinda knew he was kick ass, but now I know why.

Saturday was more car detailing by the rest of the Members. Almost everyone showed and shined their rides up for the show. We were joined by Mike and Mike from NCC as well. It was great to see both of them again. Alex showed up, too. The hitman was in the house! That night we went back to the Main Street Grill for dinner where you can experience meatfest to the fullest. I ordered a side of beef ribs and was given literally a mountain of ribs. James absolutely killed it at the table having everyone laughing non-stop for it seemed like hours.

Sunday we hit the show. Jeremiah met us there and pulled in with us. It was great to see twelve Challengers lined up. We swept the class and took the group trophy too. Everyone loved our cars as usual. Jeremiah at one point was looking really nervous. He saw me looking at him and said, ”I’m not used to this many people looking at my car.” I told him to get used to it, you own a Challenger! Afterwards, Don had the great idea to line up under the flags for group photos. Those pics came out fantastic. We also met the owner of a purple 1970 Challenger who owns a restaurant in town and we went down the street and took pics of his and Don’s ride in front of his restaurant on Main St. Those pics were way cool as well. We ended up eating at his restaurant that night. We had great food and it was a fitting farewell to a great weekend.

I’d like to thank Diego for opening up his shop to us. We appreciate your generosity immensely. And thank you to all of you that attended that weekend. Remember most of all that your registration benefitted charities supported by the Lion’s Club. You gave to those less fortunate and made a difference in their lives. Spread the word for next year!�

Huntington Beach- � August 22^nd, 2010 saw SoCal Challengers attending the 2^nd Annual Surf City Garage Car Show. The show was open to any year Corvette, and other muscle cars, passenger cars, and trucks, up to the model year 1974. SCC was specially invited to attend by the Corvette Club who co-sponsored the event. � Proceeds were donated to the Ronald McDonald House, The Homeless Intervention Center, and the Chips for Kids Charities. Spectators were allowed access to the garage facility and its collection of rare muscle cars. Music and food were provided as well as numerous raffles. Twelve SCC members and four guests were present at the show.

That Sunday was a good day for a show. We hadn’t had a show as a group in over a month as two July events had fallen through. I hadn’t seen Surf City Garage before so I was really looking forward to that. We met at the Quiksilver corporate building parking lot and of course Kevin was already there when my wife and I arrived. In fact, I think he got there so early as to have a full quilt knitted from scratch and three novels polished off while in the lot waiting for the show to start. Not many are earlier than me, Kevin is one. The contingent of orange arrived next; James, Tom, Mellow, and Dave and then the Diceman surprised us by showing up. Isreal and Sylvia in his new Inferno Red Challenger came as well and Jeff brought the only white Challenger to the event. John brought his Plum Crazy so we had a nice contingent of colors to show off. We were joined by Jason and John from SoCal LX with their Chargers. They were super clean and John and Jason are two great guys to hang out with. We also were pleased to finally meet the Barry’s, a father and son duo who are both named Mike. I named them “Mike and Mike in the morning” and loved their black Challenger with the red fender stripes and red seat inserts. That looks really sharp. Those of you with black Challengers can add a color and really set off the whole car. Brandon came to this show after his tour in the Middle East and had done some major mods to his car. His silver Challenger had a flat black hood and trunk lid, new wheels, halos, and caliper covers. Sharp! Richard and Burgundy brought the junior dragsters which the kids go ape over. A good group had assembled to roll in with and off we went.

As we got in line for the show I saw a B5 Blue Challenger coming up to try and get in line with us. John and Jason made a space for him to get in so all the Challengers stayed together. It was Juan and Adriana whom I had met at the LX Festival. Nice peeps and the more the merrier. Even though the line was long it moved fairly quickly and we entered the show and were placed. We kept driving in, and in, and in. Way in the back we went. There weren’t many after us. It was quiet back there. We did have a lot of room though. We made an ez-up city with all the ez-ups we had. We weren’t hurting for shade. After we mad ez-up city and polished our rides and put up our banners, it was time to relax and enjoy the show.

Even though we were way in the back we had many come by and ogle our cars. I was thanked several times by show sponsors for our professionalism and ability to provide a good turnout. That falls on our outstanding members and their enthusiasm. So if the members didn’t hear that from them that day, I thank you. You were recognized for being professional, courteous, and bringing kick-ass cars to the show! I saw only one other club banner there that day. We had that and more. We looked sharp!

Eventually we headed over to the garage and saw the collection of muscle cars on display. Beautiful cars in there. There was a convertible GTO in there that looked seriously like it was brand new. Even better that all the panels were flawless, the trim was dark or shiny as it should be, and no wear to see anywhere. A flawless car that was amazing. The collection had Mopars too ranging from several Chargers and a 440 six pack Challenger. We also liked the collections of old soda bottles, Coca Cola coolers, gas pumps, and automotive metal signage. That garage was worth it to me to see. It’s a great collection.

Alas, we won nothing at this show but were told that because of our outstanding turnout and impression we made at this show that we would have our own class to be judged next year and a primo parking area!

Special thanks to Corvette Larry who invited us to come to this show. We had a great time! And thanks as always to the members who came and made it the fun it always is when you’re around. See you in Cambria!