Pomona-  The campus of Cal Poly Pomona was the setting for the 1^st annual LA Fire Department 3^rd Alarm Car Show. Proceeds from the show benefitted the LA Fire Explorer Post 19. Participants were treated to two live bands, a catered lunch, raffles, and several vendor booths. Thirteen SCC Members attended the event. Rick L received a Winner’s Trophy for his supercharged black R/T.

My nav unit has most always gotten me where I needed to go. That women’s voice guiding me here and there as we travel to our car shows, events, and cruises. This time she was a woman scorned.  As I got off the freeway and was travelling down Pomona Blvd, suddenly she barked at me to “Perform a legal U-turn”. That didn’t make any sense to me since I remember seeing the Mapquest of the location and it showing the meeting spot straight ahead. However, I put my trust in the nav gal and made a U-turn at the next light. As I now headed back towards the freeway I was looking around for the addresses on the buildings. The numbers were going down, not up. Then she spoke again. “Perform a legal U-turn”. Umm….excuse me? So I made another U-turn and started heading West again down Pomona Blvd. I went as far as that same spot and got the message again, ”Perform a legal U-turn”. Evidently Miss nav gal wished me to go in circles this morning. She actually got me to do it twice, that gal. Maybe she had a bad night before; drank too much, the guy kissed her and then left without asking for her number. Maybe she had intestinal distress, I don’t know. I took charge of my life at that point and shut her off. I felt in control. I felt badass. I was reading building numbers….Old school! I stormed past the supposed U-turn point and went straight to the meeting spot. Ha! I actually gave my nav unit the finger when I shut my car off  like that would do anything. She’ll probably send me over every pothole imaginable on the way to the next one. Her pissyness then shifted to the other members. From the meeting place I could see member after member getting into the left turn lane as she told them to either turn left or hang a U-turn. That dude the night before must have really pissed her off. I started flagging down everyone to go straight to get to the meeting spot.    

After our dealings with Miss nav gal were concluded we got together for the pre-show pow wow. Rick gave a little chat for this one as he put this show together. We were headed to the campus of Cal Poly Pomona. We had a nice long trail of Challengers snaking their way through the parking lots on campus. I’m glad Rick knew where the show was, I certainly didn’t. It wouldn’t have been easy to find if you weren’t familiar with the campus.

As we pulled in we took a back row in the parking lot. Rick and I figured this would be a good spot when the lot was full to showcase our cars. The problem was that the lot never filled up. By my count, aside from our group there were twenty four cars scattered about in a huge parking lot. We had almost thirty percent of the turnout. The bands played for no one pretty much. We wished they would stop anyways… At least the singers. Eeesh.

Aside from the turnout we had a great time at this show. James won pretty much every freekin’ thing you could win in the raffles, except the couch. We wanted that couch! It could be our club couch ,we thought, but someone else got it. James got pretty much everything else. We also got to see Kevins’ new Go-Wing. That thing rocks on his car and fits with the other modifications on his ride perfectly. His modifications have been supremely tasteful. I think he’s done the best job of making his Challenger look old school of anyone in the group. His car just keeps getting better and better. There were fire trucks for the kids to see and some great old cars as well.

My thanks to Rick for setting this show up for the SCC family to attend. This was their first show and they will only get bigger as time goes on. We were grateful to have the opportunity to help the explorers. They are the future lifesavers of our community. We thank them in advance.