Potential events for 2014

[dbow119]

Hey everyone, my name is Derek Bowman and I'm a new member (Updated membership number: 251). I accomplished my dream of owning a Viper when I bought one in March at the age of 23. I may have even met some of you at the Spring Invitational in Saratoga Springs (I had the red 2003 for those of you who came). One of the reasons why I didn't join the VCA was because there weren't many events held in "upstate" NY (i.e. Albany/Saratoga area). I know one person (including this website when I entered my zip code) suggested joining the New England club, but considering I live in NY and this is the NY/CT club, I thought I should support this one.

As a "noob" I'm by no means trying to rewrite the boundaries for those members who belonged to the VCA, but since this is a new club and it is for New York/Connecticut, I think it would be really cool and extremely beneficial to the Viper owners who live in the upstate area and help spread awareness of this club if we could hold more events in the Capital Region and Adirondacks (increase memberships or at least get some dormant Vipers out of the den (garage). For example: There is the Spring Invitational in Saratoga that I mentioned earlier that I believe Chuck Tator was/is active in getting people to attend (andI know there were a lot of excited/grateful visitors since seeing a Viper is pretty rare), but there are also a lot of other events up this way that we could attend (See www.capitalcarshows.com).

I know for some of you driving hours to come to Albany or to a location up this way on a bi-weekly (or however often) basis wouldn't be realistic just like it wouldn't be realistic for me to drive hours every couple of weeks to attend every event in Westchester County or Long Island or Hartford, etc. but I do think we should create more opportunity for those members who do live up this way to get their money's worth and see other fellow Viper owners. I'd be more than happy to be a "representative" for the upstate NY (Capital Region) area and help this club to the best of my ability.

Here are some suggestions for locations/events:

New York
Albany, NY-There are tons of car shows in Albany and surrounding area that we could choose from.
Ballston Spa, NY-Has a huge car show called "The Way We Were" where they close down part of the village for thousands of cars and many clubs (Corvette, Mustang, etc.) attend.
The Hamptons, NY-I have never been there, but if it is good enough for Wall Street Playboys to party in, I'm willing to take a ride to see what all the fuss is about.
Johnstown, NY-Vintage Cafe Car Show. They basically shut down Main ST in Johnstown for hundreds, if not thousands of cars that attend.
Lake George, NY-Has the Adirondack Nationals held in Lake George (we wouldn't be able to enter that specific show since I believe you need to have a 30 year old car or older to enter into that, but I heard new for 2014 they will hold a car show at the Wild West Ranch for 1980 or newer cars and a controlled burnout contest at the same time!
NYC-So maybe Manhattan traffic will be a pain in the you know what in a high performance car that only comes in a 6 speed, but if we go when they have one of their huge exotic car shows that I see in the Super Speeders Youtube videos then it looks like a good time and I believe Rob Ferretti owns an ACR so he could let us know when one is being held (whether or not he is a member on here I don't know).
Orange County Choppers in Newburgh, NY-Paul Sr. is a huge car enthusiast from my understanding so maybe we could have a car show/cruise at OCC.
Saratoga Springs, NY-Spring Invitational. Saratoga Chrysler Jeep Dodge has an annual Mopar night. The Saratoga Auto Museum also holds "lawn shows" where they have held separate ones for BMW, Cadillac, Corvette, Ferrari, Firebird, etc. in the past so maybe we could get them to hold a Viper one?
Sleepy Hollow, NY-I think it would be a pretty awesome place to cruise to in late October for the Halloween/Legend of Sleepy Hollow events that they have. Plus they have historical places like touring Kykuit (John D. Rockefeller's mansion) and other notable locations/homes.

Connecticut
Greenwich, CT-Has the Concours d'Elegance, which I have never attended i, but I have seen some beautiful cars on youtube and TV. Whether or not we could all enter our car in it I don't know, but I do think it would be a nice cruise to see the cars. If we can't all enter our cars then maybe we could create a car show there on a different weekend or just cruise there and park in the Village.

Does anyone have a location or event they'd like to add?

[plumcrazy]

you are a member of a very active club. they go to a lot of those places you listed.

[dbow119]

plumcrazy-I'm glad they're active and hopefully will continue to be active in going to new events and events in the past that people liked. I went to quite a few car shows this year with my father (he owns a 2010 Shelby GT500) and it was the first year we attended car shows, but I only saw them at the Spring Invitational in Saratoga in May and I just went on their site on the VCA where it states they attended that and a cruise to upstate, NY. I just don't think 2 events for upstate, NY is a good representation when they had at least 25 events that were posted...that is just my point of view though.

[Hostile]

dbow119

The easy way to have more upstate events is to plan and sponsor them

all it takes is time and effort.

Skeeter

[dbow119]

Skeeter,

Doesn't part of our membership fees go towards sponsoring events?

-Derek

[ViperTony]

plumcrazy-I'm glad they're active and hopefully will continue to be active in going to new events and events in the past that people liked. I went to quite a few car shows this year with my father (he owns a 2010 Shelby GT500) and it was the first year we attended car shows, but I only saw them at the Spring Invitational in Saratoga in May and I just went on their site on the VCA where it states they attended that and a cruise to upstate, NY. I just don't think 2 events for upstate, NY is a good representation when they had at least 25 events that were posted...that is just my point of view though.

Would you be willing to help coordinate more events in upstate NY in 2014? We need the help up there.

[dbow119]

Would you be willing to help coordinate more events in upstate NY in 2014? We need the help up there.

Tony, I'd be honored to help out...think of me as your go to guy when it comes to upstate NY!

How many events would you like to have in upstate NY for 2014? Considering I wasn't a member of the VCA, I'm not sure how many events you like to have in any given year. When do you normally have the events schedule made so I know how much time I have?

Here are a few things I will do and some ideas for events:

1. What I'll do for starters is contact the Saratoga Auto Museum and see if we can have a "lawn show" for Vipers. Does everyone like horses? What I'm thinking is maybe we could have an event during track season and either drive to the track after the show (the shows are normally 10 AM-2 PM). Note: The races normally start at 1:00 PM so we might miss a few of the races. When the races are over (or we could leave a couple races early to avoid the heavy traffic) we could take a short cruise to Broadway (basically Saratoga's main strip) and have dinner before heading our separate ways (if you want to make it a full day event).

2. I'll contact the Adirondack Nationals and find out what date they're planning on having that 1980 or newer car show and controlled burnout so we can attend that and spend the day in the Village of Lake George looking at all the great cars!

3. I'll contact Ballston Spa and see when they'll be holding their annual huge car show that I mentioned in an earlier post so they can maybe reserve a parking lot or something for us all to park together in like they usually do for other clubs that attend.

4. Lebanon Valley usually holds a Mopar night, but if you just want to have a Viper event there maybe we could partner with the New England region VOA since Lebanon Valley borders MA? They also have a drag strip so if some members want to drag race each other that could happen.

5. I will contact Saratoga Chyrysler Jeep Dodge to find out if they know when they are planning on having their Mopar car show.

6. I will contact www.capitalcarshows.com to see if there has been any mention as to when there will be events in the Albany area. Would the VOA be willing to sponsor an event?

More ideas to follow.

Let me know what everyone thinks.

Thanks,

Derek Bowman

[City]

Orange County Choppers in Newburgh, NY-Paul Sr. is a huge car enthusiast from my understanding so maybe we could have a car show/cruise at OCC.

dbow119

The easy way to have more upstate events is to plan and sponsor them

all it takes is time and effort.

Skeeter

I here this Hostile guy is pretty well connected with OCC.

[dbow119]

I here this Hostile guy is pretty well connected with OCC.

OCC is about a 1.5-2 hour ride for me so I would prefer if someone who lives closer would be able to go to OCC and find out. If Hostile is well connected with OCC then that would be great if we could schedule something there since that would probably increase the odds of Paul Sr or whoever is in charge to approve it.

I also just want to add that this is really up to the club if they want to have something there. I'm just trying to make suggestions so I don't want anyone to think I am overstepping my boundaries and trying to tell people where they have to go. Of course there are some locations I would prefer to go to over others, but that is not the point. I hope members of this region give their opinions in regards to reaffirming locations that I have selected or adding additional locations that I did not mention.

[City]

Not at all. It's great that you're so "driven". Welcome aboard!

[ViperTony]

Tony, I'd be honored to help out...think of me as your go to guy when it comes to upstate NY!

How many events would you like to have in upstate NY for 2014? Considering I wasn't a member of the VCA, I'm not sure how many events you like to have in any given year. When do you normally have the events schedule made so I know how much time I have?

Here are a few things I will do and some ideas for events:

1. What I'll do for starters is contact the Saratoga Auto Museum and see if we can have a "lawn show" for Vipers. Does everyone like horses? What I'm thinking is maybe we could have an event during track season and either drive to the track after the show (the shows are normally 10 AM-2 PM). Note: The races normally start at 1:00 PM so we might miss a few of the races. When the races are over (or we could leave a couple races early to avoid the heavy traffic) we could take a short cruise to Broadway (basically Saratoga's main strip) and have dinner before heading our separate ways (if you want to make it a full day event).

2. I'll contact the Adirondack Nationals and find out what date they're planning on having that 1980 or newer car show and controlled burnout so we can attend that and spend the day in the Village of Lake George looking at all the great cars!

3. I'll contact Ballston Spa and see when they'll be holding their annual huge car show that I mentioned in an earlier post so they can maybe reserve a parking lot or something for us all to park together in like they usually do for other clubs that attend.

4. Lebanon Valley usually holds a Mopar night, but if you just want to have a Viper event there maybe we could partner with the New England region VOA since Lebanon Valley borders MA? They also have a drag strip so if some members want to drag race each other that could happen.

5. I will contact Saratoga Chyrysler Jeep Dodge to find out if they know when they are planning on having their Mopar car show.

6. I will contact www.capitalcarshows.com to see if there has been any mention as to when there will be events in the Albany area. Would the VOA be willing to sponsor an event?

More ideas to follow.

Let me know what everyone thinks.

Thanks,

Derek Bowman

Derek, absolutely we'd like your help and I think you and Skeeter can be the dream team when it comes to NYS events in 2014. The club is going to hold its' 2014 events planning meeting sometime in February and you're welcome to attend. We'll send out the meeting details in December. I'll give you a call this week to catch up. Also, please reach out to Skeeter. He's an incredible ass*et in our club.

[dbow119]

Derek, absolutely we'd like your help and I think you and Skeeter can be the dream team when it comes to NYS events in 2014. The club is going to hold its' 2014 events planning meeting sometime in February and you're welcome to attend. We'll send out the meeting details in December. I'll give you a call this week to catch up. Also, please reach out to Skeeter. He's an incredible ass*et in our club.

Thanks, Tony! I just sent Skeeter an email so hopefully we can come up with some great ideas for events this coming year to bring to the meeting in February!

[Andrew2KRT10]

Boy, does everyone remember the last two runs we did to OCC ? I do. I remember the first and that was when they were all starting out. I also remember the last one and we were barely a fly on the agenda. Those OCC guys got too full off themselves. But then again Paul Sr. is not what he used to be so maybe he has humbled a little.

[Andrew2KRT10]

Sure would like to do that Orange County outside Go-Kart track again, if they would allow us back after the crazy driving that STEVE displayed. hahahahaha.

[ViperTony]

Sure would like to do that Orange County outside Go-Kart track again, if they would allow us back after the crazy driving that STEVE displayed. hahahahaha.

You mean this?

Karting.jpgkarting4.jpg

[dbow119]

Now that looks like fun! And I'm thinking an event at OCC is going to be a requirement this year as long as they give us the thumbs up.

[ACR Steve]

Please do the Cart event well in advance of my race season I need to heel after Andrew decides to take his short cut and use me as a landing pad

[VPRPWRD]

If you guys wouldn't mind a few Viper Trucks tagging along I'd love to get a group together for some of these events.

[ViperTony]

If you guys wouldn't mind a few Viper Trucks tagging along I'd love to get a group together for some of these events.

Yes, absolutely you (and your kind ) are welcome! I suspect we (NY/CT) will start posting the major events in late January early February for the 2014 season. Events will be added throughout the year. I'm trying to gauge interest in a paint ball outing (outside) in NY in January. The last time we held this event, '08 I believe, I was more sore from laughing so hard than from being pelted all day long.

As for the outdoor karting Steve/Andrew speaks of....it's been said that time heals wounds. I think enough time has passed to at least attempt to make a call at the karting facility to see if (a.) they forgot about the incident or (b.) see if we're still on their wall of shame.

[plumcrazy]

the NY/CT has always been very open to other cars and people. you will fit right in with them

[VPRPWRD]

Awesome! I did a Hawk's Nest cruise last summer and we went to OCC for lunch, that was a fun day. I wouldn't mind doing something like that again.

[dbow119]

I just want to give everyone an update that being true to my word, I have been in communication with Heidi, the Director of Marketing at the Saratoga Auto Museum and will be calling her within the next week to get more info about holding an event at the Saratoga Auto Museum as part of their "lawn show series" this year. I know Heidi is very excited to have us so would anyone have any objection to me planning a tentative date in August for this event? I will of course post all of the information on here for the members and will talk to Tony and Skeeter prior to doing so to make sure the date will not conflict with any other events that are in the works.

I would also like to add that I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. During the holidays, I have been thinking about how grateful I am to be in the position where I can afford to have a Viper and be able to give others the gifts that I did and receive what I did for Christmas. I recall a family friend telling me when she was a young child during the depression, the only thing she wanted for Christmas was a doll that cost a few cents and her mother couldn't afford it. Call me a softy, but I couldn't help but think about how many children didn't receive anything for the holidays this year. The Toys for Tats website claims there were 1,647 toys donated in 2012 while the U.S. Population is approximately 317 million people for 2013 with an unemployment rate of 6.8% the last I heard. For simplicity, 6.8% of 317 million is over 21.5 million people out of work that possibly received nothing or very little for the holidays so 1,647 toys just doesn't sound like nearly enough. What I'd like to propose is for 2014, maybe we can do one last cruise for the season in early or mid November where we bring a toy to be donated to Toys for Tats.

[viperbiker]

Derek I live in the Utica area and have about 5 viper owners in our area. There are also some great shows in our area with a drag strip in Syracuse area. There is a great fathers day show in old forge and it would be great to have more cars than the Vette club for once. Also there is a great Mopar show in Syracuse, that only three of us attend with vipers. So if you would like I could work on some things this way.

[dbow119]

Derek I live in the Utica area and have about 5 viper owners in our area. There are also some great shows in our area with a drag strip in Syracuse area. There is a great fathers day show in old forge and it would be great to have more cars than the Vette club for once. Also there is a great Mopar show in Syracuse, that only three of us attend with vipers. So if you would like I could work on some things this way.

Sounds great! Skeeter is the coordinator for Upstate events so I'm helping him and Tony plan some things up this way so we can have more events in our area. What I would suggest is when you find out the dates for the events you want everyone to attend to let us know or post it on this thread so we can hopefully include it in the official schedule as long as it doesn't overlap with anything that has already been planned.

[Hostile]

Derek Bill is an old friend with a great network in central NY.
Maybe the three of us need to get together and talk.

Skeeter