In typical Ocean City fashion the crew began to arrive throughout Thursday afternoon with big appetites. A lunch/dinner found Dave, Cindy, Bob, Darlene, Keith, and I at a pizza shop filling our tummies. While walking down the boardwalk there you could see the excessive out of place sand on the beach and buried sand covered boardwalk benches left over from the previous weekend's hurricane. Our evening was spent at the show held at Seacrets, a local bar/restaurant. What a great way to begin showcasing our cars - the Ms looked great! As dusk came, lights were turned on and brought more attention to our small group, including some familiar faces belonging to the Steward family. From multi-color underbody kits showcasing Goofy, to drive-in style movie showing in M-Pressive, and custom lit fuse box on FIREM, we got lots of looks from the spectators. And of course, our first trip to Dumsers was in the books. Thursday night ended sitting road side watching the cruisers awaiting for other members to arrive.
Friday started before the sun was up with getting in line for the boardwalk parade. It's a fun drive for sure and the cars showed really well. We were able to capture a GoPro video from M-Pressive's perspective and multiple photos of the three cars along the boardwalk as I ran alongside serving as the club's personal photographer. After making it down to the inlet and parking, the group made the walk to our usual spot for breakfast. Joined by Robert and Nick fresh in from PA, we dined and returned to the inlet to find Sean with his new Dart. With spectacular weather - blue sky, sunshine, cool sea breeze - we enjoyed a day checking out rides, walking the beachline, catching up with each other, and of course - eating large buckets of Thrashers fries. Friday night's dinner found us at our typical spot for dinner, Captain's Galley 2. Sitting in the covered porch on the second floor allowed us, with the addition of Hank, to enjoy a great view of the harbor, feel the sea breeze, and notice lightening in the distance. A delicious and perfectly timed meal lead us into the evening activities and a first time event for OC - a light show! Luna and M-Pressive represented the club with great detail and thoughtful installation. Joking about the progression of showing the lights, we had no time to work up to the full show starting with the flashers as a storm was quickly approaching. With both Ms blazing the competition looked to fall short of our ride's lights. Unfortunately the show was cut short due to the storms arrival and a sudden downpour. Everyone quickly packed up and of course, suggested we head to fill our daily ice cream at Dumsers. Friday night was cut short due to some poor parking lot shenanigan conditions. Come to find out 40 vehicles had been stopped, searched, and impounded by the OC Police Friday night we had heard they were going to be cracking down on laws and enforcement and they weren't kidding!
There was a very early start to Saturday when Bob and Keith held true to their tradition of saving spots (read fighting off the other crazies who don't want our later model cars showcased in the "good" spots) at the inlet and Robert and Nick getting a ticket for the parade. I started my walk of the boardwalk with a goal to find a good background to photo Luna and found myself 20 some blocks later at the perfect spot - the Ocean City arch on Division St! Awaiting the parade to arrive at my location, I wish I had known Dave and Cindy were half a block away watching as well. With a great section saved for us thanks to the Pres and Vice Pres, our group joined the masses that headed for breakfast at Dough Roller. A large group breakfast fueled us for a day at the inlet. A bit cooler and more cloudy for much of the day didn't stop the Ms from catching many spectator eyes. With Keith[s air ride and friendly competition of Wii playing out of the trunk and Bob's American and club flags flying high above, to the blacked out shiny Dark, Robert's stunning paint and modifications, and Goofy popping out the sunroof, we were well received! Dinner was at the OC Brewing Company and we were joined by Robert's cousin, Caitlin, as a new addition to the car family. Everyone enjoyed a delicious meal and the anticlimactic announcement of Keith as the Best in Show club award winner as Kaitlin finished tallying the votes. Dumsers just so happened to be on the way back to the hotel from dinner so of course we stopped yet again. A little giddy while we waited for a table, many laughs (and education on "modern vocabulary") were had. Third trip for ice cream under our belt (LITERALLY) we headed back to the hotel for hanging out in the parking lot. It wasn't a super late night but always is a nice time to relax and share a drink with the family.
Sunday is a treat to sleep in a bit but finds the group packing to head home. Arriving at the inlet a bit later and returning to our Friday staple breakfast location, we had a beautifully sunny and warm last day of the show. It was nice to relax and soak in the sun. All in all, I'm happy to report no major seagull poops met our rides, we overindulged in ice cream and fry eating, many laughs were shared, and memories were made. A successful Ocean City in the books for sure!
I can't help but say that our rides were well received by the spectators and showcased above the others during the light show. When awards were announced we proudly received recognition for our club banner being showcased all weekend at the inlet. With only two winners of any award during the weekend being a 2001 and 2005, all others were rides from the 70s and earlier. Not that they weren't also great cars, there just failed to be equal inclusion of the later models. A bit frustrated to be so unwelcomed as a late model vehicle, the distance that many travel to attend, and the expense to attend the OC meet, we spoke many times of not being totally welcomed by the show and the group was well in agreement that this might have been out last Ocean City event.
With so many wonderful memories and laughs shared in Ocean City over the years, I'm thankful to have been brought along as my first 300M car show all those years ago. It's a great location with delicious food, fun activities, and will always hold special 300M memories. In all the talk of "what to do now" there were many suggestions. The full consensus is that we still do need a second club meet - you got it! Now to sort out where. A number of ideas were thrown out about shows that we could try out as well as a rotating option to allow us to try multiple different locations and events.
While you car owners spend your winter months thinking about your rides, I'll spend mine researching a new event for us to attend. Please share your ideas and suggestions as comments here and I'll be sure to check them out. There's so much excitement and satisfaction that comes from a meet I look forward to expanding our location to include others!
Many thanks for all who attended this year's OC meet! As always, it's wonderful to see you and spend time together - until next time!
Friday started before the sun was up with getting in line for the boardwalk parade. It's a fun drive for sure and the cars showed really well. We were able to capture a GoPro video from M-Pressive's perspective and multiple photos of the three cars along the boardwalk as I ran alongside serving as the club's personal photographer. After making it down to the inlet and parking, the group made the walk to our usual spot for breakfast. Joined by Robert and Nick fresh in from PA, we dined and returned to the inlet to find Sean with his new Dart. With spectacular weather - blue sky, sunshine, cool sea breeze - we enjoyed a day checking out rides, walking the beachline, catching up with each other, and of course - eating large buckets of Thrashers fries. Friday night's dinner found us at our typical spot for dinner, Captain's Galley 2. Sitting in the covered porch on the second floor allowed us, with the addition of Hank, to enjoy a great view of the harbor, feel the sea breeze, and notice lightening in the distance. A delicious and perfectly timed meal lead us into the evening activities and a first time event for OC - a light show! Luna and M-Pressive represented the club with great detail and thoughtful installation. Joking about the progression of showing the lights, we had no time to work up to the full show starting with the flashers as a storm was quickly approaching. With both Ms blazing the competition looked to fall short of our ride's lights. Unfortunately the show was cut short due to the storms arrival and a sudden downpour. Everyone quickly packed up and of course, suggested we head to fill our daily ice cream at Dumsers. Friday night was cut short due to some poor parking lot shenanigan conditions. Come to find out 40 vehicles had been stopped, searched, and impounded by the OC Police Friday night we had heard they were going to be cracking down on laws and enforcement and they weren't kidding!
There was a very early start to Saturday when Bob and Keith held true to their tradition of saving spots (read fighting off the other crazies who don't want our later model cars showcased in the "good" spots) at the inlet and Robert and Nick getting a ticket for the parade. I started my walk of the boardwalk with a goal to find a good background to photo Luna and found myself 20 some blocks later at the perfect spot - the Ocean City arch on Division St! Awaiting the parade to arrive at my location, I wish I had known Dave and Cindy were half a block away watching as well. With a great section saved for us thanks to the Pres and Vice Pres, our group joined the masses that headed for breakfast at Dough Roller. A large group breakfast fueled us for a day at the inlet. A bit cooler and more cloudy for much of the day didn't stop the Ms from catching many spectator eyes. With Keith[s air ride and friendly competition of Wii playing out of the trunk and Bob's American and club flags flying high above, to the blacked out shiny Dark, Robert's stunning paint and modifications, and Goofy popping out the sunroof, we were well received! Dinner was at the OC Brewing Company and we were joined by Robert's cousin, Caitlin, as a new addition to the car family. Everyone enjoyed a delicious meal and the anticlimactic announcement of Keith as the Best in Show club award winner as Kaitlin finished tallying the votes. Dumsers just so happened to be on the way back to the hotel from dinner so of course we stopped yet again. A little giddy while we waited for a table, many laughs (and education on "modern vocabulary") were had. Third trip for ice cream under our belt (LITERALLY) we headed back to the hotel for hanging out in the parking lot. It wasn't a super late night but always is a nice time to relax and share a drink with the family.
Sunday is a treat to sleep in a bit but finds the group packing to head home. Arriving at the inlet a bit later and returning to our Friday staple breakfast location, we had a beautifully sunny and warm last day of the show. It was nice to relax and soak in the sun. All in all, I'm happy to report no major seagull poops met our rides, we overindulged in ice cream and fry eating, many laughs were shared, and memories were made. A successful Ocean City in the books for sure!
I can't help but say that our rides were well received by the spectators and showcased above the others during the light show. When awards were announced we proudly received recognition for our club banner being showcased all weekend at the inlet. With only two winners of any award during the weekend being a 2001 and 2005, all others were rides from the 70s and earlier. Not that they weren't also great cars, there just failed to be equal inclusion of the later models. A bit frustrated to be so unwelcomed as a late model vehicle, the distance that many travel to attend, and the expense to attend the OC meet, we spoke many times of not being totally welcomed by the show and the group was well in agreement that this might have been out last Ocean City event.
With so many wonderful memories and laughs shared in Ocean City over the years, I'm thankful to have been brought along as my first 300M car show all those years ago. It's a great location with delicious food, fun activities, and will always hold special 300M memories. In all the talk of "what to do now" there were many suggestions. The full consensus is that we still do need a second club meet - you got it! Now to sort out where. A number of ideas were thrown out about shows that we could try out as well as a rotating option to allow us to try multiple different locations and events.
While you car owners spend your winter months thinking about your rides, I'll spend mine researching a new event for us to attend. Please share your ideas and suggestions as comments here and I'll be sure to check them out. There's so much excitement and satisfaction that comes from a meet I look forward to expanding our location to include others!
Many thanks for all who attended this year's OC meet! As always, it's wonderful to see you and spend time together - until next time!
Lindsey
2023 Club Treasurer
Ride of the Month Winner: September 2017, May 2019, December 2022
Ride of the Year Winner: 2022
My what, my why, and my how:
2023 Club Treasurer
Ride of the Month Winner: September 2017, May 2019, December 2022
Ride of the Year Winner: 2022
My what, my why, and my how:
His front bumper cover is being replaced ..........
