3rd Annual Greg Welch Memorial Car Show

I was excited when Cinda Welch invited me to attend the 3rd annual Greg Welch Memorial Car Show in Clarkesville last month. It was the first car show I had ever attended other than a few that were just displays of classic or antique cars. I brought along my 15 year old son and we had a great time.
A little bit about this particular show- Greg Welch was a competitor on this circuit which now includes his namesake show earlier in this decade, until he was taken suddenly by a heart attack in October of 2005. Greg earned many awards and accolades during his short career, and he also earned the respect of his peers and competitors. This was certainly in evidence at his show. His widow, Cinda, spearheads the production of the show and she gets a lot of help from family and friends in doing so. The number of entrants and prizes has grown every year and Cinda seemed very pleased with this year's turnout. Greg's love of children is the reason that Toys for Tots is the benefactor of this charity event.
I was unprepared for the "sound off" portions of the show-I honestly had no idea that folks put so much time and effort into their sound systems with the goal of reaching 160db or more! It was a fun a good natured competition with some surprising winners. I can't say that I understand exactly what was getting awarded and why, this being my first time, but I did appreciate the nice cars (especially an almost perfect 1972 Karmann Ghia) and the effort and ingenuity involved in preparing them for competition.
The neon glow off and the "drag off" (pictured at top) were also very new to me-these folks really go all out and my son thought both of these events were the best. There were also some specialized vehicles on display, including a huge swamp crawler, a motorized recliner, and a 1940's Buick pulling a camper made from an old manure spreader..that was heated with a wood stove. I'm not sure what or if that setup won-but he deserved something!



Musical entertainment, food and a few vendors were also a part of the show, and the facility at the Habersham County Fairgrounds made a great venue for the event. We will remind our readers to join us next year for the 4th Annual Greg Welch Memorial Car Show, which promises to be even bigger and better.