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| It’s always amazing when our annual Beach Blast comes around again....I guess because it makes us realize that yet another year seems to have flown by! 2006 marked the 12th Anniversary of our Beach Blast, which we here at Mike Kelly’s Cruise News have always hosted at the Holiday Inn Cocoa Beach Oceanfront Resort in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Once again the event was made possible by our main sponsor, Ron Hassel of All-Midwest Sales, a major parts manufacturers’ representative company. Advance Discount Auto Parts returned again to not only co-sponsor the show, but also be the main door prize sponsor. Valvoline and Eagle One also contributed items to be given away as door prizes again this year, and the combination of all these companies coming together has made it possible for all of us to have fun at the Beach Blast for many years....so keep them all in mind when it comes time to buy things for your car and support those that have given back to our hobby for so many years.
While this year’s show officially took place on Sunday, May 21st, for many years the event has in reality been an informal multi-day affair. Participants start showing up several days ahead of time, many stay in the hotel multiple days, and take the opportunity to enjoy all that Cocoa Beach has to offer. That obviously includes the world famous beach itself, nearby Kennedy Space Center, casino cruises out of Port Canaveral, Ron Jon Surf Shop which is just two miles north on A1A, plus many other fun outings that can be had in the area. This combination has made the Beach Blast a really family friendly event since its inception, and many participants have told us that as such it has become a “must attend” annual event for them and their loved ones. On Saturday afternoon we moved the cars and trucks that arrived early enough to receive promenade parking vouchers into the lush tropical landscaping that lines the brick promenade running from the front of the hotel back to the beach-front Ocean Deck, where they remained overnight so they were in place for Sunday. Then Saturday evening we again held a “cruise-in” for participants that took place in the parking lot out in front of the Holiday Inn’s restaurant and lounge, which let everyone just hang out and get acquainted. We started handing out the registration packets, there was additional lighting brought in, and DJ’s Butch and Jennifer Johnston of WJBJ “Cruisin’ With The Classics” not only spun the great tunes but also headed up a 50/50 raffle. Overnight security was provided for the many show vehicles that remained on the premises, and soon Sunday morning rolled around and the remainder of gorgeous show vehicles showed up for the fun. We were once again lucky in the weather department, as the rain stayed away. Sunday was a bit on the warm side, but with plenty of shade available everyone seemed to be doing great. Plus, the huge hotel pool (complete with a pirate ship play area for the kids) was always available for those wanting to plunge into its cool water, the beach was directly accessible, and ice cold beverages (along with food) were available on the Ocean Deck - where a live band also played. At about 3:00pm the focus turned to the first level of the Ocean Deck, where Butch and Jennifer Johnston started handing out the many door prizes. This was followed by the awards presentation at about 3:30pm, which again featured unique trophies we put together with cool die cast cars mounted on a wood base, with the event artwork done by Adam Icenogle on a beautiful upright plaque printed by Daytona Trophy (who also printed the event T-Shirts). The Top 40 is decided by participant voting results, and Best Of Show goes to the vehicle receiving the most total votes (which then gets featured on our cover, like Fred & Rose Golsner’s 1952 Chevy was last issue for winning the 2006 Best Of Show). We have to agonizingly pick the other Best Of’s, which is never easy due to the quality of vehicles this show attracts, and this month’s cover car was our Cruise News Choice recipient. One extremely sad note to this year’s show was that Tom Staggs, who has helped us with parking and many other aspects of the Beach Blast for years....as well as being a friend....passed away on April 3, 2006. He was only 56, and his dry wit, heartfelt comments and smiles will be forever missed by many - including us. In tribute we added the Tom Staggs Memorial Award to the list of trophies. Understandably Mike Kelly had a hard time not choking up trying to announce it when it was time for the presentation and explanation on stage. Many thanks have to go out to Bob Arnold and Jack Messimer, plus other members from the Vintage Vehicles of Florida for again doing a spectacular job of handling the parking chores, and helping with all the various other things that come up during a show of this kind. I’d hate to think what it would be like without their help these days, so we can never stress enough how much we appreciate them. Also, a big thanks goes out to C&D Golf Carts in Titusville (321-268-4882) for providing us with a couple of great looking and performing golf carts that really came in handy over the course of the 3 or 4 days we were taking care of business at the Holiday Inn. Due to space restrictions the Beach Blast is limited to the first 200 vehicles, and every year it sells out through pre-registration more than a month ahead of time. So be sure and plan ahead, and get your pre-registration in early for 2007. Thanks again to all those who came to this year’s event, and to Ron Hassel of All-Midwest Sales and Advance Discount Auto Parts for making the show possible. Look for the announcement of next year’s show dates, and the opening of pre-registration in January of 2007 when we run ads for it in the magazine, and update the Beach Blast section of our web site. CN Top 40 Winners: |
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