Issue link: http://digital.nexsitepublishing.com/i/100969
Annual Picnic / Show-n-Shine Article by Jeff Bowlby Although journalism is not my chosen field, the occasional story telling opportunity just can���t be passed up. So relax the buttons on your lederhosen, kick back in your favorite Recaro seat, grab ein frostig bier and let me take you down the twisted road to my first concours. Exposure to my first Porsche Club event began last winter when the group took a ride to Tacoma and had a Tech Session hosted by Griot���s Garage. You read my article in the March Spiel about it being something of a homecoming, about the fantastic hospitality of the folks at Griot���s and about my subsequent ���private��� lesson on detailing and car care. I had the luxury of a half-day hands on seminar on how to detail a car for the concours by award winning Jason Kilmer. Go figure, I ended up with a vast inventory of all the right stuff and to be sure, a fond appreciation for how much work it really takes to get your car ready for show. After some practice rubbing and a lot of contemplation I made the choice��� the Boss and I would enter the Turbo in what was billed as the ���concours light���. Promotional materials ensured that not too much scrutiny would be applied to the judging and that I���d have the opportunity to learn tips and tricks from the judges. This event was to be more about camaraderie and learning, more about fun than stressing over the details. Besides, the main agenda item was a family BBQ with the concours to be 30 more of a distraction or side show. Yah, sure! (Skip ahead, I saw more rub rags and Speed Shine than I did brats ���n burgers) sore back. Take off the wheels, polish the inside of the rims, tire dressing even on the inside, cleaning those bright yellow calipers to perfection, masking, polishing, wiping, spraying rubbing and rubbing and rubbing. Although my car is a 2009, it is also too much fun to drive. Keeping it in the stable is not an option. I���ll drive to work rain or shine and in 18 months of ownership have tallied up a frisky 21,000 miles. The judges don���t care about that though; they���ll gladly compare my daily driver to one that has arrived in its own chauffeur- driven-hermetically sealed trailer. Well, the rain abated, the pavement dried and since the venue is only ten minutes from home I grabbed the Boss and we headed off to our first concours held at Tolt McDonald Park in Carnation. You have to know, this is only our third Porsche Club event and we don���t know a lot of folks yet so there is a modest level of trepidation there too. I hope we see Miller and Andre���. That way we can get some introductions and blend into the crowd as though we���re old timers. Well, right off the bat, that was to be a challenge for me. I���ve seen the outcomes of otherwise ���casual��� effort by some members during other club outings. I���ve seen thirty and forty year old Porsches that looked like they just rolled off the factory floor and were teleported by the Star Trek crew from Stuttgart to XXX Root Beer Drive-In with nary a micro-scratch or particle of dust. Man, the stress mounts as the show (picnic) grows closer. The weekend before I take a quick jaunt to Griot���s on the excuse it���s a business call. Fortuitously, I happen to run into Kilmer again, get a refresher, stock up on some much needed supplies and accumulate as much knowledge and encouragement as possible. Remember, he says, keep the light bright and at an angle and far away so you can see all the flaws���. Hmm��� all the flaws. September 2011 You don���t need to be bored by all the details of a typical detail. Wash, clay, q-tips, compressed air in all the cracks and hard to reach spots, hours of rubbing and the sore back���oh the So the day of the concours���uh���picnic arrives. It is sure to rain and I���ll be jiggered if the newly buffed Turbo goes out in the rain. Uh ���uh, no sir, not after all that effort and pain, she ain���t goin��� out in the rain. And to be frank, I don���t have much of an appetite any longer. We arrived and saw 20 or more cars all lined up like sentries. People hanging around chatting, admiring their work, checking out the competition. How will we fare, will we meet any folks that are easy to talk to? How���s this all work? What do you mean they look at the under-carriage? Really? The undercarriage? We���re toast I thought. But the company was great, everyone we met was kind and interesting and despite the fact we never made it to the picnic table, everyone else enjoyed their brats , burgers and camaraderie. Well, the moment of judgment arrived. Larry and Sherrell Nelson presided over the event and after little deliberation and an executive decision it was determined that the three person panel of judges would be made up of Dawn Schindler, Jacque Courtney and Sherrel Nelson. They