NSRA Fun Run – Rutland County Showground.

Friday 14^th -  Sunday16^th June 2019

First of all I must nail my colours to the mast and say I didn’t want the Fun Run to move to Rutland. I loved the ethos of the show in Great Yarmouth. To me it was a proper fun run where the emphasis was on the cars and better still, driving the cars. For me, it’s not about the music or the trade stalls and even the show and shine isn’t at the top of the list. It was being at an event where almost everyone had arrived in their Hot Rod and wanted to drive it while they were there. Although many people share mine and Dave’s opinion, some did not and a lot of people objected to the venue, feeling it was too far out of the way. So onward and upward. The committee had a very difficult job choosing another venue. There are so few places that can accommodate such a large group of people and having found a suitable venue in the centre of the country, it was unfortunately necessary to change the date and then the work really began to organise an event in yet another new venue, no mean feat. I take my hat off to all the committee members who worked tirelessly on behalf of the members to make this event run smoothly. To make life even more difficult the weather leading up to event was shocking with the danger that a) it might have to be cancelled and b) would anyone actually turn up?

Of course we Hot Rodders are made of sturdy stuff and even with the weather forecast for the weekend being pretty awful, one by one, we all arrived. Thankfully, Dave and I don’t do camping, so after registering we went off to our nearby pre-booked B and B, getting there just as the rain came down in biblical proportions.

 

Saturday morning and there was a good crowd of cars waiting in line for the cruise. We were looking forward to taking part in it, glad that we hadn’t organised this one. Colin and Sue did a tremendous job of planning a picturesque route, which took us around Rutland Water. We had been divided into two groups which made for nice photo opportunities when we saw cars coming in the opposite direction. After 30 miles or so around 75 cars arrived at our destination, Rocks by Rail Living Ironstone Museum, which is set in a disused quarry in Cottesmore. We received a warm welcome from the volunteers who had opened the museum especially for us and they even laid on rides on the diesel locomotive named Betty, for anyone that wanted it. Some of us wrestled with the quiz and the more sensible ones went to the café for tea and cake. For those of us (and I am one of them) who like their trains this was an excellent venue. 

Betty

Oakham Signal Box

Unfortunately, due to the continuing wet weather, quite rightly we were asked not to park on the showground on Saturday afternoon, which left some of us at a loose end while others went to the camp site to meet up with Jack Daniels and friends. We explored the town of Oakham, had a rest back at the B and B before returning to town for an Italian meal at Wildwood and then returned to the showground for the evening entertainment and to chew the cud with other members. The indoor building was nice but I am really tired of being given plastic glasses just because the owners of this type of venue are too lazy to wash up. We are all grown-ups, we can be trusted with glass! (What’s the point of banning plastic straws when we create a mountain of plastic glasses?)

The weather gods were still against and it rained overnight with the threat of more showers during the day which meant a depleted number of cars arrived on the show field for the show and shine, partly due to the failure of Sunday only cars turning up. Nevertheless, we had a quality display of vehicles, which was reflected at prize giving. Participants’ choice went to a deserving car, Andy and Deb Crockett’s beautiful red Willys. It is my opinion that this car has won this prize twice in three years for a very good reason- not only is it a show stopping car, they take it out on the cruise, whatever the weather, even though it only does 4 miles to the gallon! We were surprised and delighted to win a prize too, the second time we’ve won in two events and both times Dave didn’t bother to clean the car! This time it was the Cruise Pick, chosen by someone from museum. Last time it was chosen by the staff at Old Warden. Dave was astounded on the day I clapped eyes on the car back in 2007 and said “I really like that car”. I had never said that about a Hot Rod before. So he now thinks it has something about it that appeals to the psyche of non-hot rodders and is why we won these prizes. Either way, we were pleased with the recognition. I am also in awe of the committee for the sterling job they did throughout the weekend under very trying circumstances.

Participants Choice

Somehow we managed to drive home in the sunshine on a lovely journey of less than hour, through pretty villages on the A6003, avoiding the rain showers circling around us.

My verdict on the new venue? Well I’m afraid it hasn’t changed my opinion. To me, the Fun Run here is just a mini Old Warden. The camp site was full of camper vans, caravans and trailers. I am holding out hope that most of these people had intended to bring their cars but left them at home because of the weather. If so and if the show returns here next year, I do hope most people will bring cars, apart from those who are currently building or are between cars. Putting aside the weather, the show just felt like “the same old” whereas Yarmouth was a breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively. I also question whether we should be having another event that exposes the membership to another large financial risk and involves the committee having to do so much work. The NASC decline started when more people started coming for the cheap weekend and the party rather than the car show and I would hate to see the NSRA go the same way.