Herbie's 60th Anniversary Celebration
A Special Note From Gail Love
It's been interesting seeing the type of responses so far on holding a special event for Herbie's 60th. So far, only 16 individuals have said let's do it with a couple saying they cannot. Originally I was asking everyone to commit to basically putting slightly over a dollar a day away for 35 months so that we could really make this as good as possible. Yes, that is a lot of money overall, but really, a dollar a day?
Most people do not know what is involved with putting together events such as this. Yes, if we simply want to go to someone else's car show and pay a simple entry fee, we could do this but how many people would drive 500-1000 miles for such an event, or fly in from South America or Europe with their families? As you know, I have put two of these together basically in my own backyard, i.e., Central Florida, and I know what the costs and time that is involved. I also know that we have basically run out of great places to hold a really nice event and will never be able to come close to the 50th or the 53rd, but I'm willing to try and make it the best it can possibly be.
When I do these, I try to take everything into consideration knowing that you cannot please everyone, but you try anyway. For instance, the anniversary should fall in March and the past two events have proven this to be a relatively good time to hold such an event. If you go above the 33rd parallel, you cannot possibly think of doing it before the middle to late April time frame due to ice and snow or downright cold/nasty weather. With that in mind, you start looking at other shows such as VW's In The Valley held later this month in Maggie Valley NC. This is a beautiful area of the country but does not have much to offer other than a car show that normally has around 250 V-dubs. I've already talked with them and Stephen and I are planning a run up there just to check it out so that we can report what we find.
Next you have Circle Yer Wagens in Sevierville, Tennessee the first of May. Another nice show close to a number of larger cities but they are hours away and many who come to our events do not like to drive long distances. I’ve talked to them (Circle Yer Wagens) before, and if I remember right, they are pretty limited on space which could create a problem. I mention these two only because they exist and would be low cost options. However, they would be very limiting. A number of people have implied that we could put on our own show anywhere we want and that entry fees and sponsors would simply come out of the woodwork. Again, if you have never put on a show, something we have done for years, you have no idea as to how much work this takes and even when you put everything into it, you will find that no one really is going to come to a one time show and sponsors simply do not exist anymore. I know, I have worked many long hours trying to get sponsors for our previous events, and it simply does not happen.
And what fun would it be if we did not have one of our favorite movie stars to join us. Joaquin has been great the last two events and everyone has enjoyed having him and his family around, especially my wife Charlotte, but do we bring him in a third time or try to get someone else such as Stephanie Powers or Michele Lee (sorry Paco 😊). I have tried this before as well and besides them getting much older, they still have very busy schedules and who knows, they may or may not even be alive in 2029. However, if you really would like to meet them, have time to talk with them, get autographs and pictures together, etc., you have to have money up front to offer them and by what I have found out over the years of trying, the cost to do so is much more than Joaquin has ever asked for. He’s been an answer to prayer on both occasions.
Back to location, for those who do not have the opportunity that we have over the years to travel to most locations that have been suggested, you have to look at what is available and possible. I’ve been in contact with the Indianapolis Speedway and NOLA Motorsports Park in Louisiana, but it does not look like either of these would be possible. First of all, you need professional race car certification at NOLA, and I was told that Indianapolis no longer offers private cars on the track, although they have not returned my calls up to now. You also have to be able to be in the location you are trying to work with to make sure all of the details are worked out well in advance, such as renting space, city ordinances/requirements, etc. Several have suggested paying for convention space and opening it up to the public to help pay for it. Not a bad idea, but knowing what I have found over the last 15 years or so, none of these venues come cheap and then what, if we did not get the turnout that we expect, we then have to be willing to pay the entire costs ourselves. To me, this would be extremely high risk.
Using all the knowledge I have gained over the years and thinking about how to make this event great, I still believe our best bet is along the Mississippi Gulf Coast from Ocean Springs MS and Bay St. Louis, an approximate 50 miles of beautiful beach which Hwy 90 runs along. They have a show each year in October called Crusin-the-Coast which we have attended for around 20 years. Now they are well established and have over 10,000 cars in attendance, but what a great week-long event to go to. Now I’m not implying that we would be anything of this nature, but I do have contacts in that area which I believe would be willing to work with us, plus you have unlimited hotels, campsites, open acreage that possibly could be had for our gathering, great places to eat plus unlimited buffets, etc. In addition, if we were to have another celebrity come to the event, there are a number of very nice meeting places that could be used vs. possibly a outdoor commercial tent. We actually visit that area often, and like I have said, we have some contacts that might be able to help. It sill would not be cheap, but thinking of all of the places we have traveled over the years (yes, including Disney's hometown) and thinking of where the most Herbie’s are coming from, weather, etc., I believe this would be our best hope of having a really great time.
Well, there probably will not be many individuals respond to this post either, but I have not given up yet. Talking to Ian Gable last night, like I tried to explain to him, you guys are either in all the way or you really do not care. I again emphasized to him that I was not putting up money this time around (right, I will spend over $1000 just to check out NC) and if people do not start stepping up, it will end here before it ever gets started. This is a plea for your help. Once again, spread the word and give me your positive feedback to let me know you are serious. If things start to swing in the positive direction, I will try to set up a separate bank account over the next couple of weeks so that everyone can start contributing. It’s a commitment folks, a real commitment if you are serious. Otherwise, you might as well just pick a spot yourselves and hope for the best. I’m going to post this on the website that I started as well, and there is a form on the front page where you can communicate with me. I would rather communicate one-on-one rather than try to respond to all of the various comments that are made on Facebook. If you are reading this on Facebook, the link once again is https://drluvflorida.wixsite.com/herbie-1
Gail