Friends, hot rods, 4 day weekend and a keg

This weekend is about friends. My friend Jerry and his wife will be "hosting" a small gathering of we are guessing maybe 100 or so folks. A lot of used to get together every Memorial Day and head off to Waco Texas and the Mini Nationals car show (although most of our shenanigans took place back at the Howard Johnsons parking lot). Every year from 1989 through I guess 2000 we would make this trek. The Howard Johnsons would ,after dark, turn into one big party complete with lots of hot rods, loud music, drinking and a LOT of tire smoke from people doing burnouts in the parking lot. We even got a few cops to do some on a couple occasions. So many stories to tell from that central Texas town.....I am sure at some point many of them will be shared in bits and pieces. One of the BEST things we got form this show was the comradarie with the friends we grew to know and the best of those friends were from Tyler Texas. Dusty....how to describe Dusty??? Dusty is one beautiful young lady. Dusty is married to Russell. Russell reminds me somewhat of the Mad magazine guy in a way. Dusty, before we really got to know her, became known to "the Paris bunch" as most of the car show/motel participants knew us, as the "Right Here" girl. She has this really shrill almost hurts your ears scream sometime of "right here" indicating she wanted some tire smoke to engulf her and she wanted it NOW. Gotta love a woman who thinks tire smoke should be a perfume. Russell and Dusty are making the trek to Paris for what we hope will turn into our OWN annual burnout/beer party/general good time. Jerry and I will head out in the morning to get a keg (and almost assuredly will go back for a second) and around 6 pm or so the friends will start gathering. I am hoping before we all get tooooo awfully inebriated to get a few good pics taken of the cars but most definitely of the friends. The neighbors all gave the OK for this which makes me wonder exactly what Jerry CANNOT sell. I am not sure they know exactly what they are in for. Lets just say most likely several thousand dollars worth of rubber will be spent on the former military road that they live on. I will be in the Yukon and MIGHT do one myself....ok anyone who knows me KNOWS I will most assuredly be one of the early participants.

Friends, hot rods and a keg......and a four day weekend to enjoy them all. Thats what makes life worth it. What makes the work week seem like sooooo long ago. We will most likely have this at MY place next year so I have 365ish days to get a house built....concrete pad JUST for burnouts (and storing the car hauler) and getting the word out to as many friends as possible and hopefully outdo Jerry's burnout bash. Hoping this turns into an annual event for us. Who knows it might just turn into a mini national event much like the Memorial day event in Waco (which btw was later moved to Fredricksburg TX and lost so much of its charm) That would be sooo cool to have event coverage at something we started as a gathering of friends. Stranger things have happend and from all the many car shows I have attended, most started out simply as some friends getting together to hang out and possibly raise money for a charity....which brings me to one of my plans for next year. I adore kids. I hate when bad things happen to them as we all do. One of the ONLY charities I will support (since most are more or less money makers for the leaders of the charity) is St Judes. I am HOPING to be able to get some Tshirts together to sell and all money raised from the event would go to them. Danny Thomas started something really special when he ounded St Judes in 1962 and hopefully I can help in my own small way. When the plans start coming together I am sure to let my blogging friends know and who knows maybe some of the more local ones could make it on by for some good fun fellowship for a good cause. True you would not know anyone really.....but thats what the KEG is for. :D

Hope everyone has a happy and safe Independence Day (also known as the 4th of July and to all Canadians Happy early Canada day (which is tomorrow btw). Hopefully will be posting some pics from our festivities on Sunday. Now off to buy a couple hundred dollars worth of fireworks :D

BKS