By Vern Stoecker
It is the time of year when everyone that owns a Classic Car is thinking about heading to a Car Show. It is always fun to meet the other car owners and answer questions from attendees about your car. I have a 55 Ford, belong to a car club, and attend shows regularly. Bring the lawn chairs so you can comfortably stay with your vehicle and relax between going to see the other entries. Which brings us to the issue of food at these outings?
How many times have you looked into the interior of one of the cars on show and seen bags of chips, small coolers, sandwich wrappers, etc? C'mon guys, this doesn't present your ride very well. You have spent a ton of money on that interior, and in a lot of cases the trunk, so that the car presents well, only to clutter it up. You usually try to put your other things, cleaning supplies for example, in some kind of storage that is auto or time frame related, why not your food and snacks? I have found that a picnic basket or backpack works great for these events. Everything hidden from view until needed. And look great when inside the car or in the trunk. If you are really serious you can find Picnic Baskets that match the style of the era your car was made. They not only keep things neat and organized but actually look good when showing the car.
You have options here. A traditional style basket usually has a built in cooler and can come with all of the accessories, plates, cups, silverware, etc. Nothing is forgotten at home making your preparation for the trip to the show a lot less stressful. Another option is the Tailgating pack. Some of these include a gas BBQ Grill along with the other amenities and it all stores in one pack. Some companies offer 12 volt coolers so everything stays cold indefinitely. I would avoid any of these due to the drain on the battery. It is never a good thing when you are ready to leave for home and find the battery is dead.
What do you take? Try the following;
* Plenty to drink, especially water, sometimes water is the hardest thing to find.
* Fruit, like grapes, help quench you thirst and are a great non-filling snack.
* Beef Sticks provide a little more substance when you need something more.
* Snacks, I try to avoid real salty chips, etc., try one of the Trail Mix products instead..
* Keep the Luncheon Meat in the cooler and the bread separate. This saves room in the cooler and makes for fresher sandwiches.
* Thermos for coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. Or for Iced Tea.
* Paper Towels
It all goes into my basket and backpack. I have both. The basket is great to leave in the car or trunk and is used when we want to sit by the vehicle and enjoy a meal. The backpack is useful for drinks and snacks when walking around looking at the other cars at the show. At one show we attended the temperature was near 100 degrees and all of the drinking fountains had been shut off due to presumed cost to the hosting club. Needless to say drinks were at a premium and I was more than happy that we had cold water with us. It is always a good idea to use frozen water containers in your coolers instead of ice. Food items won't get soaked from the melting ice. I freeze bottles of water and as the ice melts I have ice cold water to drink. In my large coolers I use gallon jugs of frozen water. Believe me, you can never have enough water at times.
Car shows are an enjoyable experience and great places for kids to learn about old cars and bond with the people that own them. Make you experience more enjoyable by getting organized.
It is the time of year when everyone that owns a Classic Car is thinking about heading to a Car Show. It is always fun to meet the other car owners and answer questions from attendees about your car. I have a 55 Ford, belong to a car club, and attend shows regularly. Bring the lawn chairs so you can comfortably stay with your vehicle and relax between going to see the other entries. Which brings us to the issue of food at these outings?
How many times have you looked into the interior of one of the cars on show and seen bags of chips, small coolers, sandwich wrappers, etc? C'mon guys, this doesn't present your ride very well. You have spent a ton of money on that interior, and in a lot of cases the trunk, so that the car presents well, only to clutter it up. You usually try to put your other things, cleaning supplies for example, in some kind of storage that is auto or time frame related, why not your food and snacks? I have found that a picnic basket or backpack works great for these events. Everything hidden from view until needed. And look great when inside the car or in the trunk. If you are really serious you can find Picnic Baskets that match the style of the era your car was made. They not only keep things neat and organized but actually look good when showing the car.
You have options here. A traditional style basket usually has a built in cooler and can come with all of the accessories, plates, cups, silverware, etc. Nothing is forgotten at home making your preparation for the trip to the show a lot less stressful. Another option is the Tailgating pack. Some of these include a gas BBQ Grill along with the other amenities and it all stores in one pack. Some companies offer 12 volt coolers so everything stays cold indefinitely. I would avoid any of these due to the drain on the battery. It is never a good thing when you are ready to leave for home and find the battery is dead.
What do you take? Try the following;
* Plenty to drink, especially water, sometimes water is the hardest thing to find.
* Fruit, like grapes, help quench you thirst and are a great non-filling snack.
* Beef Sticks provide a little more substance when you need something more.
* Snacks, I try to avoid real salty chips, etc., try one of the Trail Mix products instead..
* Keep the Luncheon Meat in the cooler and the bread separate. This saves room in the cooler and makes for fresher sandwiches.
* Thermos for coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. Or for Iced Tea.
* Paper Towels
It all goes into my basket and backpack. I have both. The basket is great to leave in the car or trunk and is used when we want to sit by the vehicle and enjoy a meal. The backpack is useful for drinks and snacks when walking around looking at the other cars at the show. At one show we attended the temperature was near 100 degrees and all of the drinking fountains had been shut off due to presumed cost to the hosting club. Needless to say drinks were at a premium and I was more than happy that we had cold water with us. It is always a good idea to use frozen water containers in your coolers instead of ice. Food items won't get soaked from the melting ice. I freeze bottles of water and as the ice melts I have ice cold water to drink. In my large coolers I use gallon jugs of frozen water. Believe me, you can never have enough water at times.
Car shows are an enjoyable experience and great places for kids to learn about old cars and bond with the people that own them. Make you experience more enjoyable by getting organized.
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