Not very often do I express my feelings about happenings around the industry in this column, but this month I have to get something off my mind - Last week staff photographer Smalls sent me a link to a post on showfest.com - In this post Sean Burnley (Club Assorted, Showfest Representative) posted that Club Assorted had decided to cancel Showfest for an indefinite period. After reading this my heart hit the floor.

For many years the (mini community) has received a bad rep. It really started on the west coast in the mid 90's. I can remember driving across the county one year to attend Spring Fling on Lake Havasu for what I thought was going to be the ultimate truck show. In reality it was hardly a truck show. It was a massive party and everyone was just destroying everything in sight. Now don’t get me wrong, I love to have good time, but to destroy a place, then turn around and ask to come back next year is hard to do and very embarrassing if you are the promoter.

This type of destruction in not just on the west coast. I am sure everyone remembers Pigeon Forge, TN - The original Mini Truck Nationals that was produced by Charlie Cobble. Charlie still runs the show, but it is no longer held in Pigeon, Forge. Year after year Charlie stood up for the entire 'mini' community, and went to bat for everyone that attended his event. But after so many times of that beautiful mountain town getting trashed the city gave us the boot.

We all know that there were many more problems in Greenville than just us trashing the place. The Cops were not nearly as cool as in years past, and the local residents were just plain jack asses that weekend. The show just fueled the fire.

So if you are out at a show this year and meet any members of Assorted don’t give them a bunch of shit about the show. Just shake their hand and thank them for the great memories.  Hopefully with the loss of Showfest it will make some of us take the extra 30 seconds to pick up our trash and beer cans before we pass out. Our sport will only receive the respect we earn. Ever wonder why most of the hot-rod guys look down on us? Here is your sign!

With that said, let's get on to the issue - On the cover this month we feature the totally radical VW Jetta that belongs to Todd Sollar. Todd has spent countless hours on this all metal wide body creation. All season long Todd has been on the road showing it off and collecting trophies. Make sure to check out his radical feature.

2006 Show Tour

see our event calendar for the latest upcoming show details!

The Club directory is back up and again after several months of being under construction. Please register or update your club today!!!

Please follow these directions before you contact us about your listing:

If your club was listed before November 1, 2005 please search for it in our system from the search box on the front page. If you club is listed click here to get your login information:
/carclubs/remind.php 
(you will need access to the e-mail address that the club was registered with)

If you car club has never been listed or does not appear in the search. Register your club at this link.
/carclubs/reg.php 
Make sure to take full advantage of your listing by adding your club logo and some photos of your member rides.

If you have any question please go to this link to contact us.
/carclubs/contact.php

To brighten up the July cover we have the beautiful Jessica Johnson. Sorry guys Jessica is already taken. Jessica is cover vehicle owner Todd Sollar’s girlfriend. That’s right; not only does she get to model on this awesome car she gets to ride in it too!

While at Slammin and Jammin this year, Staff photographer Toby Mosholder had the pleasure of meeting up with Scott Walker and his radical 1997 GMC Sonoma. Just one look at this feature and you will understand what a 90 degree Tennessee afternoon will do to your brain.

On the same weekend Toby had the pleasure of hanging with Gary "Lumis" White for an exclusive look at his immaculate old school dodge. Bright red and flawless mods make this truck truly unique.

For show coverage this month we start out in the passenger seat with Staff Photographer Smalls on the IF Customs tour from Cali to Greenville, MS. This road trip has become the only way to roll to the show. Smalls and good friends Brent Levern and Brent Christopher drove 10 hours out of the way to bring us this one of a kind cruise coverage. For additional info on their cross country cruise visit http://www.ifcustom.com

Staying with Smalls we roll into Greenville, MS for the grand finale of the world famous Showfest. Make sure to stop by the Club Assorted web site at http://www.clubassorted.org 

On the weekend of May 19-21, 2006 Toby Mosholder had the pleasure of hanging out with over 2000 4x4 truck owners. For 21 years straight the 4x4 Jamboree has been rolling into Lima, OH. Needless to say; this show is awesome. Make sure to stay up on all the 4x4 Jamboree’s at www.familyevents.com

We finish this month’s show coverage up with staff photographers Toby Mosholder and Brad Walker at Slammin and Jammin in Lebanon, TN.  Charlie Cobble and crew have made this show one of the largest in the country. Over 1700 show vehicles got together on this weekend to compete for top honors. Stay up to date on all of Charlie’s Shows by visiting www.autoshows.cc

In the tech corner this month Smalls shows us how to install a tailgate skin with supra lights on the project Coon’s Age. Extra special thanks to the guys at FBI minis for supplying the parts. www.fbimini.com and Auto Extremes out of Conyers, GA for the install talent. www.autoextremes.net

Gauge Magazine.com stickers are now available. Make sure to stop by our booth and get one today. As always they are free at our booth or just $5.00 online. Click here to order one online now!

Last month we released the Project S10 Air Dancer (Mile High edition) T-shirts. There are only a few left! so get on it quick!
Click here to order one online now!

That’s it for me this month. Make sure if you see us at an event this year stop by and grab a free gauge sticker. As always if you have any questions or concerns do not hesitate to contact us.

-DB  
donnieb@gaugemagazine.com