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I don't take pics much any more. After going for 20 years, I have plenty. But my Mrs. snapped this one. Got a celeb pick from Jay Ferrero from GM. Guy is a ball of energy! I think he was more excited than I was. The awards were very nice this year again . You can't tell in the pic, but the center is brushed stainless.
I don't know why I wasted the energy to pick up the goodie bag................
I kept the calendar. Disappointing to not get a shirt this year. Don't need another poster for sure, but it was interesting to look at all the pics. But still.........no shirt.
I kept the calendar. Disappointing to not get a shirt this year. Don't need another poster for sure, but it was interesting to look at all the pics. But still.........no shirt.
Let's see. I pay $150 for a reserved spot, bought a 40th Anniversary Corvettes at Carlisle shirt for $25, and I would have to pay another $35 to be in the parade plus another night in a hotel just to get a "free" shirt?? A cheap printed shirt is the LEAST they could put in the bag for what we're paying, and the rates are ALL going up for 2023 by $10 in case you didn't know.
Just got home from Carlisle; first time back since 2016 and glad we went. Impressions: it was blasted hot in the afternoons! Folding chair and canopy was essential along with an ice chest, jug of water, water bottles and lemonade mix; made for comfortable car and people watching. Seemed like a pretty good number of cars there, didn’t hear actual numbers or how it compared to previous years. Reserved spots have gotten to be very popular, multiple rows of reserved spots, probably a good 1/4 of the Fun Field. Was surprised at how many reserved spots were occupied only on Saturday, or Part of Friday and Saturday at best. Lots of C8s, exceeded only by C7s. Fair number of C6s. Probably equal number of C5s and C3s, and fewer but probably equal number of C1s and C2s. Least popular model on the funfield to my eye? C4. Attendance by major vendors was down from 2016 as were commercial vendors in the swap areas. Clothing vendors were way down. Parts swappers probably down from 2016 and their stuff seemed dirtier and junkier than ever (sorry guys!). Food selection was OK, missed the guy who used to run a BBQ pit on the grounds (including whole pigs on a spit!) as well as the vendor who specialized in salads. Laugh if you want, but a nice Greek salad for lunch on blazing hot day sits better than a greasy sausage or hamburger. The bathrooms… my hat is off to the attendants. It’s humble work, but the bathrooms are heavily used yet immaculate, making for a pleasurable experience when you gotta go. Bathrooms at most major crowd events are pretty disgusting after the first hour. They seem to do quite well collecting tips and I’m happy for them. I was glad to see installation alley operating in full force, not sure how much business they did, saw a lot of empty bays. And an Adam’s detailing service is a good add, not sure how much business they did. Seems there’s opportunity for an entrepreneur to rent pop up canopies and folding chairs, especially as C8s become more popular with their diminished, segmented cargo space. Parade was great, seemed to be more cars than ever and very large crowd yet downtown. They used diagonal parking (again?) this year, seemed to work well. Would like to see more businesses, especially food related businesses open on parade night… they’re missing a lot of customers. We bought a reserved spot for next year, will call next week to arrange side by side spots for both of our cars.
I especially appreciated the spool of white thread. WTF?
Hey!! I didn't get one!
Because of the wife needing a scooter this year, we skipped the food court for eating all together. So we had hot sausages from the stand on the main drag Friday, and then regular cheeseburgers from the guy on the same drag who was selling bison and venison Saturday, both times eating at our tent. Sausage was pretty good, hot dog was more of a bratwurst. Wife took one bite or her cheeseburger and said "NOPE!" and put it down. It was next to raw. Definitely not cooked. Mine was okay. If it wouldn't have been so hot, or so far on Saturday, I would have taken it back to them. I think Saturday was the worst as far as the heat, because it seemed like there was no breeze. Thurs and Friday there was a great cooling breeze that seemed to help. Just have to plan accordingly and bring lots of bottled water. Wife found these little individual zero sugar (I'm diabetic) Gatorade packets to put in the water. Worth getting for sure, especially on hot days.
Thanks to this thread and the tips from members that have been there in the past, I was totally prepared on what to bring and what to expect. I've been to Carlisle many times before but always as a spectator. I had my chair, canopy, cooler and cleaning supplies and didn't really need anything else. My biggest dilemma was what time to get there without having the fun field pass in hand or a reserved spot. I was only able to attend Thursday and Friday and got there at 6am each morning. The building where you pick up the fun field pass wasn't even open yet when I pulled in Thursday morning. Next year I don't think I will need to get there quite as early as it really didn't start filling up until at least 6:30. It's pretty easy to see what spots are reserved and what isn't. I parked right next to the Grand Sport Registry and met some pretty awesome people. One member even helped me clean my wheels the first day! Seeing manufacturers midway was my top priority so I knew I wanted a spot close by so I didn't have to walk so far. Good thing I did because I ended up making 6 trips back and forth to the Apsis tent trying to get the right part. Unfortunately I ended up returning it anyhow and went home empty handed. I had an install scheduled with ACS on the first day so as soon as I parked I walked over and talked to them. I had the part installed and was back in my parking spot by 9am. Several people I spoke to said this was the most full it has been in years so I was glad to hear that. I do wish I could have experienced it in years past when there were more vendors there. I was really hoping to snag something from Apsis, RPI or American Hydrocarbon to avoid the wait time of having to custom order but unfortunately that wasn't the case. I will definitely try to make this a yearly event and participate in the parade next year.
Thanks to this thread and the tips from members that have been there in the past, I was totally prepared on what to bring and what to expect. I've been to Carlisle many times before but always as a spectator. I had my chair, canopy, cooler and cleaning supplies and didn't really need anything else. My biggest dilemma was what time to get there without having the fun field pass in hand or a reserved spot. I was only able to attend Thursday and Friday and got there at 6am each morning. The building where you pick up the fun field pass wasn't even open yet when I pulled in Thursday morning. Next year I don't think I will need to get there quite as early as it really didn't start filling up until at least 6:30. It's pretty easy to see what spots are reserved and what isn't. I parked right next to the Grand Sport Registry and met some pretty awesome people. One member even helped me clean my wheels the first day! Seeing manufacturers midway was my top priority so I knew I wanted a spot close by so I didn't have to walk so far. Good thing I did because I ended up making 6 trips back and forth to the Apsis tent trying to get the right part. Unfortunately I ended up returning it anyhow and went home empty handed. I had an install scheduled with ACS on the first day so as soon as I parked I walked over and talked to them. I had the part installed and was back in my parking spot by 9am. Several people I spoke to said this was the most full it has been in years so I was glad to hear that. I do wish I could have experienced it in years past when there were more vendors there. I was really hoping to snag something from Apsis, RPI or American Hydrocarbon to avoid the wait time of having to custom order but unfortunately that wasn't the case. I will definitely try to make this a yearly event and participate in the parade next year.
Ten or 12 years ago, ALL of the big Corvette parts guys showed up. Mid America, Corvette Central,Corvette America, West Coast, and Ecklers. Then the state changed the tax laws and those guys started losing money and it wasn't worth their time. Slowly, one by one, they stopped coming. Even Top Flight didn't bother this year (not sure of the reason because they're just up the road in Reedsville, Pa.). But yea, the midway is pretty sad any more. Vendors, even inside the buildings, are getting fewer and fewer. I guess it goes in cycles. But I wish Carlisle events would work more with the vendors to entice them to come because there definitely needs to be more to draw people there.
Ten or 12 years ago, ALL of the big Corvette parts guys showed up. Mid America, Corvette Central,Corvette America, West Coast, and Ecklers. Then the state changed the tax laws and those guys started losing money and it wasn't worth their time. Slowly, one by one, they stopped coming. Even Top Flight didn't bother this year (not sure of the reason because they're just up the road in Reedsville, Pa.). But yea, the midway is pretty sad any more. Vendors, even inside the buildings, are getting fewer and fewer. I guess it goes in cycles. But I wish Carlisle events would work more with the vendors to entice them to come because there definitely needs to be more to draw people there.
They're losing money because out of state internet sales are not taxed if the company does not ordinarily have an ongoing physical presence in the state. Meanwhile, PA started requiring vendors at fairs to pay sales tax, even if they're present just for a short event. So right off the bat, an on-site vendor needs to cut prices by 8% (I think that's the local sales tax in Carlisle) just to stay even with internet prices, plus has to eat the cost of shipping goods to the show site.
Call me old school, but personally, I think that's dumb business by the company, for presence at a major event such as CaC creates invaluable mindshare in the target audience that's demonstrated willingness to spend serious money on the hobby (i.e., just the cost of attending CaC). I was MUCH more inclined to buy stuff from Mid America Motorworks, for example, throughout the year having been to their huge booth at Carlisle and gotten a feel for the variety and quality of goods they sell and a sense of the level of professionalism of the company. Now, it's been years since I bought anything from them. On the other hand, I buy lots of Adams products, having been introduced to the company a dozen years ago at CaC and meeting Adam. I didn't buy anything from Adams at the show, but I regularly buy product off their webpage, because their booth at CaC keeps my interest and loyalty to the company high. I may buy some wheels from West Coast Corvettes in the near future, but that's only because I'm familiar with them from previous Carlisle shows. Otherwise, I'd think long and hard about spending a couple of kilobucks on wheels from some otherwise seemingly random internet vendor. And in other cases, presence at the show creates awareness of the company itself. This year, for example, I bought tools at the Milner-Haufen booth and S&S Sales after seeing them for many years at the show, waiting specifically to see them at the show again. Similarly, a couple of years ago I bought two Pico chairs, never having heard of them before, but realizing they're easier to pack in a Corvette.
I was disappointed in not getting a shirt either but cutbacks don't surprise me anymore. It was hot and humid (no surprise there) and down on vendors/displays again. I was not a fan of the angled parking for the parade. It made it difficult to get a good view of the cars during the walk. All my observational bitching aside, it's still a fun weekend.
Did anyone get a Tshirt in their fun field good bag this year??? First year I didn't get one? Hmmmmm
Nope. Different sponsors this year, and I guess they didn't want to help pay for them. No free shirts (unless you were in the parade). Maybe the Chips Circle gang got one, but not even the $150 reserved group got one. Just think about how much we're paying for parking!!! lol I came home with 4 t shirts, but paid for all of them.
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that gave me advice! I had a great first time at Carlisle. It was much more fun that I thought it would be to be honest and even the gf had fun. I wish I was able to walk every row and take my time but it was so hot I was dying. Not a huge C8 fan but I appreciated being able to sit in a couple Z06's because I don't think I will ever get that opportunity again unless I buy one lol. Hearing one rev to redline was really cool as well. The parade was absolutely insane as well and I couldn't believe how cool the cops were.
Did anyone else find the Friday busier than the Saturday? It looks like a lot of people left by the Saturday which I thought would've been the busiest day. Next time I might just do Thurs/Fri and come back for the parade only if I choose to do it.
Heads up for the 2023 show. In addition to Carlisle raising their fees for Fun Field and Reserved for 2023 (only $10, so no big deal) all of the hotels have really jacked up their rates. Big time. Going to cost me an extra $100 for the same hotel for 2 nights in 2023. And it's the same everywhere. Some places are asking $700 for 2 nights! Getting to the point where the average enthusiast is going to quit going and spend their money someplace where they get more bang for their buck. Corvettes is starting to become more of an "elite" event, rather than a good show that anyone can enjoy. Just my own opinion.
Heads up for the 2023 show. In addition to Carlisle raising their fees for Fun Field and Reserved for 2023 (only $10, so no big deal) all of the hotels have really jacked up their rates. Big time. Going to cost me an extra $100 for the same hotel for 2 nights in 2023. And it's the same everywhere. Some places are asking $700 for 2 nights! Getting to the point where the average enthusiast is going to quit going and spend their money someplace where they get more bang for their buck. Corvettes is starting to become more of an "elite" event, rather than a good show that anyone can enjoy. Just my own opinion.
We noticed this too when we booked for '23. The prices may be approaching elite status but the event content sure isn't. I have definitely noticed a drop in attendance and vendor/sponsors for the past several years. This is one of my favorite weekends of the year. It would be a shame if they make it cost prohibitive.
08-28-2022, 09:14 AM
