[SEL] Re(Sel) Rough and Tumble

[Germoamer at aol.com]

I totally enjoyed my time there and met up with Tom Sch??, his wife  
and Bill Lopoulos (are you both still on the list)
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Yes, Kerry I am still here but mostly a lurker


My wife and I attended the R and T show for 5 years in a row and were there 
 from Wednesday till Sunday morning, met a lot of nice people from around  
the world, and always had a good time.  We traveled about 6 hours to get  
there, had the trailer loaded with a 6 or 7 hp engine on cart.  Our truck  was 
always loaded with clothes, rain coats, umbrellas, food , drinks, gas cans, 
 Big Red Book, Gas Engine magazines, and other reference stuff, spare 
parts,  tools, extra chairs, etc.  
 
We watched as engine folks children sleeping in tents beside the  running 
engines grew older.  If it had not been for a motor home allowed in  at that 
time I would not have had the pleasure to see first hand, take photos,  and 
put my hands on a very rare working salesman sample engine that had been to  
South America and back.  It was always inside the motor home and was  later 
sold for $40,000+ (Judge Tommy knows where it ended up).
 
We watched as the tractor folks and the engine folks had conflicts.   The 
tractor folks lined up their tractors in neat rows and wanted the engine  
folks to do the same.  One morning they even changed the gate lock during  the 
night so the engine folks could not drive their trucks in that morning. Now  
that was a confrontation to see!  The engine folks cleaned up some of the  
fair grounds and the tractor folks would encroach on it.  
 
One of the biggest differences was the engine folks with their truck, motor 
 home, trailer display disarray always had engines running and people ready 
to  talk about the engines, how they worked, help get others involved in 
the  hobby, etc.  The tractor folks lined up their tractors and then 
disappeared  for the most part.  
 
Why did I quit going to R&T?  The last time there,  they announced it very 
loudly,  "your motor homes and trucks are not  welcomed inside any more".  
Your vehicle will be parked out in never-never  land -period!
I kept up with that show and the engine displays went down hill after  
that.  I am glad to hear that it is building up again. 
 
 I attended  a lot of shows in the Virginia/North Carolina area  and from 
Florida to Pennsylvania, to Indiana.  Most of those allowed  vehicles by or 
very near the display.  One of the biggest shows I attend is  at Denton, NC 
that allows motor homes, trucks, everywhere in the engine  area.  Always 
engines running.  The tractors are neatly lined up in  another area doing 
nothing, and  no owners around to discuss them  with the spectator.
 
My vote is to allow vehicles inside where space permits or parking very  
nearby the display!  

Tom  Schmutz
Concord,  Va.
germoamer at aol.com