After ***** footing around the last few years I decided this was the year so I pulled the trigger. I am so happy that I went to The Nationals this year - I had a great time.

I am about 900 miles from Bowling Green. I do not own a truck or trailer. I found a nice enclosed trailer to rent locally at a decent price. I went to Enterprise Truck Rental and found a Dodge Ram 2500 Heavy Duty for $495 for the week, unlimited miles. A buddy of mine and I split the driving and towed my car down. Our wives sat out back. We did the trip straight both ways, took about 14 hours. No issues with my car whatsoever.

We stayed at the host hotel. The parking lot was huge. Trailer parking was a few miles away. The volunteers for the OCA were amazing. Very helpful with all my questions. The information packet provided gave all the information I needed. The directions were clear and concise. We went to the Corvette Museum and a few other attractions. There were a lot of good restaurants in the area.

I met a lot of really good people and made some new friends. One of the guys on this forum helped me out with a lot of advice before I left. That was very helpful and made the process so much easier. Hanging around the bar at night and meeting a lot of great people was a lot of fun.

The swap meet area wasn’t huge but there was some really good parts to be had. The prices were fair and there was definitely room for negotiation - the sellers encouraged it. They put a big effort in to help us out.

Friday was judging day. It was very hot and humid. Judging started at 0930. There were about 230 cars on the show field. The judges were outstanding. I’ll admit that I was a little nervous about getting my car judged. But as soon as they introduced themselves to me I felt at ease. They took their time and looked over my car carefully. They explained any deficiencies that they found in a professional and friendly manner. I took it as a learning experience. Not one thing that they brought up offended me. And they gave plenty of compliments. Here it was, hot and humid in an asphalt parking lot and the 3 judges are taking their time to judge my car and talk to me about my car. And they volunteered to do this ? Amazing. These guys worked their asses off. Kudos to these guys.

There were a lot of fantastic cars at the meet. A lot of cool people. A lot of cars in all types of condition and modifications. Drivers, trailer queens, race cars - you name it. I made some new friends who I am definitely going to keep in touch with.

A couple of judges were kind enough to come out and talk to me on how I can get my car to the next level. I can’t thank them enough for taking the time. I welcomed the advice and pointers.

All of the people that volunteer for the OCA work very hard to make this event possible for us to enjoy. Thank You to all of them. It definitely takes a village to make it all happen.

If you have been on the fence about going to The Nationals my advice is to just do it. Even if you can’t take your car you will still have a great time. I had a lot of fun, picked up some parts, learned a lot about my car, saw a lot of great cars and made some new friends. It was an awesome experience. I will be going to Indy 2026. Hell, I might even run my car on that famous drag strip.

 

My first time as well. I didn’t bring a car as no truck or trailer. However you solved that very easily. Maybe next time I will do that. Great time for sure, lots of wonderful people and great cars..I really enjoyed it except the heat was a bit much.

 

Nice write-up.

 

That’s great to hear Mike.
It was my fifth year going, my fourth year as a judge.
But it was my first year to actually bring a car and show it. It is a little bit nerve-racking having a car on the field.

Glad you had a good time. Sounds like you’ll be back

 

I'm glad you had a great time @ the Nats. I've been to about 25 or so in my 43 years as an OCA member and it's the people for me. I wouldn't take anything for all of the friendships I've made along the way.

 

Excellent post Bigmikey65 and a excellent event. Thanks for going to all the trouble and expense of bringing your car to the show. EVERY car at the show helps towards a positive overall effect...folks shouldn't be nervous about bringing their car......to me, the first concern is having a good NUMBER OF cars at the show. Driver, project, restored, race car, etc. Condition doesn't matter as they are all cool to look at and take in the details on.

Is your car a hardtop or convert?

 

My car was the Sherwood W-30. Thank you again Patton.

 

Sent you a PM BigMikey65 but your PM box is "full".

 

Thank you for sharing your great experience at your first National event. Though I was unable to attend, it brings me joy to hear that your experience was everything you had hoped for. You will never know who was “moved” by your particular Sherwood green car. I hope to meet you in the future at another national event. Good vibes!!😎

 

I cleaned my inbox up Patton - should be good to go.

 

​​​​​​​^^^this!

 

Anybody that went have any pictures to post? Thanks.

 

Go to the "General Discussion" page and you'll see Peter's excellent pic posting......

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...o-dump-187251/

 

Thanks Patton....

 

Was this the one with the California emissions?

 

Yes