About a week removed and it still feels a bit surreal. So much to say…but how?
First and foremost, thank you to everyone. Exhibitors, vendors, spectators, even those in our comments section saying some not so nice things. This was something special. There have been cars parked on lawns before, but not like this. Noone has taken such a diverse group of cars and put them in one setting.
We’ve done the car shows and what not and it’s almost always the same formula. Get a bunch of cars and cram them into a venue. Over the past couple of years, event organizers have gotten greedy and want quantity over quality. Cars literally on top of each other. Let the cars breathe. Let the spectators be able to do a 360 around a car without worrying about hitting the one next to it. Let the photographers/videographers work their magic.There are very very few that can pull off events that exude quality and scenery.
Take Luftgekühlt for instance. What Pat Long and Jeff Zwart have created set the bar for what an event should be. When Josh and I got to experience Luft 8, I remember telling him that this was it. This is what we need to bring to the east coast. We need an event where cars are handpicked, placed in a certain way and most importantly give off a vibe of togetherness. The ego is left at the door.
For what’s been almost two years I kept visualizing being a part of an event like this one. I was burnt out from going to these “events” that were following this “lather, rinse, repeat” formula of cramming cars together as mentioned above. The northeast has been missing a proper showcase for quite some time. Those that remember FCF know exactly what I’m talking about. Something for the everyday kind of person. Somewhere where it's aesthetically pleasing. We wanted to see builds, not the latest and greatest from *insert exotic car company name here* with temp plates. We want to hear those stories of the cars and the owners. That’s what car culture is about.
Some people thought I was crazy when I said I wanted to start planning something. Very few around me believed in this idea. I truly think it’s because they haven’t experienced something like a Luft. So closed-minded and not willing to think big.
This is where my involvement in Grassroots started. John sent me a message months ago about curating a group of cars for this event. Giving me the 411 on what the vision was. Instant no-brainer. When he mentioned that Eric, Edwin, Prav and himself were starting to organize this event, I couldn’t say no. These are guys who I and others respect highly in the community. Finally being able to work with a group of people with the same vision I had was perfect.
“…and that was my plan for yesterday. I wanted a bunch of people to network with each other. I want to break barriers of communities and bring it all as one together.” - John
Grassroots was much more than just parking some cars on an old golf course. This was a place to bring different communities together and have people expand their networks. Like I said, we wanted to connect people that might not know each other since JDM and Euro enthusiasts tend to stay in their own lane. This was the platform to share their builds and their stories.
But trying to put on an event, especially the first of its kind, comes with its challenges. How do we spread the word? What cars do we invite? What type of food? Music? Do we give out the address on the off chance it ends up on repost pages and gets into the wrong hands? It’s really not all that simple.
I can’t thank Shayne and Phuong enough for stepping up and bringing that delicious barbecue and getting another food vendor involved. And I’m only going to say one thing about the address and that’s it: Present yourself in a respectable manner and you too shall be able to participate in events like this. It’s not pretentious, it’s a matter of being an integral part of this community and not having some bad apples screwing it up for the rest. People will run their mouths until it’s time for them to do it. We just kick our feet up and have a good laugh.
On the day of…holy shit, we were all on a high. We couldn’t believe it that the locals pulled this off with no problems (except our own cars). I wish I could’ve taken more photos but sometimes you need to take a step back and create the environment you want for others. Those that attended understood what they were a part of. The amount of people that were coming up to us throughout the event and after expressing their gratitude was more than enough.
And to think this was only the start. Great job boys.
On to the next one..it may be sooner than you think.
