Autofest 2010 at the Choctaw Casino in Grant, OK
Autofest 2010 had a huge kick off with the first show held on April 10, 2010 at the Choctaw Casino in Grant, OK. This event was considered a success by all involved, including the Choctaw Casino, Sound Creations and MECA. The show saw over 75 vehicles in attendance and brought 22 new members into MECA. Throughout the show there was also a buzz about the new collector cards that are being released, featuring the competitors in the Autofest Series. Many other highlights made this a show to remember.
There was much talk around the water cooler about how the first show in a 5 show series would be setting the tone for what is to come. Ask anyone who was there and you are sure to get positive feedback, as this was a show that really set a precedence. The day started off with registration at 8:00 a.m. and judging to start at around 11:00 a.m. It was a beautiful day that provided blue skies, sunshine, and a comfortable breeze.
Cars started arriving as early as 7:30a.m. and truth be told there were cars that arrived the day before that were waiting in the parking lot. This is always a good sign and it sure proved true on this day. Before the day was a over a total of 77 cars had signed up for competition. Everywhere you turned there was something exciting to be seen. If nice paint and shiny chrome is what you like, there was plenty of it here. All one had to do was choose a row of cars and look down it to see all the bright colors of paint and shiny starbursts being produced by the sun bouncing off of polished chrome.
SQL and SPL competitions were also in the line up. This competition saw some big names in the line up including world champions, seasoned pros as well as up and coming competitors. Naming a few of the people that competed on Saturday. Bola Adekunle, Mark Eldridge, Joe Wallis and Brian Souter. Yes, there was more than one world champion, and a MECA hall of fame inductee. This field had some serious competition.
Bola set the record for the day by producing a 159.5 in the SPL competition. He also, won the "Making the Best Use of What You Have" trophy for not letting a blown speaker stand in his way of continuing through the competition. Yes, even world champions use duct tape, in a jam.
Mark Eldridge wowed kids and adults alike with his 2005 Nascar Dodge Charger in which one could hear award winning audio, play guitar hero, and race to victory in a NASCAR video game that he had set up in his trunk for all to enjoy. This is one install you have to see to believe.
There were many other competitors with a lot to offer in both knowledge and entertainment. There were people from all over the city, state and country to arrive and participate. The event organizer, Tony Goza, stated "We really appreciate anyone who shows up to be a part of our shows, but especially those who drove long hard hours to be there." So that you know just how far some competitors traveled to be a part of the show, competitors traveled from Indiana, Virginia, New Mexico, Mexico and even Seattle, Washington. This event was huge.
The new buzz at the car shows is the newly released collector cards. This is a set of collector cards that feature the Autofest competitors. All day long people were swapping cards and getting autographs from the competitors around the field. Many more people signed up to be a part of the first run edition of these cards. The first run series will only be open to a set number of competitors. If you are interested just call Autofest Central headquarters based at Sound Creations in Durant, OK. 580-924-2255
Tony Goza also wanted to extend the following special thanks, "Special thanks to the commissioner of MECA, Steve Stern. It is always a pleasure to have him at the show and he is a huge help. We were short two judges (thank you everyone for being patient) and Steve really stepped up to fill both pairs of shoes. Thank you again Steve! We look forward to having him back."
On this page you will find pictures from the Grant show, you will also find links to more pictures on our Flickr page. Please let everyone know where they can find these and also come join us on the forums to share your stories or thoughts about the Autofest Car Show in Grant. We will be adding to this page all the time as we have a lot's of News content from the show.
MORE TO COME..............
