I love it too...BUT I agree with Duncan. In fact, the last three years I have said it should be at the airport. Try pushing an 85 lb kid in a wheelchair around greenhill and you'll think the airport is a WAY better idea too! And, yet, I'll be there Saturday, I'm sure.

I think about it as much as I am playing the event this Friday. 9pm. be there, I don't smell like rubber.

i don't always go, but when i do it's a total thrill. i'm not really into cars or noise or black noxious smoke, but when you put it all on main street in worcester, it just sems like the coolest thing in the world

putting the greenhill park part of the festivities sounds like a good idea though...hot and treeless, but plenty of parking

I think my father is bringing up his GTO this weekend for one day. I think it's cool to be able to show off the city to my folks, they have only made the drive up here twice in the year and a half I have been in The Woo.

(typing prior to reading anything above)

I think it sucks. I fucking hate all the cars speeding around burning out leaving skid marks all over the place and acting like they own every street. It's fucking white trash to the extreme. I had a friend that lived on State Street and they had to leave and plastic up their windows to try to keep the burnt rubber smell out. I dont think it does one good thing for the city except makes Worcester just a little bit more embarrassing.

If any of the three of you owned a business in the city....I think your tune might change :)

There are about 200,000 people who file into Worcester for this thing every year. Lets say they have restraint, and only spend $40 each here.....anyone got a calculator?

MelleYeah,
conversely there's a large contingent of people who avoid downtown Worcester like the plague because the event is going on. Depending on the kind of business I owned - I might be pissed...

your totally right buck. the promoter gets a ton on this. a lot of infrastructure to make this all work, but still not a lot of the $ goes to the local businesses. the fact that for several years it was free and then all of a sudden one year its like 15$ or whatever it costs.

melle,
the people who dont like this event are people who probably dont like cars. they are more than likely not into things like loud motors or scary drivers or.... BIKERS!!!!! NOOOOOOO.... NOT BIKERS!!!

the fact is... a LOT of people ARE into this kind of stuff and those are your 200,000 that show. that being said, this is event is successfull. i personally think its fun and whoever puts it on enables 200,000 people enjoy it year after year.

To be fiar, I have to admit, Im not a fan of the burnouts, I think its the silliest part of the whole shindig, and only really enjoy the 'camp factor'. When i go donwtown for the fanfare, its the same as when I go to the zoo. The Carshow at Greenhill Park is more my style.

If the city isnt profitting from the Nationals, They need to call me, I have pointers...
Last year I worked for a local company who set up a booth at Greenhill park to gather sales leads. I made a whopping $9/hour to be there, which I definatly ne4eded at the time. AND That company stands to profit close to $100,000 from the sales they will make to those folks who filled out a little form. And there were about 5 other companies doing the same thing that could make the same amount of money.
I wanted to set up a booth this year, but I would have had to spend the entire year making enough mixes to sell to 200,000 people. If I DID have a booth, I would be required to hash out a cool $65.00 a day to the city of Worcster to be PERMITTED to give awy free samples of the ready made stuff. That is on top of the $200 a year I have to give Worcester in order to be able to sell my mixes at all here. Im not saying I shouldnt have to pay the city to do business, but I know a little about the fee's and permits the city charges cuz I pay 'em.

This year, I managed to get 200 free samples of my spice mixes into the swag bags people carry around with them at the park to hold their brochures and Beef Jerky. THese samples will have my contact info on them, and will get my line into the hands of a whole new world of people. After I saw the waves of people swarming out of school buses into the Park, I decided I was going to do everything I could to get my peice of that action :)

I'm not crazy about the smell of burning rubber (think what that stuff must do to your lungs). Gabe, wish I could have seen you and Derek as the Al Jolson twins.

Also, think about how much gas money they're burning up.

Wow. With all this love it makes me feel extra special to be playing it.

Ah well.

Oh, the people watching is pretty fun too.

oh snap that says Chevelle, thats even better....

My father-in-law lives in Princeton. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't go to Park Ave for a weekly meet, but who knows...that's the one you're talking about, right? My son is 10, so unless I go, he's not going...which is why I say he "owns" a car. We live in Hubbardston so we probably won't be coming anytime soon. I have been mentioning it to some car friends, though.

Yes the weekly cruise nite @ diamond Chevrolet, every wednesday, 5-8 pm trophy's DJ me lookin pretty good....

terrible_buddhist you would win a trophy with that 'vette if its in good shape...im going to go out and enjoy what we have goin on now.

by definition, all events are not green. This one just happens to be even less so :)

I will be making up for it by watching my brother race his bicycle friday morning though.

trust me, that car is not winning any trophys...but its nice to take for a ride once in a while.

I agree with Tibbs. I think the burnouts are unnecessary and environmentally irresponsible. If a building in Worcester ever put out that much smoke and pollution in one weekend everyone would be going nuts. The cars are cool and they can be appreciated for what they are as well as the work and skill that goes into preserving or modifying them. They are genuine pieces of art, let's not stink them and the town up.

Jeff, what benefits are you speaking of?

dude 200,000 people have something fun to do.

it might not fall into the category of politically correct, and there is some level of unnecessary pollution, but this IS the culture of central MA. Many people think its awesome.

How is that not a benefit if a group of people provide something the majority enjoys?

There was some "buzz" amongst the promoters and event organizers about a possible move within Worcester this year.

There are some disappointing developments in Worcester, Massachusetts. There is a chance that one of the city's top entertainment shows could pick up and leave. It is the classic car show that's part of the Summer Nationals. Car Buffs flocked to the show over the July Fourth weekend, but it may have been the last time it was in town.

Bob Moscoffian has been bringing the New England Summer Nationals to Worcester for the past 18 years. The event draws thousands to the city looking catch a glimpse of the flashy car shows and smoky displays of horsepower. He says if the show is to continue...the organizing efforts will need a tune up.

Moscoffian says the Worcester school department is over charging for parking in the Worcester technical high school parking lot...... the price to park in the lot over the weekend was 10 dollars without any shuttle service provided to the show. According to Moscoffian he asked the school department to lower the price last year......and was surprised when during this years four day event the price didn't change.

Michael O'brien city manager says the event is positive for the city and officials try their best to accommodate.

link

every place around here is DEAD on the 4th.

anyone that's played in a band around here should know that.

10$ for parking though... that's pretty fucked up.
this dude's that puts this event on is prob pissed that the city is just taking a chunk of the $ he'd get on beer sales but regardless, why the hell is the city exploiting people chasing after a few grand? pretty cheesy.

I saw that after i posted it TWICE ha!

The city also has a long history of doing completely illogical things when it comes to this kind of stuff.

They were talking about parking at the new Voke parking lot and people walking from there all the way to Green Hill Park.