At the classic car show the Buick Club hosted at the fairgrounds last Sunday, I talked with David Johnson about his very nice and very original 1964 Wedgewood Blue Buick Skylark (see two posts down).

David posted a good suggestion: Bring a kid to a car show.

As during all eras, there are plenty of things for young people to waste time on and get in trouble with. Cars and car shows give restless minds a positive outlet. They’re all about the cars and the joy of finding, driving, fixing, polishing and discussing them with other enthusiasts.

The hobby teaches hard work–to find parts and information and make repairs.

Fiscal responsibility–in determining parts and service costs, earning, saving and purchasing.

Discipline–to apply the parts and knowledge and make things work right.

Ingenuity and self-confidence–through encountering challenges, working through them and making what doesn’t work, work.

Humility and respect for others–as you gather insights and receive help from those with more knowledge and experience.

And a sense of fellowship with people of all ages. As anyone in the hobby will tell you, car shows bring together people from all views and income levels to share a common interest. How you vote, what you do, where you studied, how much you earn, what you read, whose music you like….None of those things by which we judge and are judged in the everyday world hold sway among a group of people who love cars. The rat rod built for six grand is just as legitimate and interesting as the half-million dollar Bugatti.

There is a young crowd taking an interest in the skills to be learned and camaraderie to be enjoyed in the car hobby, but there’s room for more. Next time you head out for a car show, see if any young people in your family or neighborhood want to tag along. Maybe someone will take an interest in the history, the hard work, and the satisfaction all those vehicles represent.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 8th, 2008 at 5:22 am and is filed under Car stories, Events, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.