The expression, “Everyone loves a Parade,” was true for those of us attending the 56th Porsche Parade in Savannah, GA. Parade is a wonderful way to connect with Porsche friends from around the world, as well as participate in enjoyable activities and excellent meals.
Savannah is a beautiful old city, established as a colony on Savannah’s waterfront in 1733. The riverfront has played an important part in Georgia’s history as colonial port, exporter of cotton, or tourist destination. The last riverfront cotton office closed in 1956, and the revitalization of the waterfront area began in 1977. The Westin Hotel and Convention Center, site for the Parade, are located on Hutchison Island, across the narrow shipping channel that leads to Savannah Harbor. Huge freighters laden with containers passed close to the convention center frequently.
I arrived an hour and a half prior to the start of Registration on Sunday, and found my friend, Susan Brown, already at work as Parade Registrar. Susan gets more done in a day than most people get done in a month. In addition to being Parade Registrar, she is editor of the award winning San Diego Region newsletter, and is HR Director for her international software company, as well as many other things I don’t recall. Susan put me to work as soon as she saw me. There was a huge rush at 8:00am when the doors opened, but registration moved very smoothly. The morning saw many friends from across the US greeting each other, which is a particular pleasure at Parade.
Sunday, Concours prep day, dawned bright and beautiful, but by late morning the sky darkened bringing thunder, lightning, and rain, along with the constant humidity. Fortunately, the cars were inside the spacious, air-conditioned convention center garage. The work that goes into preparing these cars is enormous. I was able to see first hand as I volunteered two four-hour shifts on Sunday. Fellow volunteers, Tilly and Taxi, entertained the folks in the busy garage and made the day lots of fun as Tilly pushed Taxi (wearing a race helmet) on a cart to hand out water, as well as other antics.
Corey Johnson, from Minneapolis, MN, had his beautiful 356 Carrera 2 GS on jack stands with wheels off so he could clean every last speck of dirt from the underside of the car. The car looked stunning and it was obvious that this car would score well. Corey ended up missing top score by one tenth of one point: 298 points.
Skip and Leslie Shirley, multi-time Concours winners, had their secret weapon with them, grandson Jared Morrison. Jared said that he could get his hands in all of the tight places to make sure they were clean. Although he is only in middle school, Jared said that he is hooked on the Porsche event. Their 1963 356 T6 took the Gmund trophy with 298.1 points. Skip even went so far as to have tire covers to prevent scuffing the tires when the car was moved. It was a special pleasure visiting with Skip and Leslie, as I had worked closely with them on activities in the San Diego Region.
Another special car in the prep area was a 1973 911S brought from Indiana by Candyce Jones. The 911S was purchased new by her late husband, Jim. She said that the car sat in the garage for eighteen months before friends encouraged her to show the car at Parade. Candyce brought the car and entered it in the Concours as a tribute to Jim. She handed out flyers telling the story of Jim and the car, as well as describing her preparations for showing the car. I was especially pleased to watch Candyce receive a special award for her effort during the Concours Banquet.
Another car that caught my eye was a 2011 GT3 RS Club Sport World Challenge car. Owner, James Cambron, said that only seventy of these cars were built and that PCNA brought six to the US. The car was detuned to use one hundred octane fuel and produces 495 horse power. Ask me about the story James related to me about showing up on highway patrol radar at 9,000 RPM in sixth gear….
Mark Shevitz, long time master of ceremonies at Parade, was funnier than ever at the Welcome Party. Mark works extremely hard to make every event fun and entertaining for those attending. Although Peter Porsche was unable to attend due to health reasons, Porsche AG was well represented by Sandra Meyer, worldwide club coordinator, and Paul Gregor, club coordinator for the US, along with the crew from Porsche Classic, who restored the fabulous 1973 911T raffle car.
Monday, Concours day, dawned gray and threatening, but the thunder storm of the previous day was forgotten as the sun welcomed all to the Concours d’ Elegance in Forsyth Park. The park had acres of beautiful Porsches lined up, some for display and many for judging. Of special interest were the race cars, which included a 917K, a 962, a 910, a Brumos 917/10, a Brumos 934, and a 966 Spyder built by Gunnar Racing.
Following the Concours, Sharon Neidel, Zone 7 Rep, held a reception for Zone 7 attendees at her hotel a few blocks from Forsyth Park. It was so nice to meet others from Zone 7 for the first time. There were about fifteen PCA members from the Zone attending the Parade.
Tuesday turned out to be a day of relaxation. I discovered a Starbucks hidden in the back of the hotel lobby, thereafter starting each day at the coffee palace. I toured vendor row, made purchases at the popular Goodie Store (wondering how I would fit all of the stuff in my suitcase for the trip home on Delta Airlines), participated in the ice cream social, and watched PCA Executive Director Vu Nguyen skillfully control RC cars around the Traxxis RC track. Traxxis was a major vendor and had a huge display of their RC cars, offering lessons to anyone wanting to try them. Other activities this day were the TSD Rally, driving tours to Hilton Head Island or Jekyll Island, the Michelin Drive & Compare, and a bus tour to Brumos Autowerks in Jacksonville, Florida.
On Wednesday, a tour bus took forty of us to Robert Irvine’s Eat! restaurant on Hilton Head Island, SC, for a cooking class. Tom Brown, Parade Coordinator, appointed me “Bus Captain,” saying that if I left anyone at the restaurant he would fire me. Tom and I enjoyed many humorous times together during SDR events. Robert Irvine was traveling for the Food TV Network, so his business partner Lee Lucier presented the program. Lee regaled us with many humorous stories while presenting recipes that included Hominy Hoppin’ John Salad, a delicious cold salad, and She Crab Soup (I enjoyed this so much that I ordered it for dinner back at the hotel). Of particular interest was Lee’s preference for Porsche Design knives made by Kron. These have a form-fitting horizontal handle.
After demonstrating the recipes and serving samples, Lee then introduced us to onsite chef Jared McElroy, who demonstrated how to make Caramel Key Lime Flan. While we were eating the delicious flan, I asked Jared what the basic steps to becoming a good home cook might be. Without skipping a beat he responded that mastering salt and pepper is the key to success. He suggested that we make soup from scratch without salt, and then add a teaspoon of salt at a time to determine the amount required. Both Lee and Jared said that a properly prepared meal would not need additional flavoring at the table. I guess that is about as basic as it gets.
That night, the Rally Banquet included a Casino Night for the first time. Attendees were given slips of paper worth twenty-five thousand dollars, and after dinner had the opportunity to make bets on a wide variety of games. Any money retained at the end of the gaming session could be traded for raffle tickets. It was a fun-filled evening. I put all of my winnings in the “all-expense-paid trip to Germany,” as did most everyone else. You might guess that since I’m writing this article at home in Sparks that my number was not called. I should have put my tickets in the seat belt holder jar.
On Thursday, I was up early for the two-hour bus ride to Brumos Autowerks, where I found myself “Bus Captain” again after failing to leave anyone behind on Wednesday. Brumos is located in Jacksonville, where Hurley Haywood, Hall of Fame race driver and Brumos VP, greeted us. Hurley was very gracious and would autograph items purchased in the Porsche Boutique, as well as items brought in. After a generous amount of time in the Porsche Boutique, we rode the bus a short distance to the race shop. The group was divided and half went to the race shop, while the other half went to Motorwerks. Motorwerks restores any make of customer cars. Don Leatherwood, former GM of Brumos Racing and now GM of their museum, described the cars undergoing restoration in some detail.
In the race shop, the current Brumos Porsche RSR race car was disassembled as it always is when in the shop, and we were given a short presentation by the Race Director. Don Leatherwood then led us into the Brumos Museum. This was a special privilege for PCA members, as fewer than five thousand people have been allowed to see the impressive Brumos collection. See the May issue of Panorama for photos and details about the collection. Don had an amazing knowledge of each of the many cars on display.
Back at the hotel/convention center, I visited the RC cars again, and found Zone 8 Rep, Michael Dolphin, anxious to try out the Traxxis RC boat he had won during Casino Night. The Traxxis rep, Michael, and I went to the marina where we were able to try out the boat, a fifty mile per hour race boat. Michael was very excited by how the boat performed. Needless to say, all the young people wished they had won the boat.
Friday included one of the major events at the Parade, the Kumho Technical and Historical Quiz, which was held early Friday morning. After spending a considerable amount of time writing the Tech Quiz for the 2007 Parade, I have taken a break from the quiz, having had many sleepless nights worrying over the questions. I’ll make an effort to participate during next Parade.
The Tech Academy offered a number of interesting one hour presentations by experts in the field. Anyone attending six of the one-hour lectures received a Doctor of Porschelogy certificate. Mine is prominently displayed in my garage. Some highlights included John Paterek’s class on cosmetic repairs, which covered changing color of upholstery as well as paint repairs. John concluded with a demonstration of bringing back paint on Betty Jo and Leonard Turner’s black 1974 Carrera. Ed Mayo, who runs an independent Porsche repair shop, gave a thorough lecture/demonstration on tuning Weber carburetors. Pete Tremper, a PhD in organic chemistry who created paint for DuPont for forty years, enhanced our understanding with a fine dissertation of various types of paint and how they are made and best used.
The Autocross Banquet that evening awarded the two drivers from Alaska the Long Distance Award, a set of tires, which they will have to decide between them who gets the tires. One of the drivers started for the Parade in May, and both drove over four thousand miles.
Saturday dawned cooler and overcast, which was helpful to the runners in the 5K. Pat Corona from San Diego Region was one of the approximately sixty runners. I took photos of Pat and her significant other, Greg Phillips, but didn’t stay long as the tiny mosquitoes seemed to enjoy my company. At noon, during the Volunteer Lunch, hundreds of prizes were given away to those who volunteered eight or more hours during the Parade. Mark related that the hotel and convention center administrators said that no other group had so many of its members volunteering to help put on their event. PCA set a new standard of volunteerism and courtesy.
During the afternoon, another impressive event was the Parade of Porsches. A couple of hundred cars lined up by model type, and then drove through Savannah with police escort, bringing the town to a halt. Drivers reported shopkeepers, chefs, and patrons standing curbside waving at Parade of Porsches participants.
That evening the week long Parade concluded with the Victory Banquet, where the 1973 911 T was given away, along with another all-expense-paid trip to Germany, and other prizes. I was surprised to hear my name called for a free track day at Atlanta Motorsports Park, a private membership track designed by modern-era Formula I track designer, Hermann Tilke. Now I’m laying awake at night weighing fun vs. expense of buying a trailer, hauling my Porsche across country and spending a day at the track. For a track junkie, decisions like this are not easy, even if they don’t pencil out financially. Next came the long awaited awarding of the beautifully restored 1973 911T raffle car. The actual people who restored the car from Porsche Classic were on hand to turn over the key to the “better-than-new” 911 to raffle winner, Bud Kibbee, who was attending his first Parade. The ceremony was thrilling to see. After having so much fun seeing so many friends and participating in a number of events, concluding the Parade made me eager for the next one. The good news is that the 2012 Parade will be held in Salt Lake City. Hopefully more members from the Sierra Nevada Region will participate.
After having a few days to decompress after the Parade, I had some thoughts about next year’s Parade that would make it a more enjoyable and fun time for those who will attend:
1. Design a SNR tee shirt and enter it in the Tee Shirt Contest.
2. Study for the Technical and Historical Quiz and actually participate by taking it. Somehow, members actually love taking the quiz.
3. Enter your car in the Concours. There is lots of camaraderie and enjoyment in this activity.
4. Prepare your car and participate in the autocross and/or Driver’s Education event. Everyone that I spoke with seemed to really enjoy these events.
5. Select a partner and participate in the TSD Rally. There were lots of husband-wife partnerships in this event and, to my knowledge, all marriages survived.
6. Enter our Region Newsletter in the Newsletter contest. Ours is as good as any other newsletter, and could win recognition for our Region.
7. Invite fellow Porsche owners to join SNR and submit the numerical increase to PCA. Who knows, we might win a prize for either recruiting the most members, or factoring the increase as a percentage. Both categories have prizes.
I encourage Sierra Nevada Region members to become involved with our Region, as working with friends who enjoy creating exciting activities for our members is about as enjoyable as it gets. I also hope to see you at the Parade in Salt Lake City in 2012.
