May 9, 2002
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Subject: Things in the Sun car show
Thank you for attending this year's Things in the Sun First Annual car show. We counted at least 82 VW Things attending, with 300 hamburgers and 400 hot dogs served. I want to start off by saying that the show was a success. I hope you had a great time as my staff and I sure did. Since this will be an "annual" event, you can expect to see us once again at next year's Things in the Sun Second Annual car show. If you did not receive a dash plaque at this year's event, please let us know and we can send one out with your next order.
For those who entered their vehicles, many of the entrants could have had higher scores if 1) the correct class was chosen and 2) the hood and engine compartments were open. We found by looking at the judging sheets, a high percentage of Things were not judged in their hood or engine compartments because the lids were closed. The judging sheets instructed everyone that "any closed compartments (hood or trunk) will be given zeros. We can't judge what we can't see." Next year, many of you will have a higher score if you follow these simple instructions.
If you entered your car, you will find a copy of your judging sheet included. Normally this isn't done at car shows, but we want you to have every opportunity to receive the highest score possible. We want to make clear that the judging was performed by independent judges not affiliated with The Thing Shop. Maybe by critiquing your judging sheet and its criteria you can improve your score for next year. Judging was done by using the same rules followed by the Kubeltreffen East show put on by Mike Crisp from Asheville, North Carolina. (If you are interested, his show is held in the middle of July every year with over 150 cars and 500 owners.) If you won a trophy at the Things in the Sun event, you should receive a brass plate with your name and the category won that will go on the face of your award.
I want to thank everyone once again for coming to the show and making it a great success. I thought it might be a good idea to let everyone know why we had this show two weeks prior to the German Motorworks show. The reason: when German Motorworks first started their event years ago, I contacted our customers throughout the Southwest and promoted their event each year. After a number of years of growth, we were sent a certified letter uninviting us to attend their event. I felt that I needed to show the owners in the Southwest our products and give them an opportunity to come to an event we could attend. Thanks again for attending.
Thank you,
Larry and Michele Dustman
Owners
The Thing Shop.com
