Casco Bay Car Show 2006

Today I had the privilege of photographing the Casco Bay Car Show in Freeport, Maine. I was a little nervous when I woke up this morning that no one would show up. Why? Because it rained all day yesterday, and all night last night, and it was still spitting when I woke up. But I gathered up my camera and as many batteries as I could find and trudged to the field for the show.

By 7am, there was a grand total of 2 show cars on the grounds. We were getting really concerned. Stories were going around about last year, "By this time last year, we had cars lined up to the road!" "We had over 300 cars!" "There was so much sun last year!" Hmmm.

9am rolled around, and cars started coming in almost steadily. Many were damp and rain splattered. All had mud from the field. As soon as a car parked, its owner was out of the car, popping the trunk, and pulling out rags and polishing cloths. Every part of the car was wiped down, including tires and engine. One could see their face reflecting in the chrome rims that dotted the grass. Some engines were so immaculate, you wondered if they were ever dirty.

Even the youngsters grabbed rags and polished what they could reach.




There were many categories this year, Best of the 80's, Mini Trucks, Kit Cars, and Works In Progress, just to name a few. Every color imaginable was present, red, green, blue, purple, yellow, orange, and of course, black.

The grey clouds were ominous all day long, only breaking momentarily here and there to tease us with sunshine. Puddles were everywhere, there wasn't a dry shoe on the grounds. A few people abandoned shoes completely, opting instead to go barefoot.

There were a few who saught out the puddles for squishy goodness and splashing.


Seeing the pure joy on their faces made the puddles not so bothersome.

By the end of the day, the awards were given, and the much awaited "Best Of Show" was about to be announced. Everyone hoped it would be their car or truck. When the name was read, there was obvious disappointment on some faces, but everyone was very gracious, and the winner was applauded enthusiastically.

And the winner of the day is...!

Congradulations to everyone who won a prize! And to those who didn't, there's always next year. I hope to see you there!