I attended Scheid all three days. Hats off the them for organizing and promoting a great show. Lots of events, good pulling, drag racing and large crowds. Thanks to the vendors as well. Thank you Vigo County Fairgrounds and Terre Haute Action Track. Thank you as well to the supporters, racers, pullers and attendees.
That being said, I'll cover a topic that I think needs addressed. Its my own opinion on the behavior of idiots and morons. Perhaps most of them don't even read forums like this. Or TDR or Diesel Place and others. Perhaps most of them don't even pay for their nice trucks. Maybe mom and dad do. Or their entire paycheck goes to the truck...and not kids and taxes like mine does. Nonetheless...it needs to be said.
This show HAS to be on the radar of local officials to be unsupported in 2010. If they allow it at the fairgrounds...I'll be suprised. And I can't think of any place close that can support this kind of turnout. You cant have thousands of people where there are no hotels, restaurants and parking. A few are obviously are going to ruin it for many. Pure and simple.
I'm from here. Live here. And work for the local government. I'm personal friends with one of the Action Track promoters. I'm well acquainted with the County Commissioners, Council Members and the sargent of the Terre Haute State Police Post. I know what flys around here. I know who complains about what...and how much. I know what people will tolerate and what they won't. I can tell you...the use of the fair property is borderline next time...if not finished. This is my personal opinion without discussion elsewhere, on my own behalf...and with no input or discussion from Scheid. Just me. And maybe I'm all wrong.
If these jokers who drag race on public highways, sit and loiter on private parking lots fronting highways, belch tons and tons of black smoke in the faces of soccer moms and the general public think that nobody will notice and complain...they would be wrong. Dead wrong. People around here LOOK for something to complain about. And when they start complaining...Indiana's 5th largest city becomes a tiny little country town. People with pull, big time property owners, bank managers and politicians all see what happens here. Because not much really happens here. The local paper showed a truck on the dyno and described it as "Belching out Black Smoke".
The sale of the fairgrounds property was discussed in public last year. An offer was made and the board decided not to sell. The bidder would have built a new fairgrounds elsewhere minus the racetrack and drag strip. The current site would have been a commercial development with malls and stores. But because of the history of the track and such...it was turned down. For now anyway.
Recently...the drag strip has seen bad times. NHRA events used to take place there. But not anymore. Why? I don't know. But the sprint car dirt track is holding out decent. Currently folks complain about the dust and noise late at night. They don't like it. Neither do the businesses. This place used to be far outside of town between corn fields. But, as is obvious, development has taken over and the City is creeping in. So are $$$ sub-divisions. Many high dollar subdivisions are very very close to the fairgrounds. But you don't see them. But they see you
When jokers cover private parking lots in burnout marks...it pisses off the owners to no end. When they leave trash its worse. Terre Haute motorists are already on edge with I-70 and SR641 bypass construction slowing everything up. So when it takes 20 minutes to go a mile in Terre Haute...they definately notice the trucks, burnouts, drag racing and black smoke on public roads.
Maybe I'm all wrong. But when I see a guy in a diesel pickup doing a 100' burnout right in front of a State Trooper (whom he didn't know was behind him)...its pretty obvious what the writing on the wall says. And this went on and on and on and on all weekend.
There are some that think the song "Hillbilly Deluxe" and the TV series "Dukes of Hazzard" are real life things. But to the other 99,000 people around here...they aren't. These jokers have been offered a drag strip to burnout on and race...but they won't pay the fee. They just sit outside the fence and watch atop their tall trucks. Then they take it to US41 for free. But at a cost to everyone else. No respect + No sense = No show next year.
At any given time...there might be 3 State Troopers on duty for a 5 county district. Sometimes 1 at night. The Sheriff might have 4-5 people in the south district. Its outside the City limits so city cops don't have to patrol it. But they do a little. Meanwhile there are 1500 other miles of county highways to patrol and 100,000 people who might be doing something to legitimately need cops there. So the cops cant do it all. And having 20 extra cars on patrol isn't going to happen. The overtime is too much and they can't afford it. The duputys at the fairgrounds are there as "private security". Not to patrol the local highways and write tickets all over town.
You can't write tickets on private lots nor in the fairgrounds. They aren't public roads where the laws apply. They are private property. So you know how this place handles this? Get rid of the problem.
That would be a shame for Scheid and everyone else who is here for the reason of the sport. All because of people who's only real intention is to party and drink beer out of the back of their diesel pickups.
There has to be a way to ban them from the fairgrounds. But you'd need vehicle descriptions, plate numbers and volunteer patrol persons. And a list that the gate people would need which would slow things down. Its tough.
But when a County Councilman who also is on the fairground board is there volunteering his time to sell passes as the gate...and he's shaking his head at what he see's...thats not good for the event. The 4H, the fair, car races, quilt shows, boat/rv shows and quarter horse events don't cause these kind of headaches.
This is all just my opinion. My flame suit is on. Have at it.
That being said, I'll cover a topic that I think needs addressed. Its my own opinion on the behavior of idiots and morons. Perhaps most of them don't even read forums like this. Or TDR or Diesel Place and others. Perhaps most of them don't even pay for their nice trucks. Maybe mom and dad do. Or their entire paycheck goes to the truck...and not kids and taxes like mine does. Nonetheless...it needs to be said.
This show HAS to be on the radar of local officials to be unsupported in 2010. If they allow it at the fairgrounds...I'll be suprised. And I can't think of any place close that can support this kind of turnout. You cant have thousands of people where there are no hotels, restaurants and parking. A few are obviously are going to ruin it for many. Pure and simple.
I'm from here. Live here. And work for the local government. I'm personal friends with one of the Action Track promoters. I'm well acquainted with the County Commissioners, Council Members and the sargent of the Terre Haute State Police Post. I know what flys around here. I know who complains about what...and how much. I know what people will tolerate and what they won't. I can tell you...the use of the fair property is borderline next time...if not finished. This is my personal opinion without discussion elsewhere, on my own behalf...and with no input or discussion from Scheid. Just me. And maybe I'm all wrong.
If these jokers who drag race on public highways, sit and loiter on private parking lots fronting highways, belch tons and tons of black smoke in the faces of soccer moms and the general public think that nobody will notice and complain...they would be wrong. Dead wrong. People around here LOOK for something to complain about. And when they start complaining...Indiana's 5th largest city becomes a tiny little country town. People with pull, big time property owners, bank managers and politicians all see what happens here. Because not much really happens here. The local paper showed a truck on the dyno and described it as "Belching out Black Smoke".
The sale of the fairgrounds property was discussed in public last year. An offer was made and the board decided not to sell. The bidder would have built a new fairgrounds elsewhere minus the racetrack and drag strip. The current site would have been a commercial development with malls and stores. But because of the history of the track and such...it was turned down. For now anyway.
Recently...the drag strip has seen bad times. NHRA events used to take place there. But not anymore. Why? I don't know. But the sprint car dirt track is holding out decent. Currently folks complain about the dust and noise late at night. They don't like it. Neither do the businesses. This place used to be far outside of town between corn fields. But, as is obvious, development has taken over and the City is creeping in. So are $$$ sub-divisions. Many high dollar subdivisions are very very close to the fairgrounds. But you don't see them. But they see you
When jokers cover private parking lots in burnout marks...it pisses off the owners to no end. When they leave trash its worse. Terre Haute motorists are already on edge with I-70 and SR641 bypass construction slowing everything up. So when it takes 20 minutes to go a mile in Terre Haute...they definately notice the trucks, burnouts, drag racing and black smoke on public roads.
Maybe I'm all wrong. But when I see a guy in a diesel pickup doing a 100' burnout right in front of a State Trooper (whom he didn't know was behind him)...its pretty obvious what the writing on the wall says. And this went on and on and on and on all weekend.
There are some that think the song "Hillbilly Deluxe" and the TV series "Dukes of Hazzard" are real life things. But to the other 99,000 people around here...they aren't. These jokers have been offered a drag strip to burnout on and race...but they won't pay the fee. They just sit outside the fence and watch atop their tall trucks. Then they take it to US41 for free. But at a cost to everyone else. No respect + No sense = No show next year.
At any given time...there might be 3 State Troopers on duty for a 5 county district. Sometimes 1 at night. The Sheriff might have 4-5 people in the south district. Its outside the City limits so city cops don't have to patrol it. But they do a little. Meanwhile there are 1500 other miles of county highways to patrol and 100,000 people who might be doing something to legitimately need cops there. So the cops cant do it all. And having 20 extra cars on patrol isn't going to happen. The overtime is too much and they can't afford it. The duputys at the fairgrounds are there as "private security". Not to patrol the local highways and write tickets all over town.
You can't write tickets on private lots nor in the fairgrounds. They aren't public roads where the laws apply. They are private property. So you know how this place handles this? Get rid of the problem.
That would be a shame for Scheid and everyone else who is here for the reason of the sport. All because of people who's only real intention is to party and drink beer out of the back of their diesel pickups.
There has to be a way to ban them from the fairgrounds. But you'd need vehicle descriptions, plate numbers and volunteer patrol persons. And a list that the gate people would need which would slow things down. Its tough.
But when a County Councilman who also is on the fairground board is there volunteering his time to sell passes as the gate...and he's shaking his head at what he see's...thats not good for the event. The 4H, the fair, car races, quilt shows, boat/rv shows and quarter horse events don't cause these kind of headaches.
This is all just my opinion. My flame suit is on. Have at it.
