The only thing we can say about this show is ... awesome! The show, as usual, was off the chain. The weather was great-not a cloud in the sky-and temps were in the low 80s. More than 600 vehicles filled the show grounds from one end to the other, and just under 7,000 people walked through the gate to check out the new hotness.
Madhouse FX kept the thousands in attendance entertained by playing sounds that could be heard throughout the park, thanks to Alex and the boys from Pro-Stage for the awesome setup with the satellite speakers and kickass stage. Brand One, Shameless, and BST Clothing supplied shirts, which they tossed out to the crowd throughout the day. Also, 20-plus vendors were on hand and selling everything from sunglasses to suspension parts.
By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around, the crowd was talking about two things: who was going home with the Lowest Club trophy, and who was going home with the 'bagged and bodied Toyota that Forbidden built for a raffle prize. After a streak of nine years, Severed Ties was short by three vehicles, as compared to No Regrets, which took home this year's Lowest Club award. Meanwhile, the drawing for the raffle truck was painful.
One at a time, numbers were called, then the owner of the ticket would pick one of the 20 keys made. Finally, the 12th ticket pulled out was a winner. Angela Ruoff, a minitrucker for the last 6 years, with a couple of Toyota projects in progress, was the lucky winnner who went home with a fully customized '87 Toyota SR5 Turbo.
The members of Forbidden have already started putting together next year's show. The dates for 2009 will be March 14 for show roll-in with the show on Sunday March 15. So, make sure you schedule the vacation time and mark it on your calendars, book your plane tickets, hotel rooms, and whatever you need; because this is not a show to miss!