Host Hotel: Marriott East Indianapolis

Alternate Hotel: LaQuinta Inn

Photographs:

Here are links to pictures from people that attended this year:

http://www.officialshocal.com/convention/

http://kurtmetros.com/convention2005/ 

cmyv8sho's Album 2005 Convention

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=rsporter 

Save those memories with a professional photo or disk:

Digital Race Photography was again at the SHO Convention in 2005, and EVERY car in the SHOw and on the two track events was photographed, probably multiple times.  You can buy prints, posters, or a CD of all or some of your prints.  It isn't super cheap, but the photographer uses the top digital camera, and you get wonderful prints and posters.  I think it is well worth it to get the full CD with everything on it.  IF you didn't order yours at the covention you can visit their web site at:  www.digitalracephotography.com  (NOTE they are doing web maintenance till sometime in the first week of August)  or phone at 512-260-8400 E-mail is: puryeardigital@sbcglobal.net 

Overview of the week that we had:

Sunday Evening: Pre-Convention dinner with the Mallinsons.  At the Mayberry Cafe in Danville, IN.  We had about 75 people to eat typical midwest good cafe fare.  Plenty of good food at great prices with some deserts that were guaranteed to put you in a sugar high!  Plus we got to watch episodes of Mayberry RFD on the TV screens and people got their picture taken with the Ford Black and White police car straight out of the 60's.

Monday:  Registration went on all day at the hotel while people arrived, met, talked, washed their cars, toured the city and at 1pm a group met at Kenny Brown performance for a short talk by Kenny Brown himself and a tour of the facility before several SHO's were dyno tested right on the spot.

Monday night was the reception where I finally managed to have enough food on hand for everyone. The two cut heads from the magazine articles were on display and we gave a way several nice door prizes.  We talked about the rest of the week.

Tuesday: The annual Car SHOw at the hotel featured about 50 superb SHO's and most earned Silver or Gold Awards. Thanks to Bill Strobel and the volunteer judges for a job well done.  The new Platinum class featured two previous Best of SHOw winners with runner up and Champion trophies awarded.  This was done so someone else might have a chance to win Best of SHOw!  And that happened with Paul and Rosetta Thomas finally broke through after years of being maybe one or two points from the top spot.  Paul claims he relaxed and didn't even try all that hard this year, but his car was spotless (as usual) and a tribute to careful care and loving ownership.  We also had a "Road Warriors" Class for cars that are not nice enough for judging, but have accomplished a lot.  High miles, battle scars, even dirt and wear and tear were all proof that many SHO's out there just keep on running and providing service to their owners.  We had a large class and three deserving winners.  A complete list of winners will be published in the SHO Club magazine soon.

We then had a  tech session and drivers meeting for Putnam drivers in the hotel.  Following that many people went to one of two famous go-kart tracks, a great indoor Go-Kart track, Fastimes Indoor Karting, And a great outdoor track:  Whiteland Raceway Park. Both feature karts that are much nicer and faster than you typically see.  Many people reported a huge amount of fun.

Tuesday night we went to Loon Lake Lodge.  Many people commented that this restaurant started what became a week of GREAT midwest steak.  

Ron Porter led a small but enthusiastic group of golfers to low scores, or just good golf stories at his traditional Tuesday AM Golf outing again this year.  Thanks Ron for putting that on.

Wednesday:  

Track Day at Putnam Park Road Course.  This fun and safe 1.8 mile course is very picturesque and a bit technical.  It is also famous for being slick, which means you can have a lot of fun, or get bit by the sliding bug quite often.  We had probably more cars go "agricultural" than at any previous event, but not a single car was damaged and nobody got hurt.  Everyone had the chance to get at least an hours track time, although the heat and humidity had some packing it in early.  What was a crowded track at 10am became wide open and lots of fun for those that stayed with it.  Congratulations to all the drivers, and thanks to Tony Fullone and Larry Eck and others that helped with Tech.

Thursday:  

Drag Racing at Indianapolis Raceway Park.  THE Nationals track is about the most historically famous drag strip still operating in the country.  It got hit by lightning by a storm the night before and I thought I would have to flag cars off the old fashioned way.....WITH A FLAG!  But the track personnel got things going.  Darn, I was looking forward to finally being a track flagman!  I settled for being the track announcer.  We had a great time with new champions in SHO manual tranny, SHO Automatic tranny and NON-SHO classes.  The Non-SHOw class winner was king of the hill this year, but the SHO's were in great form all day.

The Banquet Thursday night was sold out with over 150 people in the huge room along with over TEN tables of charity auction items!  Thanks to everyone for their generous contributions.  We raised right at $4000 for the Red Cross National Disaster Relief Fund.  The auction helmet got a great bid of $650.

Friday: This has not been an official convention day in the past, but many people took the recommended BMW rally tour we included in the program.  Some did it earlier in the week.  If you were at the convention and didn't take that tour, please save the directions for anytime you may be in the Indy area with 3-4 extra hours.  Or pass it along to someone that loves great road trips.

Jan and I usually stick around till Saturday so we can catch up on sleep without having to go back to work.  But as it turned out, our son Ken and his wife Jodie called and informed us they were on the way to the hospital where their second child and our newest grandchild was born at 4:26pm on 7-22-05.  A beautiful baby girl at 17.5" and about 6+ pounds.  She is precious and we wanted to be there to share in her first day.  So we cut a winery tour short and packed up and were back at home by 6pm.  At the hospital by 7 and Jan was holding her new granddaughter about 15 minutes later.  

See pictures of Elizabeth HERE.

What a way to end such a great week, by sharing with our son and his wife the joy of bringing a new SHO fanatic into the world (she might decide to do something else with her free time, but Ken and I have 16 years to get her introduced to all of you and let her see why 150+ people were all wishing her well the week she was born.

Thanks again to everyone.  Those that helped were invaluable.  Those that attended......you are the reason I put myself and my family through the hard work every year.  It is a working vacation for us, but I absolutely do not want to miss it.

About 2006:

I announced at the banquet that due to some medical considerations I am taking a secondary role in the convention next year.  My son Ken has stepped up to become the main person for 2006 and he will work with Joseph Van Oss to decide between two possible locations: Omaha and Memphis.  

We also have a great committee consisting of Larry Eck, Jim Eurenius, George Fourchy, Tony Fullone, Kerby Haltom, Ryan Pasche, Bill Strobel and Paul Thomas.  These are all people that either have helped put on previous conventions or parts of them, or are friends that I trust.  We had a great meeting and they are looking forward to working with Joseph, Ken and Me.

Beyond 2006:

The committee has set a course that looks good through 2008.  I may finally realize my dream of getting things done more than a year in advance.  2007 is looking good but we won't announce it just yet.

What we will announce is that 2008 is planned for Seattle Washington.  Why are we announcing this and NOT 2007?  Because we know that Seattle is about as far from the bulk of SHO folk as you can get and be in the continental US.  We want you to be planning and saving up for a great drive out and a really special event.  George Fourchy and the Bay SHO group that put on such a great event in 2004 will work with the NorthWest SHO Club (NWSHOC) and Kurt Gutzka to plan an event we don't want you to miss, so make plans now! 

Thanks again from Don and Jan Mallinson and Don L. Mallinson, your SHO Club working group for 2005!
     

Other Things To Do:

THEATRE:  Some people took in in the debut production of MY WAY: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra in Indy.  If interested see  http://www.actorstheatreofindiana.org  

BEST DIE CAST SHOP AROUND:  Gearheads is a neat shop with a super selection of exotic die-cast models, from drags, to dirt track, to Indycar (of course), NASCAR (double of course) and many others.  They are located right at the main entrance to Indianapolis Raceway Park, the site of the Thursday drags.  Many people stopped by to pick up something neat.

DYNO TEST:  About 15 people got a reduced price dyno sessions at the world famous Kenny Brown facility during the week.  We also got a personal tour and talk by Kenny hisself!

COVERED BRIDGES GALORE: Rockville Indiana is just about an hour away with more covered bridges than any other area in the country, a few people went that direction.

CAR AND DRIVER EVENT: The Car & Drivers 50th Anniversary celebration was scheduled for Indianapolis Raceway Park.  July 23 and 24.  Those that attended the drags and could stay the weekend got FREE two-day passes into the event and FREE drag racing, courtesy of Car and Driver and IRP.  For more info on that event: http://www.precisionracing.org/50th/index.php?show=schedule 

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SHO National Convention #14 is a Prairie Sage Enterprises, Inc. Production

Don Mallinson, President, SHO Club

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