-by Dick Leighninger, InterMarque Spring Kick-Off Chair-
We could not have had a more successful Spring Kick-Off on May 22, 2021. Having had to cancel the Annual InterMarque car show twice in 2020 due to the pandemic, we were hoping that the third time was the charm. And it was! Again, the City of Osseo organized a craft show in the park which looked like a big success. For 2021, we delayed the event from early May to May 22, hoping for better weather, and increased vaccinations, both of which occurred.
The original chairman for the Osseo show, John Engstrom, walked the streets on a very hot day, and counted 252 cars. I was hoping for 200. Given the fact that cars come and go during the day, it’s possible we had 260 cars, which I think sets a record for this event.
Again, we asked participants to donate non-perishable food to Cross Services, who reported receiving 300 pounds of food and $300 in cash donations. The Girl Scouts once again helped us by selling tickets for the Peoples’ Choice award and reported they had sold $428 worth of tickets. Fred Ambi with his gorgeous Austin Healey 3000 won the first place prize.
I have to attribute the success of the show to the remarkable group of InterMarque members who helped me, a first time chairman, set up and run the show. Lucky for me, John Engstrom was around to guide me. While I may miss some folks, in addition to John, I want to thank Doug Burch, Brian Cornell, Todd Bjerknes, Tim Engel, Mike Gondek, Mark Hill, Pat Holt, Jay Jacobson, Dave Lindemann, Harry Reynolds, and Greg and Suzanne Willodson. (There are some spouses in there who helped but I do not have their names, so please forgive me). Additional thanks go to the City of Osseo (Riley Grams), who graciously waived all fees for our show and provided timely Police (Michael Smith) and Public Works (Nick Waldbillig) support, and to our vendors Further Performance, Eau Claire British, BMC, and Quality Coaches.
I think everyone who attended had a good time. We saw lots of families, which was our intent. We had a de-brief of the show on Saturday, June 12, where we discussed problems and opportunities to be addressed next year. We also selected a car club to feature in 2022 (Alfa Romeo) and also an event date of May 21, for the 2022 show. Stay tuned for more information. And thank you all for your wonderful help and support for this event.
Dick Leighninger, Show Chairman