Well, atypical newbie offering two cents. I joined this club after talking to two former members. One too old to stay active, one too busy with his job. I am VP of a local all makes club and have been in and out of charitable and fraternal groups for years. We are up against a generational shift. Most people today under 30 have zero clue about carburetors, points, drum brakes or basic bodywork and repair. Manual transmissions are exotic. Anything before a late 60's muscle car is ancient. They have kids in ten activities and barely keep their lives in order without an old car to fix and maintain as an added responsibility.
So- how do we renew or preserve interest? Hudson had some revival and a younger crowd after the Disney Cars movies and the national club EMBRACES modified and hot rod Hudsons while recognizing original and preservation. What can be done to get KF products more exposure in TV and film?? Even at car shows as several postings suggest. Reach out to the modified crowd ( I know, deadly to some members ). Point is exposure and acceptance of the reasonable to be more inclusive and desirable to more people.
In the local club I have invested time and effort to make events more fun and fresh ideas. Token contests and prizes. Scavenger hunts on the route to an event etc. Encouraging groups to pool people and idea across clubs for one or more shared events. We are adding people to our club- well over and above those lost for all reasons. People now search us out again as it was in the past. We promote originality but accept modifications. More connections, more appreciation of other marques, more cars kept on the road.
I will be at two days of the May Hoosier meet and start meeting some of the KF community in the Midwest and learn more about their perspective and may be able to offer some targeted ideas but until then consider what I have said and know the following, I, for one, never plan to put a car under judging to original and compete for points. Just not my style or place to say any tire but 6.70-15 with a 4 inch whitewall and bias construction is wrong. If you have to choose between a valve job or $1000 in tires-vs $400 the valve job keeps that car happy and on the road and in front of the public we need to reach with cheap radial tires.
As I said early on- I am the atypical- but maybe that is the group you need to start recruiting/ courting.
Scott K
