Hey guys:
Just wanted to do a brief report on what happened today at Cruiser Days 2005. Since this was the first year that the Coastal Cruisers were holding the event, we really didn't know what kind of turnout there would be. I was thinking in my mind that if 40 Cruisers showed up today, and if we managed to get $400-500 in raffle ticket sales, that the event would have been a success.
Well, the actual turnout today absolutely blew those expectations away! The event started officially at 9AM, and I was told that shortly after 9:30AM, there were already over 30 Cruisers in the parking lot with a steady stream still coming in. By the end of the day, over 80 Cruisers had participated in this event! Wow! There were several models of Land Cruisers represented there today, from the rare FJ55 "Iron Pig" which came all the way from Clear Water, BC, to some tricked out 80 series. There were lots of 40 series in the event, ranging from stock rigs to sprung-over monsters with 350s under their hoods. Of course, being Canada, there was a healthy number of trucks that were diesel powered. Aside from the many JDM BJ74s and HJ61s, there were a few that really stood out. First, Ciarran Wilson brought in his HJ61 that had a 13BT transplant as well as a LHD conversion using a Canadian BJ60 firewall. This thing was impeccable, Ciarran being a Toyota Master Tech, down to details like authentic factory spot welding. The truck is fully 24v, and all the power gadgets work flawlessly. There were also two Lexus LX450s that were LHD and had TDI diesels under their hoods. One had a 1HD-T, while the other had a 1HD-FT. Awesome trucks! There were some neat trucks there that one doesn't often see, including a JDM BJ44, a couple of HZJ75 pickups (Mike McTague's and Al Stewart's), and a few FJ45 pickups.
We all had a great time mingling with fellow Cruiserheads and checking out each other's rides. The sponsors of the event came through BIG TIME with some generous donations for raffle prizes. We had four or five raffle drawings and in the end still had a couple of prizes to give away! The raffle ticket sales reached almost $2,000, with the 50% winner taking in a loot of $910!!! The Club donated 25% of the proceeds to the BCSPCA ($455), and the other 25% went back to the Club to help cover expenses for hosting the event. I hope I manage to remember all the contributors for prizes for the event...let me try:
-4wheelauto from Alberta (thanks Daryl for bringing in the prizes with you).
-Prairie Dog Parts (thanks Bruce).
-Jim Pattison Toyota (thank you Gord).
-Sunrise Toyota (thank you Mike).
-Open Road Toyota (thank you Debbie).
-G&S Cruiser Parts (thanks GregB and Sheldon).
-Extreme Bends (EBI) (thanks Steve).
-Speedy Auto Glass.
-Mike McTague.
-LCI (thanks RobM).
-Travel Land RV rentals (thank you for the use of an RV for the concession stand).
-North Shore Offroad & Sport Trucks Unlimited (thanks Bobbi).
-Crystal Glass.
-And the Coastal Cruisers donated a bunch of Club shirts and event shirts.
*I hope I haven't forgotten anyone...if I have, please let me know.
The Club Member turnout was also fantastic for this event, showing the commitment of our Coastal Cruiser members to give back to the greater Cruiser community. Members took time off work, and re-scheduled or missed some appointments in order to come to Cruiser Days 2005 and help to make it happen. Many Club members helped out today, and some of the notables are: Phil for volunteering his AV skills and sound equipment and a generator for the event; Traci for taking on the sales and awarding of the raffle and 50/25/25 prizes; Deny for designing the event t-shirt logo; Jim and Lindsay for getting the event shirts made and selling them; Bill for recruiting new members to our Club; and for the many members who showed up so early, some driving from long distances, in order to help make this event happen.
A few Cruiser vendors participated in Cruiser Days 2005. EBI had a nice booth setup with various merchandise. Ciarran Wilson brought his HJ61 13BT and LHD conversion as an example of the type of work that he does. G&S Cruiser Parts brought in various hard to get items that they specialize in. And Travis Rankin of Smurfield fame was on hand to meet his consumer base. We were also very flattered that David Zartman, Editor-in-Chief of 4WD Toyota Owner Magazine, made the drive from Seattle to Vancouver with his assistant in order to do an article about us and our event. Thank you very much!
This year we recognized two categories for awards: the traditional "Best In Show" award and the "Cruiser Cancer Award". I explained to make sure that everyone understood that the cancer award was a term of endearment in Cruiser communities...I hope the winner of that award bought it. Best in Show winner was Jody and his mint 40 series. The Cruiser Cancer award went to Jan for a well-built and thoroughly loved camo 40 series, with some character.
Well, people came from as far as the Peace Country of BC and Alberta, and from Washington State for this get-together. Some have decided to camp at the north Chehalis Lake campground overnight, and some of us will catch up with them tomorrow to go wheeling. I guess that means I should get some rest. A big thank you to all the people that showed up with their Cruisers today. You guys are the reason why this event was a big success today, and it is very nice to see that the Cruiser community is as strong as ever. And it was very nice to be able to put faces to familiar internet names, and meeting new faces with the same interests.
The following are some pics from today's event...enjoy!
Ciarran's HJ61 13BT and LHD conversion:
JDM BJ44:
The main Costal Cruisers booth:
Just wanted to do a brief report on what happened today at Cruiser Days 2005. Since this was the first year that the Coastal Cruisers were holding the event, we really didn't know what kind of turnout there would be. I was thinking in my mind that if 40 Cruisers showed up today, and if we managed to get $400-500 in raffle ticket sales, that the event would have been a success.
Well, the actual turnout today absolutely blew those expectations away! The event started officially at 9AM, and I was told that shortly after 9:30AM, there were already over 30 Cruisers in the parking lot with a steady stream still coming in. By the end of the day, over 80 Cruisers had participated in this event! Wow! There were several models of Land Cruisers represented there today, from the rare FJ55 "Iron Pig" which came all the way from Clear Water, BC, to some tricked out 80 series. There were lots of 40 series in the event, ranging from stock rigs to sprung-over monsters with 350s under their hoods. Of course, being Canada, there was a healthy number of trucks that were diesel powered. Aside from the many JDM BJ74s and HJ61s, there were a few that really stood out. First, Ciarran Wilson brought in his HJ61 that had a 13BT transplant as well as a LHD conversion using a Canadian BJ60 firewall. This thing was impeccable, Ciarran being a Toyota Master Tech, down to details like authentic factory spot welding. The truck is fully 24v, and all the power gadgets work flawlessly. There were also two Lexus LX450s that were LHD and had TDI diesels under their hoods. One had a 1HD-T, while the other had a 1HD-FT. Awesome trucks! There were some neat trucks there that one doesn't often see, including a JDM BJ44, a couple of HZJ75 pickups (Mike McTague's and Al Stewart's), and a few FJ45 pickups.
We all had a great time mingling with fellow Cruiserheads and checking out each other's rides. The sponsors of the event came through BIG TIME with some generous donations for raffle prizes. We had four or five raffle drawings and in the end still had a couple of prizes to give away! The raffle ticket sales reached almost $2,000, with the 50% winner taking in a loot of $910!!! The Club donated 25% of the proceeds to the BCSPCA ($455), and the other 25% went back to the Club to help cover expenses for hosting the event. I hope I manage to remember all the contributors for prizes for the event...let me try:
-4wheelauto from Alberta (thanks Daryl for bringing in the prizes with you).
-Prairie Dog Parts (thanks Bruce).
-Jim Pattison Toyota (thank you Gord).
-Sunrise Toyota (thank you Mike).
-Open Road Toyota (thank you Debbie).
-G&S Cruiser Parts (thanks GregB and Sheldon).
-Extreme Bends (EBI) (thanks Steve).
-Speedy Auto Glass.
-Mike McTague.
-LCI (thanks RobM).
-Travel Land RV rentals (thank you for the use of an RV for the concession stand).
-North Shore Offroad & Sport Trucks Unlimited (thanks Bobbi).
-Crystal Glass.
-And the Coastal Cruisers donated a bunch of Club shirts and event shirts.
*I hope I haven't forgotten anyone...if I have, please let me know.
The Club Member turnout was also fantastic for this event, showing the commitment of our Coastal Cruiser members to give back to the greater Cruiser community. Members took time off work, and re-scheduled or missed some appointments in order to come to Cruiser Days 2005 and help to make it happen. Many Club members helped out today, and some of the notables are: Phil for volunteering his AV skills and sound equipment and a generator for the event; Traci for taking on the sales and awarding of the raffle and 50/25/25 prizes; Deny for designing the event t-shirt logo; Jim and Lindsay for getting the event shirts made and selling them; Bill for recruiting new members to our Club; and for the many members who showed up so early, some driving from long distances, in order to help make this event happen.
A few Cruiser vendors participated in Cruiser Days 2005. EBI had a nice booth setup with various merchandise. Ciarran Wilson brought his HJ61 13BT and LHD conversion as an example of the type of work that he does. G&S Cruiser Parts brought in various hard to get items that they specialize in. And Travis Rankin of Smurfield fame was on hand to meet his consumer base. We were also very flattered that David Zartman, Editor-in-Chief of 4WD Toyota Owner Magazine, made the drive from Seattle to Vancouver with his assistant in order to do an article about us and our event. Thank you very much!
This year we recognized two categories for awards: the traditional "Best In Show" award and the "Cruiser Cancer Award". I explained to make sure that everyone understood that the cancer award was a term of endearment in Cruiser communities...I hope the winner of that award bought it. Best in Show winner was Jody and his mint 40 series. The Cruiser Cancer award went to Jan for a well-built and thoroughly loved camo 40 series, with some character.
Well, people came from as far as the Peace Country of BC and Alberta, and from Washington State for this get-together. Some have decided to camp at the north Chehalis Lake campground overnight, and some of us will catch up with them tomorrow to go wheeling. I guess that means I should get some rest. A big thank you to all the people that showed up with their Cruisers today. You guys are the reason why this event was a big success today, and it is very nice to see that the Cruiser community is as strong as ever. And it was very nice to be able to put faces to familiar internet names, and meeting new faces with the same interests.
The following are some pics from today's event...enjoy!
Ciarran's HJ61 13BT and LHD conversion:
JDM BJ44:
The main Costal Cruisers booth: