Spring Fling

[CowtownCobra]

The fling is dead. Long live the fling!!

[casaleenie]

I saw a deer

[dscott]

Would somebody please tell me what the he!! is going on. I'm getting calls from different Mfg's and individuals saying they are going to London. The city of London is saying it's on! Where am I supposed to go. I can't attend both shows on the same weekend. What's up!!!!!!!
Don

[Double Venom]

Don,
Call me. The Fling in London IS cancelled.
Ed

[newmexico]

Geez, I thought the Midwest was the last bastion of sanity.

[dscott]

There is some sanity but when you get to the rural areas there's a little too much inbreeding!!! I was born in the big city so I'm not one of them. I always wondered though, if I divorce my wife is she still my sister?
Don

[f4steri]

Disregard DV's post! It is NOT cancellled and he has no right to say that!
Frank SPF 725

[casaleenie]

Frank,

I'm confused with regards to what's happening in London. Is there a gathering in London during June? Need some clarification.
Looking forward to seeing you later this month...

regards,
al

[trularin]

The pile isn't deep enough...yet.

[f4steri]

All:
I'm not going to dignify any further discussion on this thread. Please go to the London Cobra Show thread for further information. I am not getting into a Pi**ing contest about this issue. These a two different events going on, coincidentally, on the same dates in different locations, as are many others. Regardless of what is said, contact me regarding the London Cobra Show.
Frank SPF # 725

[clayfoushee]

Frank,

The City of London has done much for the Cobra community with their full support of past events. I've never been more amazed at a car event than seeing single car drags on the Main Street of a small town, with large cheering crowds, and the full support of the Police and Fire Departments.........not to mention the inconvenience of a number of home-owners.

They embraced us, allowed us to have fun, and I hope they are not disappointed. Good luck with your plans.

[Gasman]

Geez, where is Rodney King when we need him?

[MidOHasp]

Can't we all just get along?

There.

JP
"The White Rodney King"

[Gasman]

Thanks Rodney. And they say white folks don't have a big johnson.

[rdorman]

I feel like the moth being attracted to the flame

Interesting to say the least

Rick

[crillyiv]

Just wanted to second what Clay said. I've never seen a city or town go to such lengths for a group. There is no way in hades you could do in CA what the City of London OH has done/allowed us to do there. Definitely Old School in the best sense of the expression.

On to check the thread Frank mentioned.

[DVJR]

I have sat back, watched, and listened for four years the happenings in and around the Double Venom Spring Fling. At the end of every year, I read every thread that gets posted on this event. This will be my last post on this subject. I will not read anymore of this garbage. But, I have held my silence long enough. I do not have the tactfulness that my father has, so my apologies to the good people that I have met over the years.

We all know how this event started so I do not need to go into that.

I have held many talks with DV about where "we" should take the DVSF. In "we", I mean as a group of cobra enthusiasts. What do people want? What would make everyone the happiest when they arrive here for three days? What can we do to make this time with friends and family the most unforgettable experience as possible?

We have publicly asked for and welcomed ideas and constructive criticism from anybody willing to speak. 72 hours was never enough time to fit in everybody's ideas so I apologize if yours were left out. Nothing personal, but the logistics of it were impossible.

For those of you that have whined, complained, and tried to undermine my father, I have no respect for you. I am embarrassed and ashamed to see this event dragged through the mud the way it has.

All the event was supposed to be, was a group of people that loved these cars. Forget all of your politics and petty disagreements for three days and come out and have fun. The first year, this was accomplished. After that, the backroom talking started.

Everything has gone downhill from there. DVSFIV was the first year that I really dug in and tried to organize the event. DV helped me overcome obstacles and avoid failures that he had experienced before. I liked organizing the DVSF because I knew that so many people would have fun, no matter what we did. By the end of DVSFIV, I knew I was done. The complaining and undermining that went on, was too great for me to handle. I admit, I took it personally. I know I shouldn't have, for the most part, but I couldn't help it. I shut down my own business for the better part of 80 days and tried to put the event together.

I do not know what politics are involved in this bickering that is going on. And I don't need to know because there SHOULDN'T BE ANY. I personally wanted to shut the event down completely.

Some people have taken this event for granted. If you didn't like the way it was held, then you should have moved to London, got an apartment, hotel, bought a house, whatever, and sat down in the hundreds of hours of planning it took to do this. Then give up your work and family time to go to meetings and run errands and make phone calls.

My hat is off to Jack and the Lake Snakes Cobra Club. They have taken on the responsiblity and headache of continuing the Double Venom Spring Fling. I know that they will continue on with the ethics and integrity that my father wants engraved into this special event.

None of us ever wanted recognition for doing this event. We just wanted to see some really cool cars and meet really nice people.

I have not expressed all of the heartache I have experienced over these last couple of years, especially what DVSFIV has done to my personal life. I cannot put into words what many people have done for this event. Thank you for the help and support you have provided.

As for the rest of you that think this event will bring you glitz and glamour, I feel sorry for you. Good luck with that.

It really is a terrible thing when a few people can ruin such a wonderful time for many. I thought we had a stronger group than that.

I apologize if I have rambled. But after four years, I cannot take it anymore. Shame on you. I'm done. Goodbye.

[Jim Downard]

Well, I just finished reading the three pages of threads and frankly, I must say, it's a bit disappointing. I'm currently involved in two legal matters with my construction company and it circles around ethics, morals, and respect, all of which seem to be in extremely short supply in the world these days. I get on the forum to feel better about my life and the world in general, but now I feel worse.

Firstly, Ed (DV) deserves the respect of everyone on this forum for what he has accomplished out of his love for these cars, and more importantly, family values. His decision to allow the Great Lakes Cobra club host the next fling was, I'm sure, in the best interest of the Fling itself. After spending four years of his time with the fling, and it's increasing popularity, I believe the man knows what's best for it.

Secondly, I also believe that the City of London is owed our gratitude for opening their doors to allow the fling to take place there. In the four years that this has taken place, I think London's strawberry festival has trasformed more to a Cobra event than a strawberry festival, and the crowds have come to expect that. The Fling itself was responsible for the transformation, and I think the Cobra community needs to maintain some kind of support for it.

I wish their was a more politicly correct way to handle this, perhaps it would be best to separate the dates by a month or so. I don't see that happening this year, but perhaps in the future. All I can tell you now is that I know in my heart, DV is a great man (Ed, take a bow), and he and his family deserve better (my family's prayers are with you and yours hoping all works out). However, after reading the bickering on these last three pages, I have decided not to attend either event as it's losing sight of what it was all supposed to be about, FAMILY.

Jim Downard

[crillyiv]

Is this possible:
To have a general gathering in that area without any one person or group being responsible for all of it. I am thinking of something like Bike Week in Daytona or Sturgis. People can come to the area and do what they enjoy and go where they want to go. Yes, something will be lost but maybe in the long run more will be gained.

I had a great time at the one Fling I have been able to attend, DVSF III. Ed put together a great weekend. I participated in most but not all of the events. I skipped a cruise to a diner and the parade through downtown Columbus.

There is enough to do in the area that imho a general gathering would work. If Jack and his group organized some things, and Frank and his group organized some, I'd be willing to bet there'd be plenty of people attending both.

[CobraDan]

Having been to all four Spring Flings in London Ohio and only bringing my Cobra to one event, you have to know it’s about the gathering of gear heads that have a common interest in Cobras. Living in retirement in southern Florida if I want, I can drive my Cobra almost anytime during the year. Having tried to throw similar Cobra gatherings for my local club (The Deep South Cobra Club) I found that a lot of Cobra enthusiasts won’t travel across the street to join in any event. Our local club will be having its fifth annual gathering in 2005 also. After being the Vice President and then the President for a year each and trying to throw a successful event I threw in the towel as it took much more time than I wanted to put into it, even in retirement. I have to thank Ed and his entire family for their efforts the past four years knowing what they endured to throw these past four events for all of us (with a little special prayer for Wendy). London will be missed mostly by my wife as she has been to all of the Cobra events in London and a lot locally here in Florida. The Strawberry Festival gave her and the other women something to do other than Cobras. If my wife never sees another Cobra it would suit her fine but she has met a lot of the husbands and wife’s and enjoys attending the Double Venom Spring Fling with me. I know to put together an event of this type it would be nice to have a full year of planning which isn’t going to happen this year and didn’t happen last year. I know that a lot of people that attended the past shows were not in attendance at last year’s event because of the short notice, I really missed friends from California, Australia, and England to mention a few. This year will be no different because of the short lead time. We don’t need another Cobra gathering on the same weekend competing with the DVSF 5, now is not the time to fight about the location. I’ll be traveling a little further north to visit with friends I have met during the past four years at the Double Venom Spring Fling and now for the fifth year in a row, let’s give Jack and his club a chance.

Dan & Jean Wulff traveling all the way from Cape Coral Florida