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Race Night UCAP: The Mayberry Deppity...
Nascar NASCAR and other professional stock car racing (rec.autos.sport.nascar)
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Race Night UCAP: The Mayberry Deppity... -
08-24-2007
, 12:49 PM
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...and Mike Helton? ...or Rick Hendrick?? (see below!) Eck-chually...Race Night is a misnomer. It starts at noon...and it was hot! I mean, HOT! Food City has been sponsoring this event for twenty years and this year, since my step-son just got his first job at the Euclid Ave. store and volunteered for a 2pm-9pm shift, yers truly was there for it all. Whew...it was hot! David checked in at the sign-in table in front of the old Paramount Theatre about 1:30 and learned that his assignment would be at the autograph session with Jason Keller and Miss Food City 2007...from 6 to 9pm and he was free to wander till then. So, we wandered...it was hot! His boss, Raymond, told me a little about the origins of Race Night. Raymond was hired as a Bagger when he was 16 at the Kingsport store (David's same deal now) and back then the manager worked out a deal with an owner to have a driver and car on display at the store. The owner was Junior Johnson and it was the first year after DW moved on and Terry Labonte took over his ride...the #11 Bud car. The autograph session was a success and from there it grew and grew, to the point that grocery customers had a hard time getting into the place to shop. It was moved out to the football field at Dobyns-Bennett High in Kingsport for a number of years and eventually the event was doubled by having Kingsport host the Spring Race weekend and the twin-cities in Bristol host the Fall race. These days they use the indoor Civic Center in Kingsport (with air conditioning!) for much of the events, but in the Fall it's all outdoors. And, hot! Our neighbor, Eric, is a Shift Sergeant for the Bristol PD (on the VA side) and had 'mountain-bike patrol' rights for the day while his troops did their thing on foot. Eric met up with David when they both learned that Food City had a lunch buffet set up on the stage inside the Paramount...both went on in while I wandered some more. It was hot! David came out and tracked me down (cell-to-cell keeps families together!) to let me know that I was welcome to join them for lunch...and it was "20 degrees cooler inside" (Any of you older folk remember those signs outside the local theatre?) Now...to the Mayberry Deppity! For years now, David Browning ( http://www.mayberry.com/maydeputy/index2.htm ), has portrayed the wonderful character of Barney Fife at many events in the south-east (and beyond?) and he was here backstage working the crowd of Food City volunteers. He carries a thick pad of pre-printed pics of himself, in Barney's uniform, and scrawls his autograph on each and rips it off and trusts it at you like he was issuing a ticket. His voice *is* Barney's and he'll next whip out his single bullet from a shirt pocket and pose for a photo. About this time, somebody spotted Mike Helton along the side wall and I spent 10 minutes shifting around trying to get a view of Barney and Mike 'side-by-side' with my camera primed and ready...no joy! Then, Rick Hendrick and his retinue came in, all in starched, white, long-sleeve shirts (in this heat!) and again I started maneuvering to get him and Barney in the same frame...nuts! These guys don't intend to be victims of my scheming! Later, Mike and Rick appeared on the Coke Stage with Mark Garrrow and the folks from MRN who did interviews all day long between sets by country and bluegrass bands. A little before 5:30, King Richard and the whole Pit Crew for the 43 car got set up for autographs and Eric walked down there with us. His troops had the area neatly cordoned off with a *huge* line of fans waiting for their turn for a sig and pic with Richard. Eric passed my camera along to a Corporal, who was in a spot to get a couple of great pics of that big Petty grin (geez, I miss Adam). The only angle I had was for an excellently framed pic of the back of Richard's rattlesnake hat band! He's still wonderful with the fans...very patient and friendly...you could see from my angle the way the fans' eyes lit up when he spoke to them. The Corporal had Richard autograph the front of his ballistic vest! I noticed that he no longer includes the number 43...guess he feels that is Bobby's number, now. For the past two hours, David's older sister, Elizabeth, had been sitting in line waiting for Carl Edwards...we had gotten up at 0-Dark-thirty last spring to try to get her an armband for Carl's session race day...with no luck, so *this* time she was determined! David was now 'on duty' (he ended up assisting as crowd control around Miss Food City!) so Eric and I went where Eric was to escort Carl to his table in the entry way of a local bank. Carl arrived, the crowd cheered...and pushed...and shoved...till Eric and his Corporal stepped forward and said "Whoa!"...things smoothed out then. Carl started by talking with and signing for a couple of handicapped kids that were outside the bank, not even in his line...he was great with them. He signed for about ten minutes, Elizabeth had moved forward around the corner and...Carl was called up on the Coke Stage with Mark! Mark teased Carl about the cast on his right thumb and whether it messed with his signature and Carl said yeah, but it doesn't mess with his shifting/steering. Then Mark started comparing drivers who race with minor injuries to an old-time MLB player who went on the 15-day DL for hemorrhoids...Carl said he couldn't believe he was up there with a mic in his hand talking about hemorrhoids! After he got back to his table the line started moving again...Elizabeth was getting close! We had arranged that I would be sure to get pics of her with Carl and she had met two girls in line behind her, and they were gonna swap cameras back and forth so everybody had pics with their various cameras and pic-cells. What she didn't know, was that Eric had set it up with Carl to let me into the bank entry-way and to really spend some quality time there with Elizabeth! This all worked out fine and she was thrilled...then her two new girlfriends came in, too, and the camera & phone merry-go-round began. Suddenly one of the other girls dialed her cell, got another girl on the phone and then handed the cell to Carl! He was grinning big-time and yakkked with the girl somewhere in Minnesota or Wisconsin, who, I'm sure was wondering if this was all a big prank. Hey, Girlfriend...it wasn't! I've got a phot to prove it. After we all got outside, there was a lot of trading of e-mail addys and then off up the street to see if David Ragen was at his table yet...then on to find Ambrose! These young gals all learn the schedule for the drivers down to the last minute. It was still hot! David finished up with his shift (and got a personalized sig from Jason Keller, too) and it getting on toward time to meet up with Mom for the last event of the evening. Kingsport may have air conditionng, but Bristol has the Hauler Parade! This year each Hauler had one of the kids from the Make-A-Wish Foundation riding along...you could see them having a ball waving at the folks along the curbs while the air horns were blasting away! We ran all of the camers batteries down with pics of more than 50 rigs as the night slowwwwly began to cool off...was all the way down to 80 when we got home. Today, when Elizabeth, her friend Callie and David get home from school, we load up the van and head out for the Busch race...and it's HOT again today! -- Tom in Bristol ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
#3
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Too Kewl Tom--Hot & Young Wimmin!  -- Crusader |
I didn't forget the ice!!
--
Tom in Bristol
----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
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#4
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"Crusader" <cru357 (AT) sbcglobal (DOT) net> wrote in message news:5j8m1bF3s8l24U1 (AT) mid (DOT) individual.net... Too Kewl Tom--Hot & Young Wimmin! -- Crusader And for the long-in-the-tooth-old-timey-rasners... I didn't forget the ice!! -- Tom in Bristol |
CRU
Quote:
| ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
#5
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"Tom Duwe" <tomd88 (AT) bvunet (DOT) net> wrote in message news:1187979914_7335 (AT) sp12lax (DOT) superfeed.net... "Crusader" <cru357 (AT) sbcglobal (DOT) net> wrote in message news:5j8m1bF3s8l24U1 (AT) mid (DOT) individual.net... Too Kewl Tom--Hot & Young Wimmin! -- Crusader And for the long-in-the-tooth-old-timey-rasners... I didn't forget the ice!! -- Tom in Bristol 10-4 on the necessity to chill out CRU |
that reference? :-)
John
(still has the T-shirt, somewheres)
#6
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LOL. Could it be, Cru, that maybe you're not old enough for that reference? :-) John (still has the T-shirt, somewheres) |
The mouse pad (by the time I got one from Mark) was too age-hardened to make my
old mechanical mouse work.
--
Tom in Bristol
----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
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----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----
#7
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Glad u had such a great time, Tom. In '95 or '96 they did a tv show in the Paramount, I think it was on TNT(when it was The Nashville Network). Eli Gold was the host and Rusty Wallace was the guest. I was lucky enough to not only get in, but also have researved seats and also a backstage pass where they had a great buffett. |
the 'commercial' aspects when broadcasting tv...hence the nickname 'Visa'. lol
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I live in Morristown, TN, so we're almost neighbors. |
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Have a great time at the race tonight. Sandman |
--
Tom in Bristol
----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
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----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----
#8
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"Sandy Alvis" <sandman (AT) charter (DOT) netxx> wrote in message news:k2lgf3p38cpbbpmspk7thlsskf5auo9hlc (AT) 4ax (DOT) com... snip Glad u had such a great time, Tom. In '95 or '96 they did a tv show in the Paramount, I think it was on TNT(when it was The Nashville Network). Eli Gold was the host and Rusty Wallace was the guest. I was lucky enough to not only get in, but also have researved seats and also a backstage pass where they had a great buffett. Bet that was fun...Eli was great for one-on-one interviews...just made too much of the 'commercial' aspects when broadcasting tv...hence the nickname 'Visa'. lol I live in Morristown, TN, so we're almost neighbors. Hummmm...where Rusty is building/promoting his own 'Hall of Fame'? Just promoting, not building. Some people here ask for him to put his |
pardners in 3 car dealerships. It is a Racing HOF not just RW's.
Sandman
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Have a great time at the race tonight. Sandman Thanks, I did! |
#9
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...and Mike Helton? ...or Rick Hendrick?? (see below!) Eck-chually...Race Night is a misnomer. It starts at noon...and it was hot! I mean, HOT! Food City has been sponsoring this event for twenty years and this year, since my step-son just got his first job at the Euclid Ave. store and volunteered for a 2pm-9pm shift, yers truly was there for it all. Whew...it was hot! David checked in at the sign-in table in front of the old Paramount Theatre about 1:30 and learned that his assignment would be at the autograph session with Jason Keller and Miss Food City 2007...from 6 to 9pm and he was free to wander till then. So, we wandered...it was hot! His boss, Raymond, told me a little about the origins of Race Night. Raymond was hired as a Bagger when he was 16 at the Kingsport store (David's same deal now) and back then the manager worked out a deal with an owner to have a driver and car on display at the store. The owner was Junior Johnson and it was the first year after DW moved on and Terry Labonte took over his ride...the #11 Bud car. The autograph session was a success and from there it grew and grew, to the point that grocery customers had a hard time getting into the place to shop. It was moved out to the football field at Dobyns-Bennett High in Kingsport for a number of years and eventually the event was doubled by having Kingsport host the Spring Race weekend and the twin-cities in Bristol host the Fall race. These days they use the indoor Civic Center in Kingsport (with air conditioning!) for much of the events, but in the Fall it's all outdoors. And, hot! Our neighbor, Eric, is a Shift Sergeant for the Bristol PD (on the VA side) and had 'mountain-bike patrol' rights for the day while his troops did their thing on foot. Eric met up with David when they both learned that Food City had a lunch buffet set up on the stage inside the Paramount...both went on in while I wandered some more. It was hot! David came out and tracked me down (cell-to-cell keeps families together!) to let me know that I was welcome to join them for lunch...and it was "20 degrees cooler inside" (Any of you older folk remember those signs outside the local theatre?) Now...to the Mayberry Deppity! For years now, David Browning ( http://www.mayberry.com/maydeputy/index2.htm ), has portrayed the wonderful character of Barney Fife at many events in the south-east (and beyond?) and he was here backstage working the crowd of Food City volunteers. He carries a thick pad of pre-printed pics of himself, in Barney's uniform, and scrawls his autograph on each and rips it off and trusts it at you like he was issuing a ticket. His voice *is* Barney's and he'll next whip out his single bullet from a shirt pocket and pose for a photo. About this time, somebody spotted Mike Helton along the side wall and I spent 10 minutes shifting around trying to get a view of Barney and Mike 'side-by-side' with my camera primed and ready...no joy! Then, Rick Hendrick and his retinue came in, all in starched, white, long-sleeve shirts (in this heat!) and again I started maneuvering to get him and Barney in the same frame...nuts! These guys don't intend to be victims of my scheming! Later, Mike and Rick appeared on the Coke Stage with Mark Garrrow and the folks from MRN who did interviews all day long between sets by country and bluegrass bands. A little before 5:30, King Richard and the whole Pit Crew for the 43 car got set up for autographs and Eric walked down there with us. His troops had the area neatly cordoned off with a *huge* line of fans waiting for their turn for a sig and pic with Richard. Eric passed my camera along to a Corporal, who was in a spot to get a couple of great pics of that big Petty grin (geez, I miss Adam). The only angle I had was for an excellently framed pic of the back of Richard's rattlesnake hat band! He's still wonderful with the fans...very patient and friendly...you could see from my angle the way the fans' eyes lit up when he spoke to them. The Corporal had Richard autograph the front of his ballistic vest! I noticed that he no longer includes the number 43...guess he feels that is Bobby's number, now. For the past two hours, David's older sister, Elizabeth, had been sitting in line waiting for Carl Edwards...we had gotten up at 0-Dark-thirty last spring to try to get her an armband for Carl's session race day...with no luck, so *this* time she was determined! David was now 'on duty' (he ended up assisting as crowd control around Miss Food City!) so Eric and I went where Eric was to escort Carl to his table in the entry way of a local bank. Carl arrived, the crowd cheered...and pushed...and shoved...till Eric and his Corporal stepped forward and said "Whoa!"...things smoothed out then. Carl started by talking with and signing for a couple of handicapped kids that were outside the bank, not even in his line...he was great with them. He signed for about ten minutes, Elizabeth had moved forward around the corner and...Carl was called up on the Coke Stage with Mark! Mark teased Carl about the cast on his right thumb and whether it messed with his signature and Carl said yeah, but it doesn't mess with his shifting/steering. Then Mark started comparing drivers who race with minor injuries to an old-time MLB player who went on the 15-day DL for hemorrhoids...Carl said he couldn't believe he was up there with a mic in his hand talking about hemorrhoids! After he got back to his table the line started moving again...Elizabeth was getting close! We had arranged that I would be sure to get pics of her with Carl and she had met two girls in line behind her, and they were gonna swap cameras back and forth so everybody had pics with their various cameras and pic-cells. What she didn't know, was that Eric had set it up with Carl to let me into the bank entry-way and to really spend some quality time there with Elizabeth! This all worked out fine and she was thrilled...then her two new girlfriends came in, too, and the camera & phone merry-go-round began. Suddenly one of the other girls dialed her cell, got another girl on the phone and then handed the cell to Carl! He was grinning big-time and yakkked with the girl somewhere in Minnesota or Wisconsin, who, I'm sure was wondering if this was all a big prank. Hey, Girlfriend...it wasn't! I've got a phot to prove it. After we all got outside, there was a lot of trading of e-mail addys and then off up the street to see if David Ragen was at his table yet...then on to find Ambrose! These young gals all learn the schedule for the drivers down to the last minute. It was still hot! David finished up with his shift (and got a personalized sig from Jason Keller, too) and it getting on toward time to meet up with Mom for the last event of the evening. Kingsport may have air conditionng, but Bristol has the Hauler Parade! This year each Hauler had one of the kids from the Make-A-Wish Foundation riding along...you could see them having a ball waving at the folks along the curbs while the air horns were blasting away! We ran all of the camers batteries down with pics of more than 50 rigs as the night slowwwwly began to cool off...was all the way down to 80 when we got home. Today, when Elizabeth, her friend Callie and David get home from school, we load up the van and head out for the Busch race...and it's HOT again today! Glad u had such a great time, Tom. In '95 or '96 they did a tv show in |
Network). Eli Gold was the host and Rusty Wallace was the guest. I was
lucky enough to not only get in, but also have researved seats and
also a backstage pass where they had a great buffett.
I live in Morristown, TN, so we're almost neighbors. Have a great
time at the race tonight.
Sandman
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