No Burnouts at Car Show

Hotrods OK, burnouts not, Wildwood tells car-show groupBy TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Published: Thursday, February 2, 2006
Updated: Thursday, February 2, 2006

— The rowdy crowds that are attracted to the island's annual fall and spring car shows won't disappear overnight. But organizers and city officials hope several changes to the event will have a calming effect.

In September 2005, Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. announced he was suspending the shows because of the crowds and the trouble that came with them. The following month, the city and the New Jersey Hot Rod Association started meeting to discuss what could be done.

Those meetings resulted in a letter just sent to car-show participants spelling out the changes.

“I'm not sure it's going to help, but I'm hoping it does,” said Bill Garland, director of operations for the association.

This year's show will differ from past shows in several ways, including a real effort to put a stop to burnouts — the spinning of tires on roadways.

“There are no burnouts,” Chief Joseph Fisher said Wednesday, explaining the burnouts are what spur so many to gather on the sidewalks.

Garland said electronic signs will be posted to make sure people know that any burnouts will be rewarded with a $200 fine, a reckless-driving citation and the possible loss of a driver's license.

The letter explains, “It is prohibited to entice others by yelling or placing fluids in the streets. It is also prohibited to gather on sidewalks and highways which obstruct free passage of pedestrians and vehicles.”

The annual cruise along city streets has also been eliminated in favor of an open-air block party to be held at the Wildwoods Convention Center.

Car owners will be encouraged to gather there to enjoy food, music and entertainment and to view the show's top 40 cars. From there, participants can vote on the top car of the four-day show.

Garland said the city's police are also being asked to be more involved by selecting their own favorite car, which will receive a “Top Gun” award.

“We're trying to turn a lot of negativity into something positive,” Garland said Wednesday.

Garland and Fisher said participants are also encouraged to help monitor the show. “The clubs are being asked to police themselves. We're looking for a team effort here,” Fisher said.

Garland estimated that “ 99 percent of the people causing the trouble are not show participants and they are the ones who come here to tear up the town.” The improvements, he hopes, should discourage the other 1 percent.

Fisher said any improvements are welcome, and he will be able to measure their success by comparing arrests from previous shows and the more obvious evidence such as the amount of tire marks on local streets.

The outcome will determine whether the popular shows, which draw an estimated 60,000 or more people, will stay in Wildwood.

“I hope it works,” Troiano said Wednesday. “We're a community that's here to entertain people, not chase people away, but the people who come here are the ones who will make it or break it.”

Troiano encouraged car-show visitors to imagine they are are still at home. “If you're not allowed to do what you're doing at home, don't do it here,” he said.