DGM: You sum up my take on the event exactly. My son and I drove over from Nokesville VA on Saturday. For me it was to see lots of people I've known for a long time...and the same-old same-old guns and stuff in the game fair tents. Paying $40 for the two of us after driving around D.C. to one of the remotest and hard to get to venues would be a deal breaker for all but the most motivated, and it was reflected in the scaled-down dealer presence and, I suspect, a dramatically lower paid attendance. There just weren't that many people around, and I knew too many of the familiar faces...few if any newbies or anyone under 55...alas!
Everything appeared pretty thin. The food tent went inside this year. At 2:00 p.m. Saturday, all they had were crab cakes and veggie burgers (crab cakes were good!). I have attended about 9 or 10 of the Vintage Cups, including the first in RI in 1997. I am sure a good time was had by all, and I found it worth my trip and my $20 share of the admit fee, but I doubt that new double-gun prospects like my son (in his mid-30s with one Trojan 12-bore) will ever be attracted to the situation as it now exists: A virtual private party for the dyed-in-the-wool double-gunners, like myself...alas! EDM
