Published: May 02, 2008 11:55 pm            

Lemonade ...

Some straight talk about Derrick Days and the future

On the whole, last weekend’s Derrick Days celebration can be chalked up in the “win” column for all concerned. Hat’s off to Brad Haynie and all the hard working folks who worked for months to plan and execute the day.

From the Pocket Park gathering Wednesday through the last hoop scored in the 3-on-3 tournament Saturday afternoon, the hiccups were few and far between.

The really bright spot of the event — the Shakers and Scrapers Car Show. Hands down, it was the most successful part of Derrick Days this year. In my opinion, it could be even bigger in years to come. And we need to encourage that and support it with every available resource in the Derrick Days arsenal.

The disappointment of the celebration — and the reason for my thoughts today — the Chili Cookoff. No one looking at this year’s Derrick Days can honestly say it wasn’t a disappointment. In fact, it was sad to see the once dominant centerpiece of 30 plus years of Derrick Days history turn into the event it became last weekend.

There’s an old saying in the radio business — “you are only as good as your last show.”

It’s going to take a ton of marketing and “P.R.” to sell the idea of coming back to the Derrick Days Chili Cookoff after its “last show.” It’s going to need every brochure, flyer and “PowerPoint” presentation that can be generated to overcome last weekend’s experience for those folks who came this year. And, those efforts need to start now.

And it is something that can be done, and done successfully in my opinion.

Brad Haynie led the way to bring Derrick Days back to life several years ago after the event was nearly “pronounced dead” during the year 2000, when Derrick Days was moved across town to I.O.O.F. Park. It was, by all accounts, a dismal failure.

Dedication, teamwork and perseverance helped build Derrick Days back to the prominence it enjoyed for so many years. The same effort can make the annual event an even bigger success in the future.

But also consider this ...

If you were to have a huge Classic Car Show and a first-class Chili Cookoff to market the city to visitors and homebodies alike, you could easily have an event double the size of what we saw last weekend.

We have the makings of that killer-combination now. And, we have the leadership in place to develop that “one-two punch” of a celebration that will put us on the map in a big, big way.

That is the “lemonade” that the headline on this column is referring to.

Are we going to start mixing up that frosty beverage now?

I hope so, because now is the time to break out the juicer and get to work.

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Bob Belcher is Managing Editor of the Daily Sun. His column appears on Wednesdays and Sundays. He may be reached by e-mail at belcher@corsicanadailysun.com.

        

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