On the weekend of March 14-16, the town of Panama City Beach, Florida, was crawling with thousands of people riding around in slammed and lifted haulers desperately seeking the attention of others cruising the beach-side strip. Some were just enthusiastic spring breakers celebrating time away from their respective colleges, while others were hanging in Panama City to attend the 2003 Spring Fling truck show presented by Vital Signs Street Designs. Every year, the show season is kicked off with this growing event in the Sunshine State, and several top-notch show haulers show up to strut their stuff for the Truckin' cameras and the Vital Signs judging staff.
This year's Spring Fling event was held at Frank Brown Park in Panama City Beach, and drew in over 425 vehicles to spice up the competition and keep the Vital Signs show staff busy. With more than 35 show classes, everyone had a good chance of walking away with something for their automotive efforts. At 7 a.m. Saturday, the madness began to unravel as participants rolled toward the entrance gates of Frank Brown Park, paid their fees, got situated in the show parking area, and started cleaning. Registration remained opened until 1 p.m. to accommodate any latecomers.
While participants spent the morning knee-deep in aluminum polish, tire dressing, and wax, Daric "The Hitman" from Saturn Entertainment got everyone's blood pumping, spinning a wide variety of jams to get the day going. As participants kept busy shining their rides for the judges' approval, more than 2,000 spectators would flood through the gates in the following show hours, making Spring Fling one of the most well-attended shows of the season.
Over in the vendors' area, everything from custom truck clothing to lighting accessories were available for those looking to burn a little cash. Vendors at this year's Spring Fling included XXX Wheels, Hot Wires, Drop 'Em Wear?, Platinum Graphics, Auto Safe & Sound, Showcase Photos, Autobahn Wholesale, and Beach BBQ. The rest of the afternoon featured more musical entertainment from Daric "The Hitman," as enthusiasts wandered the show, checked out the competition, and struck up conversations with other participants.
While the scent of cleaners filled the air and some healthy modification conversation was underway between enthusiasts, the Vital Signs staff kept busy looking over the details of the rides in attendance and adding up points on their judging sheets. Saturday evening those obsessed with neon lights were in heaven with the neon contest held by Hot Wires. Participants lit up the park with neon galore glowing in various multicolored hues. After the neon competition was over and everyone's eyes adjusted back to the darkness, the park was evacuated and most went out cruising, while the smart ones went back to their hotels to rest up for Sunday's activities.
Sunday morning came early, and despite whatever partying occurred the night before, the same off-the-hook rides which occupied the showgrounds on Saturday rolled through the gates Sunday morning with eager participants behind the wheel. Sunday brought in a whole new batch of custom rides for everyone to feast their eyes on, making the Vital Signs judging staff go back to the drawing board on their final decisions one more time. Participants once again spent the morning shining their rides to perfection and waited patiently for the Miss Spring Fling Contest held later in the day, where several beautiful women strutted their stuff for the fired-up crowd.
For those more on the shy side, Vital Signs hosted a few club games including a four-man race, a drunken wheelbarrow race, and a six-legged race. Watching these activities take place was definitely a hilarious experience and served to bring a lot of the clubs in attendance closer together.
At the end of the day once proceeds were totaled up, the Vital Signs staff had raised $12,000, which was dispersed between four local charities including the Cops & Kids Program, Shriner's Temple, Toys 4 Tots, and the Boys & Girls Club of Bay County. The sponsors that made this event possible included Coca Cola Bottling, Elliot Brothers Paint & Body, Off-The-Wall Screen Printing, C&F Enterprises, Wild Bill's Bingo, Dr. Bruce Josten, PEI Audio Systems, Penny's Seafood, Hot 107.9 Radio, and the host hotel Howard Johnson's. For more information on next year's Spring Fling show, go to www.vitalsigns.org.