Spring Fling

Vital Signs Car and Truck Club is celebrating fifteen years together, making it one of the oldest clubs in the Sunshine State. The three chapters--one in Panama City, Florida, and two in Pensacola--boast about 60 members with ages ranging from seventeen to slightly older kids in their early forties. The club's tastes mix a combination of cars, trucks, lowriders, and imports. Their annual event, Spring Fling, is in its ninth year and continues to attract major participation from throughout Florida and neighboring states.

But this automotive get-together is more than just community involvement trying to create a positive image. There's a whole lot of fun involved, too. The Spring Fling event was held in Frank Brown Park in Panama City with an unexpectedly large turnout. Traffic backed up on both sides of Highway 98 as eager drivers and spectators waited in line. (If you were one of those, several revised procedures are already in place to eliminate that problem next year.) Judges had their hands full Saturday classifying and ranking the huge collection of cars and trucks, and they were the only ones working hard. Everyone else was having fun, listening to multiple live bands, or participating in the double points IASCA event with both IDBL and Sound Quality events. Lots of drivers gathered around the Hawaiian Tropic girls who were signing calendars and causing temperatures to rise. Vendors and food merchants rounded out the attractions. If you'd like to be part of a great weekend and a good cause, call Vital Signs' president, Doug Augustine, at (850)258-4077, or check out www.springflingcarshow.com.