Pontiac Firebird - 7th Annual Lawn Show

According to historical accounts, Sir William Johnson, a British soldier and hero of the French and Indian Wars, was brought to what would become Saratoga Springs by a procession of native Iroquois people in 1767 to treat his war wounds at a spring thought to have medicinal properties. The spring, now known as High Rock Spring, can still be visited today. Native Mohawks called the area Sarachtogoe, or "hillside country of a great river," but the accepted meaning, "place of the swift water," was derived from Sir William Johnson, who attributed it to the pairing of two Iroquois words-saragh or "swift water," and oga or "place of." The English pronunciation typically produced the word Saratoga, and so it came to be.

Over the next two and a half centuries, Saratoga became a tourist mecca famous for thoroughbred racing, gambling, performing arts, jazz, mineral baths, and the Saratoga Automobile Museum. But on July 11, 2009, although Saratoga was competing against the largest Pontiac show in the world, known as the Co-Vention, the "place of the swift water" was the destination for a record 157 Pontiacs from 15 U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces to gather on the grass and partake in the largest low-stress, family-friendly all-Firebird event in the Northeastern U.S.

While many (including the author) were saddened by the loss of a few quality shows in 2009 due in part to the economic downturn and financial concerns, double-digit growth continued in Saratoga as the 7th Annual All-Firebird Lawn Show saw even more cars, more spectators, more trophies, and more fun! The quality of those Birds increased exponentially to a concours level, museum pieces, and national Best of Show winners.

Each year the organizers, volunteers, and staff of the All-Firebird Lawn Show gather immediately after the show to feast on a hardy meal prepared by event organizer Sandy Smit, and critique the day's activities. Everyone offers suggestions on how to fine-tune this Pontiac F-body gathering to make it more efficient and exciting for the next year. The 7th annual show in 2009 was a direct result of the meeting that took place in July 2008.

"We listened to our staff, our volunteers, and our participants," says Sandy. "Our committee reviewed all the ideas and carefully implemented the best suggestions. As a result, the judged classes were divided into Stock and Modified, thereby doubling the class trophies from the year before." Firebird Nation of North America club member and show advisor Keith Fuerst chimes in: "We wanted to offer enough trophies for the ever-increasing quality and quantity of Firebirds, and it was important that we do this correctly. A one-day show has little time for long lines or lengthy award ceremonies!"

As an organizer (and the author of this story), I hope this new award structure demonstrates our commitment to the steadily increasing number of show participants and their distinct areas of interest, while staying true to our original plan. Said plan is to provide a fundraiser for Special Olympics. For 2009, the show raised nearly $7,400 and gave Special Olympics $6,140 after show expenses. As of this writing, the event has given the Special Olympics more than $26,000 and has plans for even more.

Sandy continues, "We kept the 50-50 raffle, all of the 'special' awards, increased the content of our great Hagerty goodie bags, and kept the Special Olympics participant ribbon awards. We sent a number of our athletes onto the show field to pick their favorite 25 Firebirds, all of which received a participant ribbon."