Charlie has been promoting all types of automotive events in the east Tennessee area for almost 20 years. He purchased Slammin' & Jammin' about three or four years back, and although the show was already pretty big, it really took off after Charlie bought it. Other than the fact that it has been held in the same place for almost 10 years, we really can't tell you why this show is so popular, but participants come from all up and down the East Coast to check out this event. By the time the gates closed at 5 p.m. on Friday, more than 500 vehicles had been registered and lots of tents had been set up in the camping area.
When the gates opened at 8 a.m. on Saturday, the line stretched all the way out into the street and stayed that way most of the day. At one point, between spectators and participants, the line was all the way out to the interstate which was almost a mile. The participants spent the morning cleaning up their rides and getting them ready for judging. There were lots of vendors on hand, selling all kinds of neat goodies to trick out your ride. Hunter Custom Automotive, which was one of the show sponsors, had its rig parked in the middle of the vendor area, so you couldn't miss it. Also on hand was Falken Tire, another one of the show sponsors, which had its show rig parked in front of the main gate, where all the participants and spectators came in. One of the Falken show girls was available to sign and give out posters.
At about 2 p.m., participants and spectators alike gathered around the burnout pad to see who was going to burn them to the ground. The number of participants in the contest was limited to the first 15 to sign up. There were lots of S-10s, a big Dodge, a couple of Fords, and a guy with a big Chevy Suburban. One of the guys even wore an old army gas mask, so he wouldn't have to breathe the smoke. Some of the participants really put on a show, blowing tire rubber all over the place. Next, everyone took a food break, before heading to the covered pavilion to check out the bikini contest. At 4 p.m., 15 lovely ladies took to the stage to see who was going to be crowned Miss S&J. The winner would receive a check for 1,000 dollars and a big pile of audio gear. With Miss Slammin' & Jammin' crowned, it was time to head out for an evening of food and cruising, which went on into the wee hours of the morning.
On Sunday morning, everyone gathered back at the covered pavilion for the lowest ride contest, and there was only one guy who entered the hopping contest, so he just put on an exhibition. He got his truck hopping with all four corners off the ground, and then went to side to side, which finally got the truck laying on its side. The crowd went wild.
With all the contest and entertainment out of the way, it was time for what everyone had spent the weekend waiting for, to see who had the best rides at the show. Charlie did things a little different for this show. He started out by giving out the top award first and worked his way down to the class winners. As the class winners were announced, they had to go to the building next door to pick up their award. This show is a good time for everyone, so if you want to make plans for next year, visit www.autoshows.cc or call (623) 423-4644.