On July 5, 2008, the weather was nasty in New Jersey, cruel in Connecticut, and pathetic in Pennsylvania, but it was oh-so-sweet in Saratoga Springs, New York, as Firebirds fled rain and clouds from those states to be part of the 6th Annual All-Firebird Lawn Show. The gathering at Saratoga Auto Museum in the SPA State Park strives to be a down-home, feel-good, low-stress family friendly meet, and this one went off as planned without a single raindrop. Firebird Nation of North America (FNONA) club members teamed up with Special Olympics Saratoga County coaches, volunteers, and athletes to produce another All-Firebird Lawn Show, setting records in both attendance and donations to the Special Olympics.
Thirty-seven Firebirds gathered early Friday evening at the Saratoga Auto Museum for an all-Firebird cruise to Mr. Ed's Ice Cream and Pizza Station. FNONA member Joe Carey, who also happens to be one of Saratoga's finest, arranged a Saratoga Springs Police Department escort. Officers in the two SSPD black-and-white squad cars seemed to thoroughly enjoy the cruise as they ran interference for the entourage of F-Birds with lights and sirens wailing, which forced oncoming traffic to the side of the road.
Apparently all the Pontiac excitement made the cruisers hungry, since many were later seen munching on Mr. Ed's great treats. FNONA held a brief annual meeting and thanked all for making the pilgrimage. Just before dark, some Birds flew the coup to view 4th of July fireworks in downtown Saratoga Springs, a few drove to a local drive-in movie theater, others drove north to Lake George, while most retreated to hotels and houses to get ready for the show the next day.
On Saturday morning, under blue skies and 70-degree temperatures, registration opened at 8:30 a.m. to accommodate early Birds and what seemed like a never-ending procession of Pontiac F-bodies. By 2 p.m., temperatures had barely reached 80 degrees, but there were 139 red-hot Firebirds from 12 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces on the lawn. This would be the first time in the six-year history of the show that there was at least one Firebird representing every model year ever manufactured except 1982. And despite 93-octane fuel rising above the $4.50 per gallon mark, the '08 Saratoga show set a new record by raising nearly $7,100 and handing Special Olympics Saratoga County more than $5,800 after show expenses. Since 2004 when the 2nd Annual All-Firebird Lawn Show became a fundraiser for Special Olympics, the show has handed the Saratoga County branch of the organization slightly less than $20,000.
Participants were met at the entrance by photowheels.com, and each arrival was digitally captured with historic stone buildings and lush green trees as a backdrop. Special Olympics New York (SONY) athlete DJ Nolan provided music to keep the participants humming during the show, while other SONY athletes searched the grounds for their favorite 25 Firebirds, all of which would receive SONY participant ribbons.
Class judges had the laborious job of scoring all the entries on a day when it seemed like the quality of cars was kicked up two or three notches from the '07 show. There were also the nonjudged special-award categories of SONY Coach's Choice, SONY Athlete's Choice, Saratoga Auto Museum Director's Choice, Mangino Pontiac Dealer's Choice, and the Joe Nolan Memorial Trophy.
The club donated its half of the 50/50 raffle money to Special Olympics Saratoga, while one lucky ticket holder collected the other half. Participants grew animated as the amount reached $1,066. Everyone studied their tickets and held their breath as Special Olympics athlete DJ Nolan reached into the bucket of stubs, but only Mark Goldman from Endicott, New York, held the winning ticket. FNONA club President Tom Smith presented him with $533, but the crowd burst into wild applause as Mark took a $100 bill from his stack of winnings and gifted it to Special Olympics representatives on the spot.
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