Chrome, Smoke and Sunset
An impromptu Motor Show rolled into town with polished chrome, lifted bikes, loud engines, a free bar and a surprisingly amount no violence. Probably because of the giant sheriff’s deputy present!
Sunset, chrome and lifted bikes gave the mall’s carpark a rare evening where the loudest thing was mostly engines rather than sirens (or gunshots). It might also have been Wilbur…
A group of Hathian residents rolled into the strip-mall with polished chrome, lifted motorcycles, classic cars, one mini bus with a giraffe embedded in it (and matched with one thong worn by Wilbur), racewear, leather, some questionable vehicle histories (how many citizens do you need to knock over before you get impounded? and plenty of skin on display.
Against the summer orange of the Hathian sky, bikes were raised on display stands, cars were parked for inspection or admiration, and the crowd moved between gossip, cars, drinks and flirting, all with the kind of enthusiasm that the heat usually might sap. While the gathering was fairly impromptu, the Observer’s recommendation is that a paddling pool is provided next time!
Attendance built across the afternoon and into the evening, with the show continuing until around 6pm SLT. Early arrivals browsed a mix of old muscle, custom bikes, restored classics and more eccentric entries, while Bro’s BBQ came through with food that as our review of the place stated, built immediate brand loyalty for Zeek’s meat.
Local Garage employees provided the right costumes to support the atmosphere!
The early display mixed clean classics with Hathian’s usual eccentric taste and interesting (especially for Clivia) individuals.
The Hathian Performing Arts Centre contributed one of their antique vehicles driven by our editor, Daiyu.
Fitz and Grey brought both car culture and Wilbur-grade spectacle. (I never know when he’s gonna be polished or wrecked -Ed)
Grey’s ’59 Impala
Among the vehicles on display was a 1959 Impala owned by Grey Fitzgerald, who described it as the first major purchase she made after the release of Witchouse’s first album four years ago.
Since then, the car has been an ongoing restoration project and recently carried her and Wilbur Fitzgerald across five states on their honeymoon road trip.
Some came polished, some came practical, and some came with not enough cup support. Yum?
The show continued later into the evening, with more visitors drifting through and no thefts. This was impressive!
Watson the Apocalypse Matador
Temporarily bullied into journalism by me, Clivia Sanko-Tang (Tang comes last, Clivia First – always) spoke with Vaylinn about “Watson”, a 1972 Matador with a 6.6 litre V8 engine and the sturdy look of a car that would probably survive the apocalypse by using zombies for fuel.
Vaylinn admitted the car had been bought for around five hundred dollars and had become a restoration project: big, loud, rough around the edges, and therefore apparently a perfect match for her. Clivia was seen to nod (drool) in approval.
Clivia, doing journalism. Briefly. Under marital pressure.
Clivia and Karigan near the bike that would become known, at least to this newspaper, as Fat Betty.
I observed, photographed, and even delegated one entire interview to my wife. I do trust her!
City faces drifted through the show, some with more on their minds than engines (and less on their bodies).
Observer Choice Award: Fat Betty
Karigan Hopper’s bike made an impression, with its size earning Clivia’s proposed name of “Fat Betty.” After reviewing the photographs and the show entries, the Observer has decided to name Fat Betty as our post-event bike pick, awarding Karigan a $250 Observer choice prize for bringing the kind of machine that did basically looked like Hathian in motor form. Subtlety is overrated. Fat Betty understood the assignment and won comfortably.
The event was not without Hathian normality though… Some attendees arrived looking for barbecue before they looked at the vehicles. Others treated the show as a place to pose, talk restoration, learn about bikes, admire old steel, or simply be seen somewhere that was not immediately on fire or crawling with HPD. Vanora was clearly off-duty in our photos!
Anna Grant explained that her own motorcycle had taken around a year and a half to complete and was built more for power than raw speed, while offering sensible advice to a curious onlooker. Start as a passenger, learn properly, and do not simply buy a bike because it looks exciting. This is good, responsible advice and is probably the reason Anna still has all her limbs.
Elsewhere, Bro’s BBQ helped turn up the attendance, because free brisket, pulled pork, ribs and chorizo is better to the stomach than exhaust fumes and scorching sun. The cars brought people in. The food made sure they stayed. Thank you to Zeek and his staff from all who were there!
Not every conversation was about engines, but that is often what makes an event feel alive. I tried to bury a hatchet with Beth, but sometimes things are hard…
By late evening, the show had found its rhythm and had got more raucous. With our event host now present all was well that ended well.
For once, residents gathered around polish (tight and sexy costumes) and horsepower rather than yellow tape from HPD.
That may have been the real success of the afternoon. The show was not just about cars and bikes, though there were plenty worth seeing. It was about people gathering somewhere that, for once, was not already marked out by crime scene tape and Krystal’s shouting voice. We need more of this in Hathian. Enjoy a moment, not someone else’s life, things or whatever.
it’s a reminder that sometimes the best stories start with someone lifting a hood (of a car, story, person or thing) and saying, “This one’s mine.” I’ve done that with Clivia and her story is amazing me as we take steps together. I’ve done it with the museum’s car, and been surprising it even works and I’ve done it in my own life, reflecting on what the Yuugen failed to teach in the way they expected. You should do it to. Learn, inspect, grow and enjoy. There’s so much fun out there and we at the Observer can’t wait to see it with you!
I later acquired one of the display wheels (from some kinda earth mover it seems!) and, naturally, used it to display Clivia. She likes this shit. See previous articles on hanging from trees.
Because Of Course
The final image of the night is what you, dear reader, make it. For me, it didn’t belong to the show itself and was more to the domestic aftermath.
It was not part of the official judging criteria, but it fitted the theme and if one might call it a ‘vehicle’, I think it was a pretty good one and a commitment to theme! Yes, with difficulty she could be rolled. And yes, I was aware that I could be crushed. But hey, how often do you get as editor to write ‘Crush me baby’ to your wife in public? Heh.
And so dear reader, we come to the end… remember if you know of an event, or have an idea for one, the Observer is always interested to cover it, or help you co-create it. Reach out to a reporter or our editor for more details!
((No AI for photos. Chat GPT used to help with HTML layout as I try different ways of presenting articles. Let me know what you think – old style text with images or more formatted like this? DM or Discord me thoughts!))
