"Lukewarm" August Nights....

"Hot August Nights" is here again, and once again I'm disappointed. It seems to get worse every year. Apparently our greedy city fathers here in Reno-Sparks have finally killed the Golden Goose. I fully understand from a tourist's point of view. Last week any motel room in Reno-Sparks whether it was Motel 6 or Holiday Inn or Circus-Circus or the Peppermill was priced anywhere from $29 to $59. This week the greedy bastards are charging $150-$300 per night. That's just wrong, and short-sighted. So you screw people for an exorbitant rate for a few nights. Does that really improve your bottom line for the year? Does that make people want to come back?  And law enforcement here has always been a joke during HAN. The highway patrol is out on interstate 80 just beyond the state line writing tickets as people come in. The minimum fine now for 1-10 mph over is $195!! In other words your driving or towing your classic car to Hot August Nights, the speed limit is 70 and because your going 75-we greet you with a $200 ticket!!  Which you can pay, or you can spend even more money coming back up here a month from now to go to court and fight it. Neither option is going to leave a good taste in anybody's mouth, or make them want to come back. And is a few days of terrorizing tourists with big tickets for minor violations going to fill the city coffers that much? So much that it's worth people not coming back?  There's always a riot, because the police dept allows gang-bangers from the Bay Area and Sacramento to come up here and cause trouble. If New Orleans P.D. can handle Mardi Gras, why can't we handle HAN? There's homeless drunks panhandling all up and down the strip. You don't see that on the Las Vegas strip!!  And again- there's no events worth going to. In years past we got great entertainment like The Righteous Brothers, ( or Bill Medley by himself after Bobby Hatfield passed away ) Jerry Lee Lewis, The Beach Boys, John Kay of Steppenwolf, Little Richard, The Guess Who, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, Fats Domino and Ringo Starr,-you know people who actually had hits in the '50's, '60's and '70's!!  I realize some of them have passed away or retired, but now we don't get ANYBODY. Not even "Rain" or "Rob Hanna" or Johhny Baron. Local guys that had very popular tribute shows to the Beatles and Rod Stewart and Elvis Presley respectively.  They used to have real 1/4 mile drag races at the old Stead airport. No more. Now they have 1/8 or 1/16 of a mile drag races in casino parking lots!!  Really?  Who wants to see cars race for 330 or 660 feet? To 25 or 50 mph??!!!  Puhleeze!!  The really strong big block cars will spin the tires for 330 feet!!!  The old "Top Gun" dragstrip in Fallon is still open and that's only 57 miles from Reno. The Reno-Fernley racetrack is only 29 miles away and has a full dragstrip!!  Have some real drag races and offer some real prize money. But the casino owners and organizers of HAN are too damnded cheap. They'd have to buy insurance and have paramedics standing by if you had real races. We don't want to pay for that!!  I guess that's why the high-rollers with the really cool cars are staying away. The "Show-n-Shines" aren't worth going to. The GM section is all 55-57 Chevys and Camaros and Chevelles, and GTOs and Firebirds. No 427 'Vettes, no old small-block '50's or '60's 'Vettes for that matter, no 409 Impalas, no 421 Catalinas, no Buick Rivieras or GS Skylarks, no Olds 442s or Toronados, no W31 or Rallye 350 Cutlasses, no 396 Novas, no Yenko Cars, no Baldwin-Motion cars. I did see one DKM "Macho T/A". No Cadillac Convertibles.  Very few '50's and '60's Chevy / GMC trucks, very few El Caminos. The Ford section is all Mustangs. Generic Mustangs. No Boss 429s, no Boss 302s, no GT350 or GT500 Shelbys. No Cougar Eliminators-very few Cougars period, no Torinos, no Cyclones, no Marauders, no Thunderbolt Fairlanes. A few T-Birds here and there.  The Mopar section is all B and E bodies. Chargers, Road Runners and Challengers with a few 'Cudas here and there.  No Superbirds or Charger Daytonas, no Max Wedge cars, no A990 Hemi Belvederes, no Hemi Darts. No Super Bees. Hell, I'd jump for joy if I saw a 340 Duster or Demon!!  No "Christine" clones, no '70's Furys done up like cop cars. It's a damn shame because just a few years ago you'd see all that cool stuff driving around town. Now you don't even see them on trailers, because their owners aren't bringing them!!  Why should you spend thousands of dollars to go somewhere and get gouged on a hotel room, get chickenshit tickets, and see lousy entertainment??  I wouldn't. The city fathers and HAN organizers better make some changes quick or it's going to die altogether. Sad. Mastermind