[critter]

I've watched this thread with some interest. I got a bad taste in my mouth early on with POCI. I re-joined last year for a year just to see and went to the convention. Things were MUCH better than my first experience so I think the new management is doing better. That said, I think they're facing the same problems our own independent Pontiac club is facing. I wrote this for our newsletter and web site and I think it might be appropriate to add to this thread.

My wife and I were out fetching dog food the other day an and ended up over at David’s Burgers in North Little Rock. You all know how huge that parking lot is. When we pulled up the parking area was crammed with Evo’s, Honda’s, Talon’s, and even late model Trans Ams and GTO’s. Hoods were up and people were milling about despite the frigid temperatures.

We went inside to eat and it was full of youngsters with smart phones, body piercings and tattoos. Many of them were wearing logo clothing that had automotive related references. I watched those tables and saw them doing exactly what car folks do, talking cars and having a great time.

When we left I pulled up to a group of those kids and asked them if this was a club show or something. The young man that responded said no, it was just a “car meet”. We talked cars for a bit and they were tickled when I told them I’d like to come out and play some time. They were even respectful when I explained the cars we owned and pretty impressed that I had an old Trans Am. Yep, they knew what it was. I can tell you not a one of them was over 30 years old.

So I asked them how I would find out about the next “meet” they have. It was pretty easy to see where we are failing to reach that generation. The only static site they could direct me to was a Facebook page for the tuner crowd in Little Rock. Other than that it was all done via text messaging and twitter. Welcome to social media.

The challenge to our incoming officers is a big one. I think we have to find a way to engage this group of people. It’s time to find a way to adapt to their way of doing car events. It’s time to park less, drive more and put much less emphasis on static car shows and trophies. That’s not their scene. It was our scene but if we can’t draw enough interest to even get officers on a regular basis it might be time to get out of the way for the new generation.

All of that to say that I think the car hobby is just fine. The problem is, us old dogs can’t keep up anymore in the new age of technology. It might not be named POCI or the Arkansas Pontiac Association in the year 2050, but there will still be a car culture.