2008 Chicagoland Emergency Vehicle Show
2008 Chicagoland Emergency Vehicle Show
Hello all. We're back and this edition is going to be pretty singular in its content. I've recently returned from attending the Chicagoland Emergency Vehicle Show in North Aurora, Illinois. There's much to tell, especially if you've never been able to attend yet.
To start with, I'm going to do a bit of plagiarizing, here. The following paragraph is excerpted from an information page supplied by the show organizers themselves. I'm sure you won't mind, Dave.
To start with, the show is located in North Aurora, which is west of Chicago itself. Access is relatively easy, right off I-88, which makes traveling there uncomplicated. The host hotel was located within a 5 minute drive of the event, another plus. Always a good start, here.
The activities start Friday evening with a lights and siren parade through the North Aurora area sanctioned by the town. It's a pretty impressive sight to see a long line of copcars and the rest all shined up wailing and flashing to the delight of the local kids, young and old.
Saturday morning, it's off to the showground. The local support and participation is quite impressive. It's obvious that the people and politicians in the area have a high regard for this event and it shows. There was a plethora of emergency vehicles of all kinds and years to see. The police cars did take the largest share of vehicles on display with attendees coming from as far away as Florida. I could go on and on describing each magnificent car and giving kudos to each individual owner. I'm going to forgo this as not to inadvertently slight anyone I might miss. Let's just say that the hard work and attention to detail showed in all that attended.
There were more than just the static displays of vehicles to see. The NAFD offered demonstrations of vehicle rescue and rappelling, the KCSD and NAPD did SWAT hostage situation demos using real implements like flash-bangs and in full uniform.
There was a timed EVOC course offered to owners of police cars. You had three chances to run the course with the best overall time winning an award.
All in all, this is a premiere event for owners and enthusiasts of emergency vehicles without question.
A new addition to the weekend's events was traveling Sunday morning to Lake in the Hills, Illinois for their annual Police Benevolent National Night Out Against Crime Car & Truck Show. This is an event done yearly with great local support inside and outside law enforcement. We drove en masse complete with police escort all the way. Many thanks to the Kane County Sheriffs Department and the Lake in the Hills Police Department for their escort and support.
The show was complete with DJ, great food, and many beautiful classics and rods. A local RV dealership donated a magnificent class a motor home for use as a "command post". The hard work by the organizers and the huge community support show quite well in this event. Our police cars easily doubled the attendance which thrilled the staff. The Illinois State Police was even there with their rollover accident simulator. For anyone considering a career in Midwest law enforcement, the ISP is planning soon to bolster their ranks by 400 new troopers, so jobs are available. Just thought I'd throw that plug in.
As a Police Explorer's post is one of the beneficiaries of this show, we passed the motor helmet around and collected $245 and presented it to the organizer for the post.
All in all, we were treated graciously and hope to return next year to this beautiful bedroom community. It is a bonus to both be able to attend enjoyable events and help out a worthy cause at the same time. The organizers intend to network with Dave Weaver to coordinate next year's dates so we can make it another great weekend.
There's not much more I can say that hasn't already been said. If you haven't been to Chicagoland, go. If you are not an EV owner, but are going to be in the Chicago metro area next early August, go. Next year's info (when it is available) and pictures for this year's meet along with previous ones is available for viewing at:
www.emergencyvehicleshow.com
My pictures of the event are available for public viewing on Photobucket. Just query for Pacopcar's albums. Look for the Chicagoland 2008 album.
I could ramble on and on about the weekend, the great camaraderie and both old and new friends, blah, blah, blah. I'll spare you. Instead, I'll sign off duty now and leave you to peruse the photos on the site so you can make up your own minds on whether you will attend next year. It won't be a hard decision to make.
Until later, continue enjoying the summer, stay safe, and keep saving those copcars!!!
Other columns
Introduction | The basics of police car collecting | Who are collectors? Why do we collect?
Emergency lighting | Sirens | Where to find retired police cars | Emergency vehicle shows | Investing in police cars
Restorations: Rules and regs for restorers | https://www.allpar.com/squads/collecting.htmlDo-it-yourself bodywork | Do-it-yourself mechanical work
Shows: Chicagoland Emergency Vehicles Show | Aquidneck Island Police Car Parade (2008 | 2009)
Also see the EVOOA home page
Police and fleet cars, trucks, and vans
Fleet/Squad Cars
Ambulances
Taxis
Buses
Postal
Current Police Cars
Charger
Collecting
Home •
Engines •
Reviews •
Chrysler 1904-2018 •
Upcoming •
Trucks •
Cars
Spread the word via <!--Tweet or--> Facebook!
We make no guarantees regarding validity or accuracy of information, predictions, or advice - .
Copyright © VerticalScope Inc. All rights reserved. Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, Ram, and Mopar are trademarks of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
