The Chill still draws car, bike, truck crowds

The Park City Chill lived up to its name this year, as the three-day car/motorcycle/truck show started its run with temperatures in the teens and only managed to climb to the low 30s by Sunday’s closing ceremonies. And then there was the snow.

Richard Bartel, the organizer of the event, said the standing joke is, “If you want it to snow, have Bartel put on a car show.”

The wintry weather did have an impact on the number of vehicles displayed, with about 40 pre-registered entries not showing up. But Bartel said all available vendor spaces were sold out and the Saturday night concerts pulled a big crowd, despite other local entertainment options.

“We had a packed house Saturday night,” Bartel said. “Robin and I and our event staff were humbled by all who came out. It was a great turnout for everybody.”

There were new vehicles to see and appreciate in all of the categories, including the big 18-wheel custom semi trucks.

I’ll admit I did heed the forecasters’ warnings and did my photo duties on set-up day, on Thursday, since I didn’t fancy driving 100-plus miles round-trip in snowy conditions during the main run of the show (I’m getting too old for that stuff).

It was a little slower-paced that way, but I still had a chance to visit with plenty of car guys and see a lot of cool machinery.

Bartel said he anticipates having a major announcement soon about next year’s Chill.

This story was originally published March 6, 2015 at 5:28 PM with the headline "The Chill still draws car, bike, truck crowds."