Besides the cold, the other thing I noticed was the continuing trend of more and more 900-Series trucks
appearing on the scene. The big 5-tons seem to be everywhere, and Findlay was not an exception. With the
prices being so low for a fully operational, turn-key vehicle, this is very understandable, if storage is not an issue.
Another trend that I started to notice last year was the number of familiar faces with new vehicles, and likely
more importantly, the emergence of first time vehicle owners bringing their new projects to show off. This is
significant because it really is what we need to insure the continued growth of our hobby.
There was a good variety and a number of first-time or unique vehicles in attendance. Among these would be the fully
tracked M578 recovery vehicle spiffy fresh from the John Cheney stables. It looked great and it rode pretty nice
too, as we discovered driving it around the camp in the evening after the crowds cleared. Traveling all the way
from Foxborough, MA, it is likely that Ralph Bennett came the furthest to display his 1963 Dodge M56 maintenance vehicle,
and quite a gem it is. Another postwar vehicle of note had to be the spotless 1986 VW Military Police Transporter,
which is a Kosovo War veteran, owned by Ken Adams from Tipton, MI, and although it's not military, the 1959 Willys FC150
owned by Dan Laity definitely deserves mention. If you desire a display to go with your MV, than Alan Wise and family
took care of that with an entire "war dog" veterinary medical tent to compliment their 1970 M151A2. Certainly not
unique, but impressive all the same were the XM818 and M916 tow vehicles employed by local fixture Tom Price to haul his LVT4
and other toys to the show. These were just a small part of the long line of "heavies" that were impressively displayed.
