4 minute read
The Fun Starts Here
22 years of spreading the Gearhead “News You Can Use” is in the books….
HAPPY NEW YEAR Gearheads! Here’s my wishes for all of you to have a wonderful 2023, full of gearhead fun, cool cars and plenty of good times with great friends. Make it happen my friends...you’ll be glad you did.
Check out the mast head on the previous page and you’ll see that we clicked over to Volume # 23 in 2023. We’ve been at this for 22 years now in some form or fashion….spreading car show, cruise-in and other gearhead related event info.
We started out small. Just an email once in a while to let a few folks know a car show or two was coming up and asking if they wanted to go.
Pretty soon more people who liked all the car stuff I was sharing asked to be on the email list….sure ...why not...everybody wants to have car fun.
After a while, event info started getting sent to me to “share”. Share I did. It wasn't on a regular basis but kind of regular, if you understand. You may have been one of the folks getting the info.
The emails got bigger and bigger, coming out more often to share the gearhead word if you will.
Since all the info was coming in, that lead to a “newsletter” type format being put together. The info was a whole lot more organized and easier to read. It was still all local (the Mid-South region). Pretty soon the newsletter got so big, loaded with so much info that everyone couldn't get it via email as some email providers had a smaller limit on attached files via email. I wanted to do something but hadn't figured out just what to fix the problem.
I give all the credit to my buddy Butch Pate. You’ve seen his photographic work on our pages. Butch told me about a program that could turn what I was creating into a full on magazine, the very same we have been using and sending out to everyone for many years now. Problem solved.
Next thing we had people from all over the USA sending us info to share, as they apparently liked what we were putting out. We went to a monthly format for a while, then went to a weekly format for a long time (kicked my butt each week), and finally settled in on a bi-weekly publication schedule. (Continued on page 6)
As they say….the rest is history. Fast forward to today. It’s time for a change.
If you hadn't guessed by now based our cover for this issue (cool artwork by Larry Williams of Williams Graphics) this is the last issue of the GEARHEAD GAZZETTE.
For the past six months I have thought about this and am very comfortable with this decision. I have other things that I want to work on and the extra time will let me do just that.
What we have done in the GEARHEAD GAZZETTE is make sure everyone had all the info they could get, to know where to go to have gearhead fun all year long. When we started doing this, there weren't many places to get the info. Today, social media is full of info and there are some great websites and Facebook pages to get the info you need.
I pride myself on always keeping the Gazzette FREE TO READ. I have never felt that you should have to pay for the info we provide. Now I am not knocking other publications out there that do charge for the info. Its what they want to do to run their business.
In the end this is a business too. There are monthly costs we incur to produce the GAZZETTE for every issue. Thanks to some great sponsors over the years, we have been able to cover those costs and keep the GEARHEAD GAZZETTE FREE. Thank you advertisers!
Looking at the whole “enchilada”, the time is just right to bring the GAZZETTE to a close.
I have been blessed to have some great friends support the GAZZETTE in many ways over the years. I cant begin to thank all of you enough. It comes from the heart….THANK YOU!!!
I am honored and blessed also to have all you who read the GEARHEAD GAZZETTE. Whether you are on our mailing list, or stop by the website for the latest issue or get it from our FACEBOOK page, TWITTER Page or Instagram page...Thank You.
I am looking forward to seeing everyone out at the shows and cruise-in’s. Make sure to stop me and say hi!!
I invite everyone of you to keep up with my new adventures over at the SPEED KING HOT RODS Website, FACEBOOK page and INSTAGRAM page. I am going to have some big fun over there. I still enjoy writing, so you never know what might happen in the future over at Speed Kings.
The greatest thing I personally have gotten from publishing the GEARHEAD GAZZETTE al these years is all of you. Having people come up and introduce themselves and just talk about their cars, trucks, etc. or their families is PRICELSS to me. I am going to close by saying THANK YOU...all of you, for being a part of my life for so long. I have been so blessed to have all of you in it. You have made me a better person.
Its not goodbye but see you later….In the words of one of my favorite magazine guys….Gray Baskerville...ADEEOS “Drive ’Em Don’t Hide ’Em”
Jimmy B.
“the fun starts here”….
