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Even though most people think the heart of custom car shows is somewhere on the West coast, the East coast can throw some great shows of its own. That's exactly what BestOfShow.net and Auto Add+Ons did when they hosted the 4th Annual Show and Shine by the Sea in Wilmington, North Carolina. Wilmington is about as Far East as you can get since it's a North Carolina beach city. Being that far from the West coast, there was still no lack of full out custom rides. The show was held on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Part of the show was held on pavement while the rest of the show was held on a smooth, flat, freshly cut field. Getting to the show was no less eventful than most of the other recent shows I've attended. We started early Friday morning and met up at a local rest area to start the 6-hour drive. By the time everyone arrived and was ready to leave, an hour and 45 minutes after the scheduled meeting time, the sun was up and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. As usually, we had to wait on the same Negative Camber guy. That's one thing that happens to everyone who attends a show in groups, you always have the same guy that's ALWAYS late. Once we got on the road things were as smooth as could be. We arrived at the show site around 4pm and there were already a couple guys setting up their rides for the weekend. We were up early Saturday morning washing the cars and getting ready to head to the show site. The show field started to fill up as soon as the gates opened. Lowered Atmosphere (LA) who also handled the parking of the show vehicles was judging the show. The day progressed with out any complications. LA did an excellent job of keeping things straight with the help of the show promoters, Carl and Lynda Spivey. By mid morning the venders had set up and were already selling parts and accessories to show goers to install before the judging began. We spent the day hanging out with friends and even grilled out a few hamburgers and hotdogs. Later that evening I went off to have diner with a few of my fellow ///Relaxed Atmosphere members from across the state. Afterwards, it was time to return to the show for the bikini and neon competitions.
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I was awoken Sunday morning to the sound of pouring rain and thunder. I just knew the day was going to be miserable and wet so I laid back down for another hour. When I finally woke up, the rain had stopped and the sun was out brighter than the day before. Shortly after we rolled into the show, the crowd gathered around the hydro area as it was time for the contest to begin, thanks to RDR Hydraulics out of Fayetteville NC. The crowd pleaser was the Showtime Hydraulics S-10, who had taken over the show. Working it hard enough to break parts and have a pump fire is always a sure way to get the 1st Place Money. As soon as the hydro area was cleared, it was time for the trophies. This was the first show I've been to that people didn't start complaining about the classing and judging as soon as the first trophy was given out. The organization of this show was probably the best I've seen. When it was time for the awards to be given out, people gathered around the stage to listen for their name to be called. The competition was tight and spread out through 52 classes and 14 elite awards. BestOfShow Car went to Richard Jones with his convertible Prelude with enough chrome to blind you. And BestOfShow Truck went to Mike Rash from Negative Camber with his body dropped S-10 sporting flamed interior and tint. BestOfShow Overall went to Derrick Gilley and his Mitsubishi Mighty Max with a full chrome and gold engine and undercarriage. So the next time you see a flyer for Show and Shine by the Sea in Wilmington, NC, make sure it's a show you don't miss! Brandon BurrellAka: QWTSTARN///Relaxed Atmosphere (NC)QWTSTARN@Hotmail.com
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