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An irresitible combination..... |
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July 14, 1999
Kids are the heart of racing. At Charlotte County Speedway near Punta Gorda, Florida, that is more than a mere slogan used in ads and PR phamplets.
At 6:00 or thereabouts on a normal Saturday evening, the speedway announcer lets everyone know it’s time for the Jr. Fan Club meeting.
Shortly after their meeting the Fan Club piles onto the Hasbeen Fire Department’s big rigs for the Parade Lap. |
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Sara Carmean, the writer of the piece in the right side of this page, and her daughter Allison have been very instrumental in the success of the Charlotte Jr. Fan Club. “These kids are our future Drivers and Fans of tomorrow” sums up the winning attitude behind the Jr. Fan Club. |
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It would be hard to imagine John Hall, assistant Chief of the Hasbeen Fire Department, as a volunteer at the track. His dedication to the speedway extends beyond his infectious enthusiasm for the kids. He is also a member of the all volunteer clean up crew along with the staff of Prompt Towing out of Punta Gorda. The equipment and volunteers are ready to move quickly and are right on top of the wrecks on the speedway. This is a big part of what keeps the Charlotte County Speedway program moving right along. Which is must as the speedway has to abide by an 11:30 curfew.
John and his team took me on one of their “missions” recently, and it was fascinating to see the teamwork, alertness, and professionalism of a bunch of uniformed volunteers. One of the more interesting aspects of John Hall and the other guys performance is they understand the importance if the job they are doing, but as with the rest of the Charlotte program, there’s not any big heads.
The one thing that is obvious at Charlotte County Speedway is the passion with which everyone plays their part in the show. The love of what they are doing shines through, and it shows in the resounding excitement in the kids, and the grown up kids as well.
-Jack Smith |
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HASBEEN
As a spectator on a Saturday Night when the “Parade Lap Vehicles to the Front Straight Away” are called a person might wonder why all the kids are lining up along the fence in front of the grandstands. It doesn’t take much time to realize the kids are going for a ride on the Hasbeen Firetrucks!
The Charlotte County Speedway Jr. Fan Club has had the unique opportunity to have the Hasbeen Fire Department and Jonathan Hall come aboard as a one of their biggest Sponsors. As Jonathan would say “The smiles and looks on the kids faces is thanks enough”.
The Hasbeen Fire Trucks are “retired antique” firetrucks that have long since been put out to pasture but, with a little elbow grease, a great since of pride and a lot of love, these trucks are geared to make every child’s dream come true. To watch the shiny red engines and listen to the roar of the siren takes me back to a time when as a child I would long to race along side and see which way those big old wheels would roll.
Throughout the year the Hasbeen Fire Department has brought countless smiles to youngsters. Not only with the Fire Truck rides during the race season, but how can we forget the delivery of “Ole Saint Nick” himself Santa Claus! I personally watched the amazement in not only a child’s eyes but, young and old alike. The Hasbeen Fire Department and Santa Claus go way back I am assured from a very reliable source!
From fire truck racing to Thanksgiving Baskets, from countless hours of keeping the
track and drivers safe, the Jr. Fan Club of Charlotte County Speedway would like to say thank you Hasbeen Fire Department and especially Jonathan Hall for allowing the young and old child to be part of a moment in time aboard a Hasbeen Fire Truck. -Sara Carmean |
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