Lambda Car Club International
Denver Chapter
The article below appeared in the June 2004 edition of OutFront Colorado.
| What kinds of things are necessary to make up a successful classic car club in the gay community? A bunch of great old cars and trucks? A group of fun gay and gay-friendly people? An interesting and informative newsletter? A few folks who happily devote time and energy to arrange great events and meetings? Denver's Sunday Afternoon Car Klub has all that and more. SACK sputtered into existence in the fall of 1985 after a handful of men kept seeing each other cruising their classic cars through Cheesman Park on Sunday afternoons. They were soon swapping stories and information about their cars and, shortly after that, they decided to form a club. They planned meetings at the homes of the founding members and were soon taking field trips to junkyards, museums, drive-in movies and swap meets. The club's official logo was designed by one of the crew and was adopted in December of 1988. The logo is still in use today. SACK held its first club fund-raiser by hosting a beer bust at the Triangle bar in February 1988. By 1991, the membership numbers had started to pick up and the Club's directors pursued the idea of SACK becoming an affiliate of a national gay car club, Lambda Car Club International. A few months later, SACK was welcomed to the LCCI family and became known as the Rocky Mountain region's biggest club for classic car lovers who happened to be gay and gay-friendly. As the years rolled by, members came and went. Some had moved away and others had passed away, but the club's ranks continued to grow. In 1996 SACK won the bid to host LCCI's Grand International Invitational. The event, dubbed Rocky Mountain High Gear, lured about 200 LCCI members and their vehicles from around the country and the world to Denver for a 3-day package of car-related activities that some are still talking about. Most considered the highlight to be participating in a real live demolition derby that was held in an open field on the rural property of one of the founding members. Five years later, SACK again won the bid to host the LCCI Invitational. LCCI was observing its 20th anniversary and knew SACK could be counted on to put on a great event. Participants enjoyed great activities at '2001:Western Iron' including a huge car show, a banquet at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and an awards dinner that featured musical entertainment by local sensation Lannie Garrett. A tour of author Clive Cussler's huge collection of classics was arranged. And, by popular demand, a bigger, better demolition derby was held to delight the guests from around the country and the world. Today, SACK is a vital organization led by a 9-member board of directors. Members receive bi-monthly newsletters from both SACK and LCCI and enjoy monthly events and traditional activities like the 'Cruise the Colors Tour' in the fall, the Holiday Party in the winter and Memorabilia Day in the spring. A large contingent of classic cars owned by SACK members has played a part in Denver's Gay Pride parade for a dozen years. Caravans of polished SACK classics descend annually on the Thresher Days Celebration in Yuma, the antique and classic car show at the Holy Cross Abbey in Caņon City, and the Hot Times/Kool Cars show in Arvada. Regional swap meets and other auto shows are always well-attended by SACK members and events like museum tours, bowling parties, picnics and visits to members' homes happen on a monthly basis. An election for new officers is held once a year and board meetings are held monthly. Annual dues and fund-raisers generate money to support the Club and its donations to local charities. Some SACK members own more than a dozen classic vehicles and others own none. Some collect literature while others collect hood ornaments or model cars and scale replicas. A wide range of backgrounds and incomes adds diversity to the membership too. But all members are tied together by a love of the automobile, be it new or old, rough or restored, full-size or miniature. From Volkswagens to Cadillac limousines, Studebakers and Packards to Jensen-Healys and Rolls Royces, all are represented and appreciated. If you feel like SACK might have something to offer you or vice versa, you're encouraged to contact the club for membership information. Inquiries can be sent to SACK, P.O. Box 40314, Denver, CO, 80204 or e-mailed to SACKinfo@aol.com. SACK will have a booth at Denver's PrideFest celebration to provide the community with information about the Club and its activities. As long as the automobile remains an integral part of our culture, enthusiasts will continue to love and cherish the cars we grew up with and live with today. And SACK will be there for the Rocky Mountain community, bringing those enthusiasts together to enjoy the people and celebrate the cars that make the classic car hobby so popular. |