The 62nd Parade Gimmick Rally |
The 2017 Gimmick Rally will be held on Thursday, July 13th, and will take you out of Spokane to the silver mining mountains of Wallace, Idaho. This year we will highlight the historic wild-west as seen through the eyes of the miners; perhaps visit a silver mine or old-fashioned saloon, take a chance with a card sharp and his lady, and go back in time to the turn of the century. The gimmick will be revealed along the way… and it is one you have never experienced like this before! For this rally, you will only need a car, a smile, and a sense of adventure.
Rally cars will be sent out at one-minute intervals beginning at 8am, and you may choose your morning “out time”. You will travel along scenic lake and mountain roads with opportunities for sight-seeing, photos, eats and drinks, and unique experiences with historic significance. Parade trophies will be awarded at the Friday night banquet for the winning gimmick entries in “Two-Person” and “Two-Person Plus” (families and friends).
Don’t forget, you are able to drive the Gimmick Rally in a Porsche OR any car, truck, rental, or tow vehicle. This event is great for families, and especially fun for couples and friends. ONLY the DRIVER should register for this event (one registration per carload). During Parade week, you may specify your navigator (required) and passengers (if any).
If you have questions, please contact me at ebeck944@comcast.net.
Gimmick Rally History:
Looking back, the first Parade Gimmick Rally was held 11 years ago at the 50th Porsche Parade in Hershey, PA. It was a new Parade event, inspired by the success of fun, low-key gimmick rallies across PCA on the regional level. That first route traveled through the Lancaster Amish countryside with multiple-choice questions to answer. From 2006 to 2009, local regions hosted the Gimmick Rallies, with a variety of styles, themes and scenic countryside – from coastal San Diego to the rarefied air of Colorado.
The Gimmick Rallies since 2010 have been organized in a fairly consistent manner; an average driving time of 3 hours, with an eye to highlighting the local history, unique attractions, scenic drives and overall flavor of each Parade location – including suggested stops along the way for something that you might not otherwise see or experience anywhere else. The “gimmicks” have generally been suggested by something about the route and its possibilities that “inspires” the rallymaster…. and that changes every year. Just like a box of chocolates... you never know what you’re going to get!
2016’s Covered Bridge Selfie Rally featured 16 covered bridges marked on a map. Entrants had to plot their own route with the lowest total mileage, and prove they found each bridge by taking a selfie.
2015 in French Lick, Indiana we ran with a horseracing theme, searching for clues and finding scavenger items at the Kentucky Derby museum and scenic surrounding towns.
2014’s Monterey scenery was incredible – both inland and along the coast, and rallyists had the choice of driving either one of the routes, or both, for the overall trophy.
2103 saw Porsches going forwards or backwards around Michigan’s Mission Peninsula, passing each other every which way, with a unique selection of photos to identify along the way.
2012’s Salt Lake gimmick was all about the numbers - speed limit, caution and grade signs – adding and subtracting your way through the gorgeous mountain passes.
2011’s route traveled from Savannah to and through the unique Low Country and southern charm of South Carolina, with an eye for the signs.
2010 St. Charles rally followed the Lincoln Highway through Illinois using a Jeopardy-themed Q and A.
Ellen Beck
Parade Gimmick Rallymaster
