The Celebration Capital Playbook For Car Clubs And City Partners

Meeting Tammy Dooley In Granbury

Don Armstrong 0:02

In person. We only get to see her once. Well, we get to see live and in person. It's Tammy Dooley.

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Good morning. Good morning.

Don Armstrong 0:10

Yeah. Who's that guy?

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Hey, hey, Steve. My fan club. I've brought my fan club. One person. You brought your crew, your whole crew too.

Don Armstrong 0:20

You got more than we have. That's Richard. So you know, I know that you told this story. And thank you for being with us, by the way.

SPEAKER_01 0:27

Oh, thank you for having me.

Don Armstrong 0:28

Um I know you told this story about how you got to Granberry via Rick Neely in Midland, Texas. And I had forgotten about that.

SPEAKER_01 0:38

We we uh yes We meaning your husband Tom Dooley.

Don Armstrong 0:43

I mean Mike Dooley.

SPEAKER_01 0:44

Yes. Well, we were working in Midland. I was out there 14 years managing a big Kevin Center arena, and uh but we had a house here, so I've been here since 93. So I've always You're a lake dweller? Uh not on the lake, no, we're in Pecan Plantation golf, golf dweller.

Don Armstrong 1:02

I understand that the uh the they're expanding the golf as if one golf course course isn't enough, they went to two, and now they're building a third one. How many golf courses can you have?

SPEAKER_01 1:13

Well, I we have a lot of golfers, and uh to hear the golfers talk about it never enough. Yeah, exactly.

Mike Marrs 1:20

Always getting a new course to go to, a hot rod.

Don Armstrong 1:22

You never need, you know, so that the with the third course, uh the green fees and and you know, playing it around now up to four hundred, five hundred dollars for eighteen holes.

Mike Marrs 1:31

No, no, no, no, no. You gotta go to Loch and Terra or something like that in San Antonio.

SPEAKER_01 1:36

No, it's it's very affordable. That's why so many people come here. And so uh That's not the only reason. Yeah, that's not the only reason. So yeah, that it so Rick and I knew each other when um I was out in Midland and we worked on some car events, and then the city of Granbury hired me when I sold our we sold our company, and the one of the first people to call me is Rick Nealing. He said, Well, you know, I put on the Lone Star Street Rod in Granbury, and I was like, You've got to be kidding me.

Mike Marrs 2:02

You can't get away from it.

Don Armstrong 2:05

Now, is is he friends with your husband, Mike?

SPEAKER_01 2:08

Oh, yeah. Oh yeah, they work together out there too. Yeah, we were all in the same industry.

Don Armstrong 2:12

Wow. Well, so this so we're kind of part of this.

SPEAKER_01 2:16

Yes, absolutely.

Don Armstrong 2:17

Well, you know, when you do maybe not, not after today. No, no.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

When you do events like this, and you know, I know we talked about this once before, this is all about cars and automobiles, and it's a reunion for them, and we love it. But it's every weekend is a different type of event here in Grand Bury. So, you know, one weekend we're all about rodeo cowboys, and uh,

From Midland To Pecan Plantation

SPEAKER_01 2:40

you know, everything's about Hood County Stampede or the you know, or Fourth of July hometown parade and fireworks, whatever it is, um, it just happens constantly here. And, you know, perfect segue, we're the celebration capital, Texas.

Don Armstrong 2:54

So we wait a minute, we did just blow that off. No.

SPEAKER_01 2:59

Um we oh, that's a great um story. W in um I guess it was about 19. No when I was born. No, no, no. I want to say like 22 um I started exploring why we were not designated. We did not have a place moniker, which is about a hundred cities in Texas have those. You know, it can be anything place moniker. Yes, it's a designation that says who who you really are as a community. So I started looking into it and couldn't believe Granbury didn't have one because we could be so many things, right? And so long story short, um, you have to go through the legislature to make this happen. You it has to be sponsored by a senator and and carried through the process, you know, by a rep. And so we pulled the whole community together and said, Who are we? And you know,

Naming Granbury The Celebration Capital

SPEAKER_01 3:50

that you can't be one of the other hundred names. Uh, true. Very true. So you have to rule all those out, and then you have to really establish who you are. And you know, a lot of people they have something like the pickle capital in Mansfield, or you know, whatever, whatever. I always say that it's unfair if you have a vegetable or a fruit because that's just you know obvious.

Don Armstrong 4:10

And you're asking for trouble with Don Armstrong, that's what you're asking for. Right.

SPEAKER_01 4:14

And if you're very smart, you pick something that represents all year and not one day.

Mike Marrs 4:19

Not not harvest season for the strawberry festival and petite or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 4:24

Exactly. So see, you know those and and people recognize those. So we uh formed uh anyone who wanted to be part of it came together, we had brainstorming sessions, we talked, we narrowed it down to like three different things, and the thing that kept coming back was festivals and events, festivals and events, because we do more than our fair share for a city this size. And this lady that uh, you know, in the room, her name's Stacey Howe, worked for an air conditioning company, says, Well, what about celebration? And you literally could have heard a pin drop, and everybody said, That's it, that's it, you know, because we could have been the monarch butterfly capital. There's so many things we could have been. Um, but anyway, that was that was it because people come to Grandberry to celebrate everything. And so we went through the process with the legislature and Shelby Slaussen, our representative, carried it through, and and we are officially now since 23, the celebration capital of Texas.

Jeff Dziekan 5:28

And uh you took our name.

SPEAKER_01 5:30

Yeah, one of my friends in McCallan called and said, you know, they do a lot of festivals, and they said, That's just not right. We're the celebration capital. And I said, No, you're the South Pole of Texas, and you're stuck with that forever.

SPEAKER_00 5:44

Take that.

Don Armstrong 5:45

Rub it in a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 5:47

But they were they were just you know congratulating us, but also we're gonna celebrate you didn't get the name. But you know, like mineral wells is the wellness capital, you know, all the different cities are different things. Um, and so I I actually help cities sometimes when they they they're not uh they don't have an identity, and you know, I explained to them the process of how you go about it, and and it's cool to see somebody get that designation.

Don Armstrong 6:14

Yeah,

Why Legacy Events Stay Here

Don Armstrong 6:15

perfect. Why why does uh Lone Star Street Rot Association keep coming back here?

SPEAKER_01 6:21

Um well I think there's l a lot of reasons. Um and again, you know, they they've been here 10 years, so I was fortunate when I started working here that they were already here. Um they I believe were they came from Fredericksburg on their last city. Uh it's all about how you treat an event. You can promise them the moon to get them here, but if you do not continually let them know how valued they are, then and deliver. And deliver um then they they can go anywhere they want to go. And we recognize that. We never take it for granted that they're here or with any other event we have. We know that they have choices, so we um you know, we do a lot of things to incentivize them. We offer all the services we're capable of, like you know, making sure the park is pretty and making sure that it's available, it's available. They have first ride on this date every year. We actually have, if you if you saw there's a farmers market up uh at the Langda grounds, they had contracted this throughout the whole summer, and when they contracted it with us, we said that's great, but you cannot be there this weekend because this weekend is all about Lone Star Street Ride. So it takes uh a commitment from our city and our our staff to make sure that people like this are their legacy events, they're protected. Um, you know, we supply extra things for them like the porta potties and all the different things, just little necessities.

Mike Marrs 7:54

Yeah, I I heard that Rick was saying talking about a meeting between that y'all had on Friday to talk about things and the bit local getting the local businesses involved

Rise And Grind Community Networking

Mike Marrs 8:03

in it.

SPEAKER_01 8:03

True. Uh we have a unique event we do every Friday. It's called Rise and Grind. And it is probably the best thing we do for our community. When I started here, uh the complaint I kept getting was um nobody knows what's going on. Like these events are still happening, but nobody knows what's going on.

Don Armstrong 8:23

So the locals don't know. The the locals events are coming out.

SPEAKER_01 8:26

Exactly, or they hear about them after or the week of or something, and they're you know, it it I've always said it's all about communication. So we started this little event. It was a Friday morning get together, nine o'clock. Everyone's invited, visitors, residents, businesses, uh especially events to promote themselves. And they're all invited, it's free. Um, a different sponsor is every week brings donuts or something, and then we have two sponsors that take care of coffee and water, so it doesn't cost us anything. And we started with like eight people, and we have been doing this every Friday since 2019. Even through COVID, we did it by Zoom, and then when we could start meeting again, we met 20 feet apart with our mask on, and you know, now it's what 2026, and we average 50 to 70 people every Friday. Oh wow. They all get to go around the room, they have up to two minutes to tell about their event, and I have to be the little when they go over, I have to give them the evil eye, you know. And they and they love it, it is the most unifying community thing. And it's like uh people have FOMA if they

What Car Clubs Miss In Planning

SPEAKER_01 9:37

don't go.

Don Armstrong 9:38

I have to tell you that the reason I bring all of this up with you is because we have a lot of listeners and viewers that are in car clubs that don't know the way to be able to work towards something this big. And I think that everybody that puts on a car show, a cruise in, whatever it is, hope for the best. You know, uh they usually charge a a nominal fee to show the car and they get a trophy and all of that stuff. But how you go about it? I had very little experience in putting on a car show when I was with the Corvette Club back in the day, Bill and Sharon Sites. And we did, and it was in a city park uh in Ayleaf, which is a subdivision of Houston. And um there was a ton of work that we didn't know what we were getting into. You know what are we how what kind of stage are we gonna have? They didn't supply a stage. We had to do that. We had to supply something as far as drinks are concerned. I'm not talking about booze, I'm talking about water, soft drinks. Uh what about food? This was an all-day affair that started at nine o'clock in the morning and went till five o'clock in the afternoon. Of course we didn't know, and so we didn't have anybody to be able to go to and say, Okay, well what do you suggest we do with this? How do we go about doing that? And see, this is the wealth of information that you bring to us in the car community that I'm sure that you have guided and helped these guys at Lone Star Streetrod to kind of develop this into what it has become. Because you can't do this without somebody like you. And um you're a rarity. You know, convention and visitors bureaus are a dime a dozen all across the United States and especially here in Texas. And they do well for what they do, but it seems to me that you've kind of bumped this whole thing up because of your experience, and I would take that the experience came from your time out in Midland running the convention center.

SPEAKER_01 11:37

Well, uh,

Working With A CVB That Delivers

SPEAKER_01 11:39

thank you. I will tell you, I and I could talk about this for hours, and you are right in that um well, I've done this my whole life. I've been in events, and so I understand the impact of events into a community. The disconnect that events don't under understand is letting people know that and how to communicate that to um a tourism bureau. Usually they go in and and just say, Hey, I want some money or some kind of incentive to help. The key is to tie find first of all, go to a city that wants to do business with you. Go to a city that is going to make it easy. Um, find a champion that welcomes you.

Jeff Dziekan 12:19

That welcomes you.

SPEAKER_01 12:20

If they're not wanting you and they're not looking for business, then right there is your clue. Don't go to that city. Find a city like, and I say Granberry. There's a a lot of good cities that that do this. And build a relationship with your convention and visitors bureau and or chamber or whoever it is. In our case, all of this comes through our tourism department and the conference center, and start these partnerships and say, look, we want a home, we want to what what do you need from us to show the impact? And then once that relationship starts, if you have a good CVB, um they're going to be your best advocate and friend. And that involves, and you can ask Rick Neely this, I mean, it involves money, services, support, stage, anything this car club wants, we're going to provide. And why are we going to do that? Because we don't want them to go back to Fredericksburg or go back to wherever. We want this to be um their home. So we have to give everything we can. And you know, it's an incentive package that can be done through many, many ways. It can be discounts in hotels, it can be, you know, cash uh funding grants, it can be advertising opportunities, it can be swag, like I brought you swag.

SPEAKER_00 13:38

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:39

And you know, it can br it can be all the great things, and this relationship has evolved so much that we even get to do a trophy for a winning car. You know, we and we don't know anything how to pick cars, so we just pick the producer. But you know, we we're this is part of our family too. So uh if he wasn't happy or this group wasn't happy, they would come to us and tell us and give us an opportunity to make it better. So um, and I'm always I love talking about this, and I you are right. I am surprised at how many um CVBs just don't see the value in that, but a lot of them do.

Jeff Dziekan 14:17

And I I you talked about your Friday conversation with the community uh the company I'm with we're part of Eastern Fort Band County Chamber of Commerce. Once a month they call it uh conversation uh coffee and combos, conversation and coffee. Yes, and all of the chamber people that are willing to go there, they do support that and they do have the coffee and donuts and things like that. But they network how can we help support each other as well, not just the community, but each other business. So that's what I'm part of where we're at.

Don Armstrong 14:45

How long did uh I know the the behind the scenes stuff, but when did you start promoting this event this year?

Year Round Promotion That Actually Works

Don Armstrong 14:54

When did you start promoting this? We never stop promoting it when when the event you have like a a catalog, a book of things coming this year or something?

SPEAKER_01 15:02

Oh yeah, yes. We well our website gets over a million views a year, visitGranberry VisitGranberry.com. And uh and uh we have all of our events. So events that are on the same dates every year, like uh this event immediately books next year. I mean we already have it on the calendar, but immediately we contract it. And then it goes on our event calendar, and as we get updated information um throughout the year, we drop that into our website, and then we're we produce uh printed material. We see 6,000 people through our visitor center a year. Um you know it it truly is about understanding that each event brings a significant amount of impact. If you drive through Granbury right now, you see all the cars, you see all the people, they're staying in hotels multiple days, um, several hundred hotel rooms, and they eat in the restaurants, and so if I were to go to uh pick a restaurant downtown, go in there and ask the owner, so the what kind of impact does Lone Star Street Rod have on your business here today?

Don Armstrong 16:11

They would be forthcoming and say, Oh yeah, we love these guys, or you know, I I really haven't heard from the person that I thought I was gonna hear from, but the whole place is full.

SPEAKER_01 16:22

Yes, no, we um if anybody doesn't know they're here this weekend, they're living under a rock because I mean, you know, we have a street banner up across the street that says welcome Lone Star Street Rod, and um sometimes we put up billboards welcoming welcoming them here. Um we've been promoting it at Rise and Grind. Rick came yesterday and brought a car. Um it's all on our event calendars website. We send out an email. We have electronic signs. Uh we we send out an email every Friday that has upcoming events for months and months and months out, and it's been on there, and that goes to 14,000 people every Thursday. So and then it's all over social media, and our social media is huge. So it's it's a great event, and see all that is free because that's a service Visit Granberry provides, and it should be the So Visit Granbury's got a budget.

Don Armstrong 17:18

Oh, yes, yeah, you have a budget, and I mean, does Street Rod Association pay you?

SPEAKER_01 17:25

No, this is free. We do everything free. Yes, it's part of our support. All of our advertising and marketing is

Tourism Funding And Real ROI Numbers

SPEAKER_01 17:34

is um free to all of our so you have a budget from the city? Yes, okay. I'm a city department. Um heavily uh a big part of our budget is through the hotel occupancy tax, and that's the tax that is collected off of hotel rooms. Sure. And so um, and then a lot of our budget comes from the Lake Granbury Comfort Center uh revenue. And then the city also realizes the value of the impact of tourism, so they actually do general fund transfer. So I I operate about a $2.7 million dollar budget, which you know is public knowledge. So that money is to generate tourism right now.

Don Armstrong 18:17

You know, Joe's bar and grill and and the Piccadilly cafeteria and whatever.

SPEAKER_01 18:21

Whatever. And our return on that, our total direct travel um spending revenue back uh according to the state of Texas through travel Texas is fifty-eight million dollars. So we're investing two point seven to get fifty-eight. Our direct travel impact back into the community is fifty-eight million. And in the in the county, it's eighty million. So when you can um speak to the truth to those numbers to your community and your events then um show what they do.

Don Armstrong 18:55

They take on a whole different language, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 18:58

The the uh that's how you speak tourism to a community, and that is the strength of events.

Don Armstrong 19:04

But you ha it's a great destination. You got a huge lake here that runs uh I think all the way from the South Pole to the North Pole.

Mike Marrs 19:10

Yeah, and uh 21, 22 miles.

SPEAKER_01 19:12

Twenty eight miles, twenty eight.

Don Armstrong 19:18

Anyway, uh uh we love talking to you. And thank you for having us, as you always do. We appreciate you. And uh a great event, and we love coming and uh um it's a great story to tell. And I don't know, I'm hoping that uh our car club members and people that are interested in this sort of thing gain some knowledge from what you had to say about how to go about things like this.

SPEAKER_01 19:40

Well, you know, um if anyone ever wants to ask that, I am happy to have that discussion. I just finished my year as president of the Texas Association of Fairs and Events, and I I was fortunate enough to be president over all the events in Texas and fairs and including Montgomery County Fair, my good friends down there. And uh so it was really cool. Uh and and so I am an event lover and I just realized that. So if anyone ever needs help with um event advice, give us a call or our association, someone will and don't try to get her at home on the weekend because she ain't there.

Mike Marrs 20:18

Playing golf.

Don Armstrong 20:19

Probably playing golf. Tammy Dooley, we'll love you. Thank you. Thank you. We appreciate you. Thank you guys. Thank you guys. Okay.

Closing Thoughts And Getting Event Help

Don Armstrong 20:25

Uh, you're invited to join us next week for our live show, 10 to 9 Central Time. Listen and watch on Inwheel Time.com, Facebook, and YouTube. If you miss it, you'll be able to connect through a podcast from your favorite podcast channel anytime. In Wheel Time continues from Hewlett Park and the Lone Star Street Rod Association here in Granbury right after this. Stay with us. The Tex Max dining experience is defined by Loopy Tortilla, your destination for Texas's best beef fajitas and frozen margaritas. Since 1983, Lupi Tortilla has served authentic and time-tested recipes made with the freshest ingredients. Atmosphere is part of the award-winning experience at Lupi Tortilla, all developed in a little house near Highway 6 and I-10 in Houston. Visit any of the Lupi Tortillas and you'll see the same attention to detail at each and every location. Start your loopy experience with queso flamillato and guacamole, along with a classic frozen margarita. Dine on famous loopy beef and chicken fajitas or pepper shrimp brochette, or a fish or vegetarian entree, and finish with a scrumptious flan for dessert. Find loopy tortilla in Houston, College Station, Beaumont, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas, Fort Worth. There's a Texas location near you. The recipes are authentic and time-tested. The ingredients always fresh. Loopy tortilla. He's pretty good. Join the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show as we hit the road for a live broadcast from the 51st annual Lone Star Street Rod Association State Run at Hewlett Park in Gran Berry. This once a year rolling car collection takes place June 12th through the 14th. Check out hundreds of Classic street rods, vendors, giveaways, awards, and family fun. Best of all, spectator admission is absolutely free. In wheel time will be live from Granbury Saturday, June 13th, 9 to noon. Get all the deets at LSSRA.com. Welcome back to the In Wheel Time Car

This Week In Auto History

Don Armstrong 22:17

Talk Show. This week in Auto History, and Mr. Mars has that.

Mike Marrs 22:20

All right, coming up this week in auto history, we have uh a few things like in 1895. The Parish Burdo Paris is the first race of 730 miles. It kind of helped demonstrate that motor cars could travel great distances, and that's part of what led off into it. Now, the winner, the person that crossed the finish line first, uh, he was denied the official victory because he was driving a two-seater car. The race was for four seaters only. Somebody didn't read the rules, so they uh kind of kind of sounds like Don Armstrong. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. So then uh in 1904, the FIA's predecessor was founded. Now, this is very French, so I'll do my best. The Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs, something, something was established. Bravo, bravo. Thank you, thank you, thank you very much. Anyway, so this became the body, governing body that eventually became Formula One and World Early Championships and things. So blame it on them and the way they set it up back then. 1936 is when the Blue Ridge Parkway got its official name. Franklin D. Roosevelt actually signed the legislation to designate that uh that pathway through the Appalachian Mountains. 1944, plans for the National Highway network gain momentum. Now, this World War II ended, like we talked about, the hot rod world blew up. Transportation planners started uh trying to accommodate the world and changing because people were trying to travel more. Now, this was actually the precursor to the interstate highway system that we know now. Then in 1949, we've talked about it several times. Preston Tucker receives his patent for the Tucker 48 automobile. There's a lot of things very special about that car, only 51 were actually built. Yep. And uh it was a sad story. Read the book or see the movie and uh check it out. Last thing I wanted to touch on real quick, 1953. Jaguar was running in the 21st race of an uh Le Mans, 24 hours of Le Mans, and it was their disc brakes, and the fact they didn't have to stop to change the brakes is what let them win. Cool.

Don Armstrong 24:30

They didn't have to stop to change brakes?

Mike Marrs 24:32

No, right, because the disc brakes like they could go longer than the pad brakes that everybody else was using.

Don Armstrong 24:37

You know, I know somebody that's got brake problems right now, and they've only got 30,000 miles on the car. Don't get me started.

Jeff Dziekan 24:44

Don't get you started.

Don Armstrong 24:45

Yeah, you did mention Jaguar, didn't you? Well, let's mention Volkswagen, too. And we'll time car talk show. We'll wrap things up from Hewlett Park in Granbury right after this break. Your car is a direct reflection of you, so don't be satisfied with color fade or a dingy dull appearance. Get rid of those terrible automated car wash scratches. Gulf Coast Auto Shield is your save the paint company. John Gray and his team of detailing experts can help your cars finish without a full repaint. Searching for real experts in window tent or windshield protection, Gulf Coast Auto Shield. Dash cams, radar detectors, Gulf Coast Auto Shield. Got a new car? Get it protected as soon as you take delivery. If you don't know which of the multitude of protection products to go with, John Gray will give you an honest opinion and won't sell you something you don't need. John will help you understand the many options and pricing right on the spot. He's your guy to have your ride looking its best and protected too. See the state-of-the-art shop yourself, free tours anytime. Gulf Coast Auto Shield is easy to get to, located just south of the Southwest Freeway on the Sam Houston Parkway. Gulf Coast Auto Shield, full service luxury car care today and online at gcautoshield.com. Gift giving should be meaningful, and we have an idea. A hand-painted custom illustration of your car from one of the nation's leading artists. Now you can get one or a car show poster customized for you, a friend, or a loved one. Bill Sites will be happy to guide you through the process. No matter what the day, birthday, anniversary, or any day, an autographics custom illustration adds an extra touch of class to any home. Call Bill today, 832-922-0963. That's 832-922-0963. Well, that's it for this week's In Wheel Time Car Talk

Wrap Up And Where To Listen

Don Armstrong 26:29

Show. We're always looking for new informative and great automotive things to bring to our global audience. If you got an idea, an event, road trip, or a tall tale you'd like us to feature, let us know. Our email address is info at inreal time.com. You can find the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show 24-7 on the In Wheel Time app and website. Grab a podcast from your favorite podcast store. We video stream our live show every Saturday, 10 to noon on Facebook, YouTube, and InWheelTime.com. The In Real Time Video Coordinator is we always need more Jeff Zeke. For booking agent and video editor Mike Out of This World Mars. And Chief Engineer David Ainsley, I'm Don Armstrong. Thanks to show contributors, Jeff Heitzman and George Skelton. Be sure and join us next Saturday where you'll find us back in our dual city studios. We hope you'll join us. Thanks to the Lone Star Street Rod Association for another job well done on their state run. Have a great safe trip home. We'll see you next week. That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show. I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and our InWheeltime.com website. Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartPodcast, Podcast Addict. Tune in, Pandora, and Amazon Music. Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.