Chryslers in the Canyon 7 has been cancelled.
Sadly, today, we are forced to announce that Chryslers in the Canyon 7 has been cancelled. We have tried everything possible and pursued every avenue to prevent this from becoming a reality, but unfortunately we could not work things out due to new insurance requirements. We want to break the news now in order to allow folks to make other plans, or attend other Mopar events that weekend.
Chryslers in the Canyon was founded to be different, and different it was. 100% ALL MOPAR, No Entry Fees, No Politics, and No BS were all selling points of the original show, which by the way, most people said could never happen, let alone forming a Mopar club in Amarillo.
Chryslers in the Canyon built upon the solid foundation of being fun and free with the incredible venue offered by Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Having the show held in the canyon offered a truly unique, memorable, and undeniably picturesque setting that no rival show could match.
With a solid, unique foundation, an incredible venue, and genuine grassroots efforts the show began to grow. Our most successful show was Chryslers in the Canyon 6…I projected CIC 7 to be even better. In addition to slowly pulling more-and-more locals out of the woodwork, CIC thrived thru first hand experiences relayed by our guests from out-of-town.
It is the folks who came from the greatest distance who continued to come back, but with friends, who really made the event special. When we coupled our grassroots approach with the natural beauty of Palo Duro Canyon we had the selling point needed to bring folks to town.
As the years went by, more-and-more people became aware of the show and made plans to attend. Our efforts in promoting the show by first-hand experience, YouTube videos, and forum posts kept costs low. It remains a personable and practical strategy that yielded greater turnout encouraging new folks from farther out to join in and be a part of something special.
Unfortunately, those plans and ambitions for Chryslers in the Canyon 7 are now laid to rest.
We would like to thank each and every person who has attended the show and told their Mopar brethren about it. We would like to thank everyone who has continued to come back despite the long drive. We would like to thank those who came out to Palo Duro Canyon despite being told it was too remote. We would like to thank those of you who just came out on a whim and wound up having a good time. That is all we ever hoped the show to be…a good time for anyone who attended.
We would like to thank the Palo Duro Canyon Staff and Rangers who have helped orchestrate the event and made all of our guests feel welcome. A special thanks is extended to the Rangers who helped make the coveted Park Ranger’s Pick selection each year. Similarly, we want to thank CIC Staff members who have devoted time, effort, or finances to help run past shows, or cover previous awards.
Chryslers in the Canyon was a show unlike any other. It was fun, it was free, and helped bring folks together, with their Mopars, for one day to have a good time. Again, that was the ultimate goal…to get folks out, give the hesitant incentive to come out, and to pull in all the regional Mopars to form one, giant, mass of High Impact Happiness.
A lot of first time attendees commented that they couldn’t believe how fast the time went when they were in the canyon and that the whole day just flew by…We liked to console them by explaining that when you bring that much torque and horsepower together at the same time, it is not uncommon to shift Earth’s axis just a bit.
We hope that all of you will continue to look back fondly on your memories of Chryslers in the Canyon and perhaps encourage more folks in your area to embrace our unorthodox strategy of simply putting a show on for fun…No Politics, No BS, No Entry Fees, just fun.
We sincerely apologize to those of you planning to attend this year and hope you have a great weekend come October 10th. We would suggest you get some friends together and have some fun with your Mopars, wherever you may be; It doesn’t need to be fancy, it doesn’t need to be sponsored, it just needs to be fun. The good things in life don’t always last forever and it is advantageous to enjoy them while you can.
Thank you all once more for your interest in Chryslers in the Canyon and for helping be a part of the show’s success.
Have a great weekend and remember to make the most with what you’ve got,
Amarillo Area Mopars
**Update 9/25/2015 at 7:57 PM CST**
In order to set the record straight, here is what you need to know as per our conversations and meetings with insurance agents, legal advisers, other event organizers, and park staff:
The event was NOT cancelled due to the cost of the $500,000 Insurance Policy.
The event WAS cancelled because of the liability above and beyond the $500,000, which one individual must assume.
Some of you have suggested we increase the $500,000 to a larger coverage; we have already pursued that avenue. Ultimately, we are still left with one individual having to assume all responsibility past the policy’s threshold.
While some of you are offering to chip in to cover the cost of the Insurance Policy, that is much appreciated, but not the issue. The issue remains liability past the insured amount.
We appreciate everyone’s concerns and understand your frustrations. However, Chryslers in the Canyon will not be happening this year and will not be moving locations. CIC was a special event at a special venue.
We have no planned events. Amarillo Area Mopars, nor Chryslers in the Canyon is to be held responsible for any damages, or accidents occurring at any such events. The individual organizing those activities will have to assume any and all risks.
Based on what we have learned over the course of this experience, we would highly advise anyone pursuing an auxiliary event to obtain insurance coverage. You will have to sign off on the policy, including any and all liabilities past your insured amount.
