Arts, Beats, and Eats on Labor Day

A bit belated, but a tip of the cap to the City of Pontiac and Chrysler Corp for their very enjoyable Arts, Beats, and Eats festival over the Labor Day weekend. We attended with my friend Aaron (from The Shekel Blog) and his family. His account of the day, including a tutorial on Fish & Chips, is here.

One thing that caught my eye was the Gem, an electric vehicle project by Chrysler.


I am the furthest thing from an eco-nut that you could ever imagine, but I am interested in vehicles like this as alternatives to gas-powered vehicles in secondary applications like commuting or utility work on a farm or large property for example. This particular car isn't a regular commuting vehicle, as it only has a top speed of 35mph with limited range, but it's interesting to see the advance of design and technology. They market them as useful for golf carts, retirement villages, and large manufacturing plants.

They had several examples at the festival, and they were also being used to transport food and supplies to the vendors, and equipment for the bands. I took a few minutes to sit in one, and they are suprisingly roomy for as small as they are. I am 6'3" and broad-shouldered, and I had no problem fitting into one - there was at least 8 inches between the top of my head and the roof of the cabin. A few more inches of beam would have been nice, but Aaron and I both sat in it together without feeling too cramped.

The funniest thing was finding the habits for our regular autos didn't fit this one. Looking for the shift lever, for instance: there isn't one! Just a rocker switch on the steering column pod: forward, reverse, and off. I didn't ask, but it is likely that it has a transmission similar to a golf cart or snowmobile, where there are no gears, and your top speed is limited by the speed the motor can run without tearing itself apart.

So, an interesting not-ready-for-prime-time vehicle which has lots of possibilities for niche applications.

We also spent some time in the Ontario Tourism pavilion. It was nice and shady there, and I'm sure Aaron enjoyed visiting his Canadian roots (having been raised in suburban Toronto). He was scouting future dive sites around Tobermory.

Topping off the experience as we were walking back to the cars was an excellent Blues band. I don't remember their name, but they sure knew what they were all about, and their progressions followed us until they were blocked out by some buildings. We had a lot of fun and appreciated the hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. Shekel and their beautiful daughters.