1st Award Winner

Russ Dolbear & Fred Schmoyer

Bill Brown presenting trophy to Stan

"Trophy Love"

Nancy Schmoyer

George Lake

Footnote:  President's Message page is a "throw-back" to the original T-Bird Times newsletter.

Trophy Award History

                  The idea for a ”most miles driven” trophy began back  in 2006. Then VCTC President, Fred Schmoyer thought it would be fun to have a friendly competition to promote driving of our classics. Our trophy was designed and crafted by club members George Lake and Fred Schmoyer.

                  Mileage is tracked for Classic Tbirds driven to club events simply by noting the mileage from member’s home to the club meeting location using Google Maps.  The noted mileage is doubled to create a round-trip total and then tabulated.  The club member who travels the most miles for the year has their name placed on the trophy and is awarded The Trophy for a year.

CURRENT TROPHY HOLDER

      Some of you may be thinking about hosting a club event but are hesitant because you haven’t done it before or have concerns about organizing it. If that’s the case, no worries…it’s relatively easy to plan, there are no hard-and-fast requirements, and other club members will answer questions, provide advice, or help you plan. There are a few considerations to make things go smoothly and create the environment for an enjoyable social experience for club members.

     Usually, plan for guests to arrive by 11:30 with things kicking off at 12:00. It’s best if there is a dedicated/designated parking area for those driving classic and retro TBirds. If meeting at a restaurant, the business management can often help identify and reserve a suitable area. When weather cooperates, we can have 10 or more classics at the event. Hosts should plan to arrive a bit early to confirm plans with the restaurant and direct parking.

     For planning, usually 20-40 members attend our monthly events. The host will be required to provide the basic details such as who, what, where, when, and RSVP information to the club secretary for posting to the club web site. The club secretary will then post and send event notice to all members. This notification needs to be posted as soon as details are available. Ideally, the meeting would be held in a room large enough to seat everyone comfortably. If in a restaurant, it’s best (though not required) if the area is separated in some way from other customers to facilitate group discussion and business.

     Since the pandemic some venues have started charging a room or service fee. In this case, VCTC will provide hosts with up to $150.00 to offset the cost of these room/service fees. These funds cannot be used for alcoholic beverages.

     Options for lunch can vary depending on the venue. Regardless of choice, hosts should talk to restaurant management to inform them of the overall plan and coordinate necessary details. Ordering and paying individually from the standard menu is one option. If going this route, it’s best to coordinate with restaurant management to make ordering and serving go smoothly without excessive delay. Selecting menu items in advance or catering a buffet line is another possibility. Another option depending on the venue is to determine/provide the main course and have attendees contribute to the meal by bringing a dish to share. Generally, try to keep costs for lunch about $25 per person. Meeting hosts can collect lunch fees from guests as they arrive or guests can pay checks individually after lunch, depending on which option was used.

     At the meeting site, you can expect the club President to discuss the plan and manage timing to briefly conduct VCTC business and make any pertinent announcements prior to serving lunch. This business generally takes less than 15 minutes. When complete, lunch is served and expect the rest of the day to go smoothly as the servers do their thing and attendees can continue mixing, meeting and eating.

     As an after-lunch option, consider if there are additional activities available at or near the meeting location which can be visited following lunch. While not required, this can provide opportunities for attendees to visit places they otherwise would not have known about. Previous examples include wineries, car/tractor museums, botanical gardens, and various historic sites. These can be set up as group activities or merely offered as information for those who might want to check it out.

     Please consider if you have a great restaurant or unique idea for hosting an upcoming event. We are always looking for new places we haven’t visited before.

PRESIDENT          

VICE PRESIDENT   

TREASURER 

Bill Brown

J. Brown

Eric Best

SECRETARY

ACTIVITIES 

CHAPLAINS

Stan Hostetler

Linda Twilley

Brenda Morrison / Carrie Hillman

Bill Brown & Stan Hostetler

Bill is a multiple winner (4 times)

and has the highest mileage total!

whbllb082069@gmail.com

designgroupoffice@aol.com

Epabest2@verizon.net

**     If you are interested in hosting a monthly club meeting, contact     **  Activities Coordinator, Linda Twilley  (email:  lctwilley821@aol.com )

President’s Report                                                                                   February 2023

     Despite the threat of rain, 31 members of VCTC made the trek to Indian Fields Tavern in Charles City, VA for our February meeting. I would like to thank Peggysue and Charlie Ford for hosting this fun event and the food was awesome.  Even with rain in the forecast we still had 3 Classics and 6 Retros roosting in the Tavern parking lot. 

     I’m delighted to report that the remainder of the 2023 calendar has been filled. I want to thank those of you who have stepped forward and volunteered to host. Our next meeting will be Saturday March 25th, hosted by J & Connie Brown, their daughter, and son-in-law at the Battlefield Farms Nursery in Rapidan. This is a great venue and an opportunity to tour the greenhouses with the experts.  There will be more details in the coming days about this event.

     I know some VCTC members are planning to attend the CTCI Southeast Region 4 Touring Convention which will be held October 25-29, 2023 at The Villages, Florida. I received a phone call from the CTCI Region 4 Director, Charlie Henley, informing me that this convention will be opened up to Retro Birds to be included in the judging phase. With the inclusion of Retro Birds, I hope some of our members with Retros will sign up for this fun event. If you are interested in attending let me know.

     A reminder that 21 May is recognized as Thunderbird Appreciation Day. Please consider getting the bird out for a spin. Up to the store, through the neighborhood or to a local car club event. Take a camera or smart phone along and snap some pictures and send to Stan.

     Speaking of AACA events, I would like to put in a word about the Fredericksburg AACA show Saturday, June 3rd. This has been a tradition for VCTC for 20+ years and it is our only overnighter.  J Brown always puts on a great show and the Richard Johnston Inn is a beautiful place to spend an evening. I hope you will consider supporting the show if not overnight, at least join us at the car show and let’s bring home the club participation trophy again this year.

     CCCCV comments from January 2023 meeting: the focus of the Virginia General Assembly bills continues to push getting Virginians into EVs. The Assembly - by one vote in a Senate committee - has continued to commit Virginia to limit the sales of gas/diesel vehicles. By forcing California rules on Virginians, no new gas/diesel vehicles can be sold in Virginia beginning in 2035. By 2026 35% of new vehicles sold must be EVs and the number will increase until the ban on internal combustion engine vehicles is completed by 2035.

     Here is a tidbit for the month of February concerning the history of the Ford Thunderbirds:

2/15/1954- FoMoCo selects “Thunderbird” as the name of the new Ford Sports Car

2/20/1954- Ford unveils the Thunderbird concept car at the Detroit Auto Show

2/2/2002- A Retro Bird is pace car for the Rolex 24 at Daytona

As always, I’m looking forward to seeing all of you at the next meeting and remember,                 IT’S ALL ABOUT FUN X 3!

     Bill Brown

April 22    Hosted by Paul Treolo

October 25-29, 2023     CTCI Southeast Region 4 Touring Convention

(at The Villages, FL)

May 20    Hosted by George Siecko

June 3     AACA Car Show in Fredericksburg    Hosted by Connie & J. Brown

July 15     Hosted by Nancy & Steve Wigley

August 19     Hosted by Linda Twiley & Len Alexander

September 16     Hosted by Lynn & Ron Padrick

October 14     Hosted by Carrie & Lynn Hillman

November      Hosted by Brenda & Tom Morrison

December     (Open)

The Davidson's  April 2009

The Most Tbirds at a Club Event  20 Classics & 4 Retros

Thunderbird Appreciation Day 2019

Chesterfield

November 2020

Photo taken at Graves Mt. Lodge  Syria, VA  2008

Note:  Click on photos to enlarge and see more.

PAST AWARD WINNERS

2007     Alice & Russ Dolbear

2008     Alice & Russ Dolbear

2009     Linda & Bill Brown

2010     Linda & Bill Brown

2011     Peg & Gene Marianetti

2012     Sue & Steve Patterson

2013     Nancy & Fred Schmoyer

2014     Carrie & Lynn Hillman

2015     Nancy & Fred Schmoyer

2016     Linda & Bill Brown

2017     Peg & Gene Marianetti

2018     Paula & Eric Best

2019     Lee & Stan Hostetler

2020     Defered - pandemic2021     Linda & Bill Brown                  510

2022     Lee & Stan Hostetler              786

Dedicated to the enjoyment, restoration, and preservation of the Classic Thunderbirds 1955,1956, and 1957

miles

1252

1050

2064

1222

1346

1276

1116

1068

  946

1300

1030

1112

1126

stanthehos@verizon.net

lctwilley821@aol.com