1st Award Winner
Russ Dolbear & Fred Schmoyer
1st Award Winner
Russ Dolbear & Fred Schmoyer
Footnote: President's Message page is a "throw-back" to the original T-Bird Times newsletter.
MILES DRIVEN AWARD
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.
See Below President's Message
ARCHIVED PHOTOS
PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
TREASURER
Bill Brown
J. Brown
Eric Best
SECRETARY
ACTIVITIES
CHAPLAINS
Stan Hostetler
Linda Twilley
Brenda Morrison / Carrie Hillman
Bill Brown presenting trophy to Stan
June 10 Richmond Region AACA 54th Annual Car Show and Swap Meet at St. Joseph's Villa on Brook Road on the Northside of Richmond.
Click HERE for more information.
"Trophy Love"
Nancy Schmoyer
George Lake
Bill Brown & Stan Hostetler
Bill is a multiple winner (4 times)
and has the highest mileage total!
** If you are interested in hosting a monthly club meeting, contact ** Activities Coordinator, Linda Twilley (email: lctwilley821@aol.com )
President’s Report May 2023
The nineteen VCTC members who attended the Stonehouse meeting, hosted by George Siecko, were treated to the finest BBQ East of the Mississippi. In 2012 Sothern Living Magazine had an article on the 10 best BBQ joints in the south. Pierce’s, a Williamsburg institution, ranked second only to Bodacious BBQ in my hometown of Kilgore, Texas. Might say I’ve been exposed to some pretty good BBQ in my lifetime. This meeting also served as VCTC’s observance of the 2023 Thunderbird Appreciation Day. Although the number of members in attendance was lower than usual, we had a great turn out with T-birds driven. We had 6 Classics, 4 Modern Classics and 1 Vintage Thunderbird. I hope all of you had an opportunity to drive your birds this weekend and show Virginia some iconic cars.
There is still room at the Richard Johnston for the 66th annual AACA meet hosted by the Historic Fredericksburg Region that is scheduled for 3 June 2023. This has been the “Gold Standard” of events and a tradition for VCTC for 20+ years and it is our only overnighter. J and Connie Brown always put on a great show and the Richard Johnston Inn is a beautiful place to spend an evening. Happy Hour will start Friday the 2nd at 5pm on the patio at the Inn followed by an all you can eat pizza party. Show day our hosts will provide box lunches for club participants. I hope you will consider supporting the show if not overnight, at least join us at the car show and help us bring home the club participation trophy again this year.
Reminder that the Richmond Region AACA Chapter is hosting their 54th annual Car Show and Swap Meet on Saturday, 10 June from 8am-3pm. The show will be held on the lawn of Saint Joseph’s Villa in Richmond. More details for these events can be found on our webpage under the event drop down menu.
Friday, 14 July is National Classic/Collector Car Appreciation Day so make sure to get the T-bird out for this one. Saturday ,15 July is scheduled to be the annual trek to Steve and Nancy Wigley’s pool for some summertime fun. Due to the many requests and back by popular demand your President, in his speedo, will be in the pool. So put it on the calendar and hope all of you will plan to attend the event, and don’t forget your bathing suits.
News from CTCI. VCTC has been recognized as an “All-Star Chapter.” This means we have provided year end reports on time and without errors among other things, and all board members are CTCI members. Thank you, Eric, for your hard work as Treasurer.
Just a reminder that the paper ballots for CTCI bylaw change, to recognize all two seat Thunderbirds in CTCI, will be released on 5/26 and must be mailed back by 6/22. The electronic “Opa-Vote” will be open on 6/9 and will also close 6/22 at 4pm. The results will be presented to the board and the membership on 7/14.
Here are some tidbits for the month of May concerning the history of the Ford Thunderbirds:
5/12/2003-specifications for the 2004 retro birds were released to the dealers
5/30/2003- Last day for dealers to order 2003 retro birds
As always, I am looking forward to seeing all of you at the next meeting and remember,
IT’S ALL ABOUT FUN X 3!
Bill Brown
October 25-29, 2023 CTCI Southeast Region 4 Touring Convention
(at The Villages, FL)
June 3 AACA Car Show in Fredericksburg Hosted by Connie & J. Brown
This event has been an annual event for our club for many years.
Typically participants arrive on Friday, spend the afternoon shopping and then have a nice gathering for dinner, then spend the night at the Richard Johnston Inn B&B.
The AACA Car Show is on Saturday, and J Brown always takes care of the Thunderbirds that are entered in the show.
This year we will gather in the courtyard of the B&B for a Pizza party on Friday evening. Connie & J will be providing box lunches on Saturday for all members that are in town for the car show.
Historic Fredericksburg AACA Antique Automobile Car Show flyer and registration form available at this link (Click Here)
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 Hosted by Lee & Stan Hostetler
The Davidson's April 2009
The Most Tbirds at a Club Event 20 Classics & 4 Retros
Thunderbird Appreciation Day 2019
Chesterfield
November 2020
www.vaclassictbirdclub.com
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
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