The Touring Chronicle

Our Annual Membership Meeting and Board meetings took place in Punta Gorda, FL, Feb. 9-11. It was hosted by Don Royston and the Southwest Florida Region.
royston

Don Royston

A number of things take place at our Annual meetings. First and foremost is the Membership meeting at which all members are welcome and where they may vote on issues that come up in that meeting. It is a forum designed to allow the membership to make their feelings and concerns heard.

We also hold two Board of Governors meetings, one for the Fourth quarter of the previous year and one for the First quarter of the current year. Election ballots are counted, the results revealed, and the new officers are installed.

But all isn't just business. For starters, a bit of Florida sunshine in early February is a welcome relief for the many of us in snowy climates. Then a meal and social event always gets things started in a party mood. Over the next couple days the host club finds interesting local sights for the the attendees to visit between meetings.

A huge muscle car collection

Finally, to wrap things up, the event highlight is the Annual Awards Banquet where cars, their restorers, and individuals deemed to have provided extraordinary benefit to the club are honored.

There are many awards, way too many to show here. Below are a few examples. For more, you will have to wait for coverage in the Bulb Horn.

Horseless Carriage Award - Pre-1916 Driven on National Tour

Best Preserved Original Car Award

Best Restored Foreign Car, 25 years old or older

Nifty Fifties Award

In addition, a number of people were honored for their contributions. Among them, the Stadle Fellowship Award for the couple best symbolizing the spirit of VMCCA went to Bob & Luci Bentley of Toney, AL.

The past Presidents Memorial award for the couple who best symbolize the spirit of VMCCA while on tour went to Ray and Carol Maxfield of Windsor, CO.

The Presidents Cup for outstanding contributions to VMCCA went to Dennis Holland, of Fort Collins, CO.

The 67th AAA Revival Glidden Tour

"The Great Texas Trail Drive"

October 21 - 26, 2012

Brenham, TX

TEXAS DANCE HALLS AND WESTERN SWING MUSIC

Some of the old Texas traditions are fading with the advent of social media, TV, and national chain stores. Each generation becomes more homogenized with the rest of the country but a few pockets of "Pure Texas" continue to cling to the older generation and rub off on some of the younger folks. This phenomena appears more often in rural Texas than around the major cities.

The "Great Texas Trail Drive" will take place in rural Texas and some of the "old ways" will be noticeable throughout the week. For instance,
one of our highlights will be an evening at the Bluebonnet Opry. Unlike other parts of the country, artists normally perform at a dance hall rather than a concert hall. Western Swing music is Texas at its very best. Artists like Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb, Ray Price, George Strait, Ray Benson (Asleep at the Wheel), and Reba McEntire had and have all played the dance hall and opry circuit throughout their career. In spite of the big concert tours held all over the world, when in Texas they will play a dance hall! To this day, Willy Nelson will drop in on an opry when he is coming through town on "opry night" ------ old Texas tradition!

We will be driving by some great old local dance halls. Some of the more famous halls are the Broken Spoke in Austin, Floore Country Store near San Antonio (mentioned in Willy's song "Shotgun Willy"), Gruene Hall near San Antonio (favorite hangout of Jerry Jeff Walker), Luckenback Dance Hall near Austin and Tin Hall near Houston. Each weekend, you can visit any one of these great places and be surrounded by real

Texas Swing Music with a dance floor like none other!

Pat and I are looking forward to your visit and are anxious to show you our country. If you have any questions or are not sure if you should come, give us a ring or send us an E mail and we will "set you straight"! We promise great roads, beautiful scenery, good grub, wonderful music and lots of nonsense! Applications are now available on the VMCCA website.

REMEMBER----- BRING YOUR BOOTS AND JEANS AND WE'LL PROVIDE THE HAT!

"The Road Home"

"The Road Home" Aims to Restore Lives One Classic Car at a Time

Our friend, David Traver Adolphus, an Associate Editor at the Hemmings family of car magazines, brought this to my attention. This strikes me as a really worthwhile cause and one that we should do what we can to support. Below is the text of the official press release including links for more information. Look it over. Think about it. I know we have members who run restoration shops. Can you help?

Not-For-Profit Announces Launch of Program Matching Military Vets

and Auto Restoration Shop Bridgewater, N.J. (February 15, 2012) - The already tough job market is expected to get tougher for veterans, as one million service members will exit the military during the next five years. It is this statistic that led a group of compassionate auto enthusiasts to create "The Road Home," a not-for-profit organization designed to help veterans return to civilian life through placement in automotive restoration shops.

Serving primarily as a matchmaker, The Road Home puts veterans and restoration shops together through both direct contact on an individual level and a growing self-serve database, which will be hosted at www.TheRoadHomeUSA.org. American Collectors Insurance, a specialty provider of collector vehicle and collectibles insurance, will be the program's charter supporter and play an important role in bringing this very worthwhile project to life.

"When we were brought into the initial discussion about The Road Home, we immediately understood the strong potential link between

the growing car hobby and returning veterans," said American Collectors Insurance's CEO Jill Bookman. "American Collectors has long been involved with partners serving the U.S. military, and as a result we have many thousands of customers who are active or retired soldiers, sailors, and airmen."

The Road Home's mission is to restore lives, one classic car at a time and American Collectors Insurance is helping to accomplish this goal.

For more information on The Road Home, please visit: www.TheRoadHomeUSA.org or www.facebook.com/theroadhomeusa.

About The Road Home

The Road Home is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing returning veterans with social, training, and employment opportunities in the automotive restoration industry. Founded in 2012 by a group of compassionate automotive enthusiasts, The Road Home has developed a network of restoration shops ready, willing, and able to welcome a veteran into their day-to-day operations. The program's mission is "restoring lives, one classic car at a time."

Publicity for Your Tour

Jamie Crandall is a good salesman. He knows that good promotion of an event is the key to good turnout. I am sure you have noticed his
regular submissions to The Touring Chronicle promoting the 2012 AAA Glidden Tour that he and Pat are hosting this Oct. It will be great if all our Tour Chairmen will follow his example. Participation will increase and profits to both the local chapter and the national treasury will benefit.

So come on Tour Chairmen. Send me relevant pictures and a short write-up of your plans. What will you show the folks on tour? What makes your tour exciting? Between now and the end of June we have three national tours and likely, regional events that I may not even know about. Let me help you get the word out. Send me something!

Whatsit?

Do you know what it is? See answer below.

Driving With Settori Pond

Driving With Setorii Pond, California's Car Queen

Settori Pond is a California fashion designer and happens to have a great collection of cars. Have a look and ride along in a 1970 Ferrari Daytona and a 1931 Packard 12. Who says cars are a men only hobby.

How a Differential Works

How Differential Gear works (BEST Tutorial)

An excellent tutorial from the 1930's on the principles and development of the Differential Gear. Fast Forward to 1:50 if you want to skip the intro.

Photo Site - See Link in Quick Links

The Photo Site is one I created originally for my local chapter, although many VMCCA members from other areas now visit it. It covers all the local, regional, and national events that I attend. Obviously, I cannot attend everything but I would like this to become a site for photos from all our regions and chapters.

So, who has photos from any of this years tours? I would love to share them with everyone. Send them to me!

1961 Mercedes Benz 190 sedan owned by David Dennis

Join the VMCCA page on Facebook!

Facebook has become an extremely popular social networking site, reportedly having more than 500,000,000 users. That is something like one in fifteen people on the planet! There is no doubt that it is a great tool for keeping in touch with people and organizations in a way that was undreamed of and impossible just a few short years ago.

facebook vmcca

We try to keep up with the times so we have created a VMCCA page within Facebook. Join! Contribute! Make it a forum for all things VMCCA. Click on the "Find us on Facebook" box below. Then click Like!

Contact your editor with content ideas, feedback, or suggestions at holland@frii.com.

Dennis Holland

4200 Wellington Dr.

Fort Collins, CO 80526

Whatsit answer: 1954 Buick Skylark