PRESIDENT'S REPORT
Hello Everyone,
MEMBERSHIP REPORT
Hello members!
Save The Wave!
GOVERNOR'S REPORT
Hello Everyone,
Jon
COMPETITION REPORT
Man, am I tired! But in a good sort of way. June has come and gone in a flurry of CFCA and other Corvette events that kept us all busier than a one legged man in a... well, you know.
Hutch
CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE
WOTTA TRIP!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
SOMETHING For Sale?
Lisa Lafferty
I hope everyone's summer is off to a good start. It seems that we have had several events where only a few members have attended in the past few months. If there is something that is not in our event calendar, please let the board know what it is that you would like to see. We are open to suggestions. I know the constant rain has put a damper on our fun, but come in whatever vehicle suits the weather.
The idea behind these events is to get together and get to know each other. Of course our cars are an important part of this activity, but not as necessary as the people. Please come out and join us for the events in July.
Our last dinner meeting in June was a success at LaPiaza. It was voted at that meeting to have it in that location in September. This restaurant is located in Hunters Creek right off of John Young Parkway. The food was excellent and we all at a good time. Especially the ones who only drove 4 miles to the meeting… Bob!
Our beach weekend is fast approaching. If you need hotel information, please give me a call. The Sterling Cruise sponsored by Ecklers is also that Saturday evening. We will be staying at the Royal Mansions, come out and take a gamble!
September is right around the corner. I understand that you all know that means its time for renewals! I'm sure Joan will be reminding you as we get closer to the end of the year. Nominations for next year's board will also be taken in September. If you are interested in holding one of these positions let Patti Hutchinson know which one interests you.
www.cfca.net, is out there for all of you to enjoy. It's become a major part of our clubs membership and one easy way to get the word out. Hutch, Joe and Bob have done a great job! Remember to send in your pictures to so they can update the web page.
Until next month…
Save The Wave
Lisa
- Lisa Lafferty, President
Joan Wollenhaupt
I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July holiday. Gary and I have just returned from the NCM and a week of a very hectic schedule, so we used the holiday weekend to kick back, relax, and catch up on some much needed rest, along with putting this newsletter together.
Our CFCA membership is at 169 and climbing steadily. We have a whole bunch of exciting activities on our calendar, so gas up your Vette and join us at the next event! Just in case you're concerned about driving your Corvette in the rain, let me reassure you that unless you're driving an older solid-axle ragtop, your Corvette is pretty much waterproof - so don't let the "liquid sunshine" discourage you from enjoying your car!
Speaking of events… I spoke to Mrs. Russell and she is expecting us on Saturday, July 20th. The items she needs most are cleaning supplies and laundry detergent, canned goods are also needed (such as ravioli, spaghetti, soup, fruit). Clothing for the children is greatly appreciated. We are also going to be presenting Mrs. Russell with a check from CFCA.
So, please gather your things together and join us at Courtesy (formerly World) Chevrolet at 10:30 A.M. to caravan over to the Russell Home. YOU are the reason we are able to help support the Russell Home. We are a very small non-profit organization, but you, our members, have very big hearts. Plan to come out on the 20th and see what your dedication and hard work does for a woman who has done so much for atypical children of the central Florida area. You need to see for yourself the smile on Mrs. Russell's face and the tear in her eye when we arrive to show our support. It's an image you won't soon forget.
See you down the road…
Joan Wollenhaupt
CFCA Membership Director
Jon Gardner
Several weeks ago a group of us again braved the Florida summer weather and motored over to the Daytona Motorsport Park to do a little racing. We did the "go-kart style" racing and then some dragster action thrown in for good measure. After that, of course, we then went to get some chicken wings at Hooters. Actually, we had a good day. There were about thirty of us that caravanned over to Daytona and as you know, 15 cars or so is a pretty sight going down the Interstate.
As the official scorekeeper, I had a chance to watch the entire group going to their dragsters and preparing for each run. There were the usual Pro Racers, the Near Pro Racers and then those of us that couldn't quite figure what that yellow button on the steering wheel was supposed to do. Anyhow, all good clean fun. I can't wait until Neal's son gets big enough to drive the go-karts all by himself. We all may be in trouble, that boy loves racing. Listed elsewhere in this newsletter are the results of the dragster action so pay special attention to the winners. They have a target on their backs and some of us can't wait until next time.
Now, having gone to the NCCC Florida Regional Meeting in mid-June, I wish I had more to share with you about the goings on and action both nationally and state-wide, but there just isn't that much. The Competition Director read off all upcoming events pretty much as we do at each club meeting, and then provided info on men and women point standings within the state. If you've been competing, and are interested where you might stand, check with Hutch for your particular standing as of June 9th. Nationally, the NCCC is working on the upcoming Competition Rule Book revisions for 2004. Always expected, are changes to class groupings, tires, passengers, helmets and results sheet changes as they pertain to all forms of NCCC competition.
Since much of the discussion was on procedural issues, there isn't too much news to spread around. There are several things that I want to remind you about. NCCC has scholarship money ($750) up for grabs each year. See me if you would like to have an application form (they may even be available on the NCCC web site), they need to be in by May of each year. Believe it or not, there aren't a whole lot of entries. It must be the paper work that's a killer. Also, I understand that there is some kind of Humorous License Plate prize that is being offered by some of our sponsors. Check it out on the NCCC web page.
There is a lot of information out there on the various Corvette related web sites relating to the 50th Anniversary of the Corvette brand. So, depending on your interest, check out these sites and pick a level of participation best suited to you. Also, plan to visit the National Corvette Museum some time in the near future. It's a great stop if you're heading north through Kentucky.
Oh, and say hello to Stephanie for me.
John "Hutch" Hutchinson
Once again Jon Gardner treated us to a really fun afternoon of spirited competition at the Daytona Speed Park. Yours truly faced some stiff competition in the mini-dragsters but managed to prevail victorious (Patti says more due to pure dumb luck than driving skill). After a day of drag racing and go-kart racing, we were ready to cool down at the nearby Hooters, but it was tough with their A/C on the brink. Solution? More beer!
Many members also enjoyed the driveout to New Smyrna Beach for their monthly car show and of course, dinner at Sea Harvest. Yum! Our driveout and Brunch at Coconuts in Cocoa Beach was sparsely attended due to the threat of bad weather but those that made it reported they had a great time in spite of the rain. Your dedicated board members braved yet another NCCC Regional Meeting, too.
Of course, the biggie event of the month had to be the Vettes at the Village 4 show at the beautiful World Golf Village resort in St. Augustine. Those of us that drove up early the night before hurriedly checked into our hotels and hotfooted it (literally) to the pool where we stayed until they through us out at 11 P.M. We even had dinner (pizza, of course) delivered to the pool. Oh yeh... the show was great fun, too. :) A slightly smaller crowd than in years past in no way diminished our fun. With about 100 gorgeous Vettes of all years to drool over in a beautiful setting, it was a great time. CFCA took home more than our fair share of NCCC and Open Show awards, too. (event photos are on the CFCA web site).
Best wishes for a safe and happy journey go to Gary and Joan Wollenhaupt who are representing CFCA and the 2000 model year as first alternates in the Historic Motorama. This rolling display of 50 years of Corvettes goes from Flint, MI to Bowling Green, ending at the NCM on June 28th for the official kickoff of the Corvette 50th Anniversary Celebration. How cool, 50 years of Corvette... AMERICA's SPORTS CAR!!!
Coming up fast in July is the CFCA Beach Weekend, Sterling Casino Cruise (Blackjack, anyone?) sponsored by Eckler's, CFCA Drive-Out to the Russell Home, and a CFCA Brunch at Lakeside Inn. A lot more events are in the works but of course, YOUR suggestions are welcome. If you have an idea for what you think might be a fun event, let any board member know so we can bring it up before the club. And each club event needs a chairperson to help organize it and get waiver forms signed so why not volunteer?
CFCA rewards active participation in club events by presenting awards at our annual Christmas Party based on total points earned throughout the year. (see the Members Only section of the web site for current points standings)
Remember... keep the shiny side up!!!
- John 'Hutch' Hutchinson
Competition Director 2002
Gary Wollenhaupt
As many of you are probably aware, Joan and I were fortunate to have been selected nearly a year ago as an alternate participant in the NCM's Historic Motorama, which showcased one of every year of Corvette production, 1953 to 2003. While the primary participants took off on a journey from Flint, Michigan, the birthplace of the Corvette, to the GM Design Center in Detroit, and on to the Bowling Green Assembly Plant and the NCM, we departed Orlando on June 24th to head north to the NCM and the Kickoff Event.
We arrived at the NCM on Wednesday, the day before the events were due to begin, and did some volunteer work for the museum. On Thursday, the Kickoff event began with a full schedule of events, while we, as alternates, were hosted by Wendell and Jan Strode for a special day consisting of a breakfast, plant tour, road tour, lunch at the 1869 Shaker Inn, and tour of the Shaker Museum. We were also presented with our own "official" Kentucky state license plate. The Primary participants carried plates numbered for the year of their car, 1953 to 2002, while the Alternate participants' plates were numbered for production years 1 thru 49. And, yes, the ONLY 1983 Corvette in existence had it's special license plate too!
The Kickoff event agenda was a full one and typical of the NCM's larger events, with road tours hosted by the local Corvette clubs, drags and autocross at Beech Bend, a never-ending list of seminars on each of the five generations of Corvette and many opportunities for autographs from Corvette "celebrities" such as racing legends Dick Guildstrand, Jim Jeffords, and John Fitch, Chief Engineers Dave McLellan and Dave Hill, Chief C5 Designer John Cafaro… the list goes on… Dave McLellan autographed copies of his new book "Corvette From the Inside", and Jerry Burton autographed copies of his great biography, "Zora Arkus-Duntov, The Legend Behind Corvette". (If you're interested in copies of these new books, be sure to go to our website, cfca.net, and click on the Amazon logo - proceeds from your purchase will be donated by CFCA to the NCM!)
The highlight of Thursday's events was the arrival of the Historic Motorama, complete with police escort and a Chevrolet-provided pace car. It was thrilling to see the cars arrive in date order, starting with a beautiful 1953, marking the culmination of a very lengthy trip. It's quite amazing that problems on the road were minimal and all of the older solid-axle cars were able to complete the trip without benefit of the luxuries of power steering, power brakes, and air conditioning. Our hats are off to those "pioneers"!
On Friday, a very unique event took place. The entire Motorama visited the Bowling Green plant and DROVE THROUGH THE PLANT so that all the workers could see the procession of the history of Corvette production first-hand. While we weren't able to witness it, the employees were absolutely thrilled, "high-fiving" everyone along the way! The procession then made it's way back to the NCM to give all of the attendees another look at Corvette history and to receive plaques from Mike Yager. The evening concluded with a banquet for somewhere in the neighborhood of 1200 people. Guest speakers included John Middlebrook and Rick Baldick from GM, the Kentucky State Speaker of the House, and the Mayor of Bowling Green. Bowling Green's Mayor made a formal proclamation marking June 2002 to June 2003 "The Year of the Corvette".
Also on Friday, a very unique unveiling took place. Two "Concept Cars", designed by John Cafaro and Tom Peters were shown to the public for the first time. These design exercises were done during the C5 development process and, believe it or not, are now nearly 13 years old!! It makes one wonder about the ultimate design of the C6, doesn't it?
We found that our CFCA club photo still resides outside the Chevrolet Theatre and is now joined by two Corvette Racing items, one of which is in memory of Dale Earnhardt. And, speaking of plaques, we also saw that CFCA is now represented on the Business Member plaque as well.
While it was overcast with occasional showers earlier in the week, Saturday dawned sunny, HOT, and humid. We chose to spend quite a bit of time inside the NCM that day. I attended many of the seminars, and Joan spent a good portion of the day "working the crowd", helping the C5 Fighter Squadron support the NCM by selling memberships and raffle tickets. We learned during one of the dinners that there were many attendees for whom this was their first visit to the NCM.
On Sunday, the events wrapped up with a parade by the Alternate Motorama participants, plaques presented by Mike Yager, awards to the winners of the various drag and autocross events, and the cutting of Corvette's 49th Birthday cake!
We were also able to spend some time with CFCA members "Bullet Bob" and Annie Ellis. Bob spent a good deal of his time as a volunteer helping to park cars (under the blazing sun). They were there to attend the Kickoff events and were then on their way to Indianapolis for the NCCC Convention!
In all it was a truly fantastic trip. If you've never visited the National Corvette Museum, put it on your list of "must-do's"! As the plans for next year's 50th Anniversary evolve, in Nashville, and in Bowling Green, the opportunity is there for you. We'll be there. Why not make YOUR plans NOW?
Save the Wave!!
Gary
- Gary Wollenhaupt
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