PRESIDENT'S REPORT
Dear fellow CFCA members:
MEMBERSHIP REPORT
I am happy to report that our club is growing. At our first meeting in February we welcomed seven new members. Barry and Helen Spurney of Apopka, owners of a red 2003 Z06, John and Ruth Nagy of Orlando and their 2003 50th Anniversary convertible, Raymond Jordon and daughter Nicole also of Orlando along with their 1997 black coupe, and Shaun Lowrey. Shaun comes to us all the way from Texas and belongs to an NCCC club there. He is currently studying at Emory-Riddle in Daytona Beach. Shaun brings with him a 1960 convertible and a 1993 black coupe. Please join me in welcoming these folks to our extended family.
GOVERNOR'S REPORT
Hi there!
Ray
COMPETITION REPORT
Hello All!
BJ
NCM AMBASSADOR'S REPORT
Bob Rolfe
Have you ever asked yourself, just how fortunate you really are to own a Corvette? I did as I was driving home from Orlando Speed World last night. It was the first time I had our "99" on the drag strip. (But that is another story for another time….).
During my drive home I got to asking myself the question, "what other vehicle have we ever owned (28 to date) that has been more versatile, more enjoyable than the Corvette?" What other car have we ever spent hours stripping the wax off of and putting several coats of Zanio on just for others to enjoy? What other car have we ever rushed home from work on a Friday afternoon to wash and dry just so we can drive it around a high school football track with a pretty girl and a sweaty football player riding along? What other car have we owned that I have spent countless hours detailing with a Q-tip to get all of that dirt out of the air vents just so we don't get points knocked off in judging?
What other car have we ever owned that we would dare take out to the drag strip on a Friday night, only to clean all the tire rubber off the next morning before taking my beautiful blond wife out on a drive on the back roads of Florida? I sure wouldn't have done it in the '73 Pontiac station wagon we had, or the VW Vanagon, or even the Tahoe we have now.
No, I know of no other versatile car that I have enjoyed any more than the Corvette. From wash-and-shines, to parades, homecomings, drag racing, auto crossing, or just daily driving, our '99 Corvette has over 70K miles on it and has brought "miles of smiles" to our faces and others we have shared our love for the Corvette with, you, our fellow club members. We hope you have as many wonderful memories and appreciate how fortunate you are to own such a versatile car like the Corvette.
March promises to be a busy month for CFCA as there are car shows to enter and attend such as "Vettes at the Villages" and "Cruisers for Kids". I would like to really encourage you to attend these shows and support CFCA, but, as in the case of Cruisers for Kids, you will be supporting, most importantly, The Russell Home. There are other projects in the works (drive outs, Sebring) for those who have racing in their blood and are crazy enough to get up in the wee hours of the morning just to get there early! Hey, but we are Corvette owners, enough said! Oh, and don't forget our quarterly meeting at La Piaza in Hunters Creek on March 18th at 7pm. Be sure to RSVP me by the 15th so I can give them a count.
A couple of our members have volunteered to arrange a surprise drive-out, so as soon as we know more, we will fill everyone in on it. Be sure to check our newsletter and website often. A lot of hard work and volunteer time goes into making these things happen for all of us to enjoy.
By the way, several have answered the call for volunteering for some of the open slots like our Christmas party. Three ladies from our club have teamed up to Chair this party. Others have filled in spots and taken up the slack, a hearty and warm "thank you" to all. We do still have one area open and that is for the Anniversary party in May. We have a date set aside, but we need a couple of people to team together to Chair this event. Can you help?
As a last note, if you have an idea of something you would like to do as a club, bring it to my attention. We do a lot of things to support The Russell Home, and we go to events that other clubs are running. This is all good. However, we need to do some things to support our own club as well. Do you have any creative ideas on how we can do this?
I look forward to hearing from you. Please call or e-mail me at anytime. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to serve as your President this year. You all have been very kind, encouraging and supportive.
Warmest wishes,
Bob
Bob Rolfe
CFCA President 2004
Please volunteer your time, knowledge and skills with CFCA. Share your passion for the Corvette with others, and be sure and support those who support our club. Oh, and "Save the Wave!"
Gary Showe
As of our February 5, 2004 meeting, our membership stands at 128. I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank Joan and Gary Wollenhaupt, John Hutchinson, Lisa Cole and Mark Gustetter for the help, and, more importantly, the patience they have shown me during my learning curve associated with fulfilling the duties of Membership Director. I think I am finally getting the hang of this; hopefully Gary and Joan will not need to talk me off the ledge too many more times.
To all our members I would like to echo the words of our President... "Please get involved in this club". Our success depends on our efforts as a group, the tasks necessary for our success can be easily managed if we work as a team. The failure of many worthy organizations can be traced back to the fact that 90% of the work is left to 10% of the membership. Let's not let that happen to CFCA. Remember, our club serves not only as an outlet for Corvette crazies to enjoy their cars, but our support to the Russell Home provides assistance to children in our community who really need our help. If you have questions or concerns with regard to club membership please contact me at our meetings or via the web site at the membership link. Thanks.
Gary Showe
CFCA Membership Director 2004
Ray Dettore
As we March forth, (yes, pun intended), I want to say "Thank You" to all our members that have volunteered for the committee positions. There are still many positions open, so please get involved. As this club continues to grow, we will need more and more members to get involved.
If you are, yearning for the latest information on NCCC Road Rallies, Concours events, Low- and High-Speed Autocross, all you have to do is go to www.ncccsouth.com, then click on Upcoming NCCC Events in the South. Manny Montgomery does a great job keeping this web site updated. So check it out!
March 7th is the day for the Florida Regional Meeting at the Roadway Inn Maingate in Kissimmee. And don't forget about the National Convention in Las Vegas, June 5-11.
As for the Insurance issue I brought up in last month's article, I'm still gathering information; I hope to have more on this next month.
Sorry about the short article this month, but I really hate when work takes over my social life. Not a whole lot of spare time this month, sorry.
C-ya soon
CFCA Governor 2004
BJ LaMontagne
Well, here we go again. As I am just remembering my portion of the newsletter is due to Mark, I am looking out my window at the falling rain. I know we badly need this rain, but I hope the next few weekends are dry and beautiful.
Taking a quick look back at February, we had one great show at the "Reflections in Glass XXI," which was held in Boca Raton. What a great show and a huge turnout. Thanks to those of you who made the trip down south to represent CFCA, and congratulations to the winners. By the time you read this, the Annual Drag Racing event will have come and gone. 'Hope everyone had a great time. On to March, which, as you will see, is a very busy month for us. Here are just a few of the functions:
Looking forward to April, we have the "Eckler's Springfest" to be held Easter weekend on Saturday, April 10th. The following Saturday, April 17th, is "Vettes at the Port" in Cape Canaveral. Towards the end of the month, a few of us are going to Tybee Island in Savannah to participate in the "Gathering VII" Corvette show. This will be a first-time event for our club, and, from what we have heard about it, this might become an annual, multi-day event we will look forward to. We will cruise up on Friday, April 23rd, and will be return to Orlando on Sunday, April 25th (or later, for those that choose to stay longer). If anyone is interest in this trip, check out the website or give me or Mark Gustetter a call.
As the weather continues to gets warmer, and the days move faster, there are a lot of nice outdoor events that we can do. We have a mystery dinner cruise, possible airboat rides, and two more possible events in the works. I would like to thank Arch, Bill and Kerry on volunteering to chair some of the upcoming functions.
So keep those ideas coming and let us know if something else comes to mind. Keep your eyes on the road and on the web site.
Later,
BJ LaMontagne
CFCA Competition Director 2004
Gary Wollenhaupt
National Corvette Museum NEWS
NCM Refinances Debt
Gary
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