Highlights from the June 2004 CFCA Newsletter

. CFCA

PRESIDENT'S REPORT
Bob Rolfe

Dear fellow club members:

Whoosh……

The month of May has come and gone so quickly, and again we have been blessed as a club with opportunities to enjoy each others company and of course our Corvettes.

There were many events this month to participate in, and that is a good thing. It gives us a chance to pick and choose what we each like to be involved in.

I want to thank each and everyone that was involved either visibly or behind the scenes to make each of these events in May happen. From organizing a caravan to attend a car show in another town, coordinating the display of cars at a local theme park, putting together and running a road rally, to pulling together our anniversary picnic. It takes a lot of members to make this happen.

Oh, Let's not forget the countless hours that other members put in monthly to make sure we have a newsletter, website, membership support, bookkeeping, new events to check out, public relations, and working club e-mail. Then there are those who keep us up-to-date on NCCC and NCM and others who are working now for upcoming events later this summer and through the rest of the year. I'm sure that I have forgotten something but I don't take your work for granted, it's just that fading memory is part of getting older.

Did you know that there are people working now on our Christmas party? Hard to think that far ahead, but it takes that kind of planning. Did you know that there have already been about 15-20 people meeting that last two months to plan Roger's Cruz-in? We need to rally behind this cause it will take all of us in this club to make this a success for the kids at the Russell Home.

And soon we will be talking Homecoming time again. Plus other events between now and then that are in the works or will be happening. Can you imagine the "man-hours" that your fellow club members put in to make sure we pull these events off? I tip my hat to each and every one of you and say thank you.

If you haven't gotten "plugged-in" to helping visibly or behind the scenes on one of these events, its' not too late. It takes all of us to make this club a success. Don't know who to contact, ask any of the board members, we will point you to the right person.

Now, to shift gears a little (and what Corvette guy doesn't like to) if you didn't have an opportunity to go on the Road Rally that Jon put together, you really missed it. So let me let you in on my observations of that day.

  1. If you have the top down on your convertible…it is guaranteed to rain before you leave the start line.
  2. If you washed the Corvette before coming to the rally…it will rain.
  3. Know that if you follow the clues correctly….you will be out of the rain shortly.
  4. If the clue asks: "how many baby ducks are at a certain address"…. it doesn't necessarily mean you stop the car, get out and count them…. just look for the duck crossing sign instead and count.
  5. If the directions at the drivers meeting was to "pay close attention to punctuation" when filling in the blanks on the clues…. then pay close attention to the punctuation when filling in the blanks on the clues.
  6. Having GPS in the car…. won't help.
  7. Working for a mapping company…. won't help.
  8. Knowing that out-of-state visitors that are invited to run the rally with us as a good will gesture and then they clean our clocks and walk away with a trophy…. hurts the pride a little.
  9. If you're a man and your driving…you're sunk because men don't take directions very well from their spouses.
  10. If you're a man and you're navigating…you're sunk, because you will not ask for directions, even though you both know you're lost.
  11. And if your navigator happens to be your spouse…make sure that you have the name of a good marriage counselor.
Seriously, it was a blast and Jon has agreed to hold another one later in the year.

I look forward to what the month of June holds for us. The Mystery Cruise, and the Vettes at the Villages. Don't forget our regular meeting and this month is our quarterly dinner meeting. There are several opportunities for us to explore as a club. Please come with ideas, suggestions as to what we can do as club. Our meetings have been a good source of brainstorming, sharing ideas, and planning of upcoming events, it is no wonder we are such an active club.

Look forward to seeing you soon.

Warmest wishes,

Bob
Bob Rolfe
CFCA President 2004

Please continue to 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!"

MEMBERSHIP REPORT
Gary Showe

OI am happy to report that our club is continuing to grow. At our last meeting Bill, Mary Lou and Tyson Blackburn renewed their CFCA memberships. This brings our current membership to 135. It seems like not a day goes by that I don't receive an e-mail requesting information on club membership, so I am hopeful that our ranks will continue to grow.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those members who worked tirelessly to make the CFCA Anniversary Party held on May 22nd a success. I would also like to again thank Don and Betty Ashe for hosting the event and for providing the entertainment--both the DJ and the visit from Elvis. If you were not able to attend you missed a great time.

Well that is all the news for now. Look forward to seeing you at a future CFCA event.

Gary
Gary Showe
CFCA Membership Director 2004

GOVERNOR'S REPORT
Ray Dettore

Hi there!

June, the one month of the year that fathers are finally the King of their castle. OK, OK, so it's only for a day. A man can dream, can't he? At least we're easy to buy for. You can get something for us through any of our three favorite men's catalogs: Sears, Eckler's and Victoria Secrets. You'll never have to worry what color or size; remember, we're easy. Happy Fathers Day!

I ordered my new C6 back in January of this year and I took delivery direct from Bowling Green the end of May. The car is beautiful! She is a black convertible with light oak interior. I was shocked when the Museum called. I did not think the convertibles were going to be released until later this year. I know I said that I was not going to get another black Vette, but I just could not resist the way the polished rims sparkle against the black paint. I am going to try to keep her inside as much as possible, to keep her spotless. I'm even getting use to the fixed head lights. I have to admit, when the pictures first started coming out, I was not impressed. Now that I have held one in my hands, WOW! What a car!! You know I'm talking about my 1:18th scale model!!! Can't wait till I own a life-size one!

Do not forget to read last month's Blue Bars to see how much NCCC insurance covers.

We sure had a great time and raised a lot of money for the Russell Home at the CFCA 31st Anniversary Party. A special THANK YOU! to all those that spearheaded this year's party: Joyce Rolfe, John Nagy (JD) and especially Betty and Don Ashe. Don, you sure know how to smoke'em.

C-ya soon and God bless,

Ray
 Ray Dettore
CFCA Governor 2004

COMPETITION REPORT
BJ LaMontagne

Hello All!

As we come off another month and look forward to another month, I'm trying to figure out where one starts. Well I guess we'll start at the beginning of the month. As you all know we ended April with a great road trip to Tybee Island and what a great trip that was. We will surely make this trip again next year. May started out enjoyable. Most of the month's weekends (Friday & Saturday) were spent at Pleasure Island. A few of us help by spending the evening at Pleasure Island showing off our beautiful cars and at the same time raise funds for the club. The weather was picture perfect except for one weekend that the weather just didn't want to cooperate. A few of us got completely rain out and a few of us got a short night. Which for me was OK. I want to thank all of those who gave their time to promote this event, especially Arch, who took on the chairperson role. Being the contact person with Disney was a job in itself. So my deepest thank-you goes to Arch. Below is a picture of a few of us at Pleasure Island before it got to busy.



As you can see below, even Bill got me to work. As I polish his car, he made sure I didn't miss a spot. But don't tell Bill, but I think I missed a few handprints.



Being serious, Pleasure Island help raise $900.00 towards the club. Now we can look forward to new projects. Moving on, towards the middle of the month we had "Jon's" road rally. I wish I had a picture or two to show you. This was an absolute fun drive. Even the Orlando Police Department got involve by tell a few of us lost drivers which direction the rest of us went. We had guest from out of town that we meet at Pleasure Island and they came in second. How about that, they show a few of us old timers how it's done. Congratulation Mark for coming in 1st place & Bubba & Becky for 3rd. Jon is planning another one for the fall, keep your calendars open, date to come.

As we all have heard in the past month, Arch & Bill big event hosted on June 5th is just around the corner. As I'm writing this article, I just got Arch's e:mail for the big event. The "Mystery Cruise" will began on Saturday June 5th @ 8:30am. We'll depart from the Cracker Barrel in Hunter's Creek (OBT & the Greenway). A quote from Arch "As this journey will include some roads that guarantee you have never been down". This is a must. Mark your calendar for this wonderful event. If you missed Jon's event last month you must try and do this one. Unfortunately for me I'll be out of town, so I need someone to take a lot of pictures. (This is my pick of the month). For the rest of the month of June we have one event plan so far, its on June 19th "Vettes at the Village 6" at St. Augustine.

Looking towards the Future,

  1. We have on July 3rd "Hunter's Creek 4th of July Parade" will meet @ 9:00 am at the old K-Mart parking lot at Town Center Blvd.
  2. CFCA's Bill Duty has found us another road trip. "THANKS BILL". This one to Panama City Beach for the "Corvette Beach Odyssey", mark your calendar and make your reservation and check the web for further details.
  3. Still looking ahead don't forget our annual Keys trip in November, you need to get your reservation in if you are planning to stay at the Holiday Isle.
Also, keep voicing those suggestions and ideas for upcoming fun events. Special thanks to Tom for suggesting a "drive in movie night" & Kerry for suggesting an Air Boat Ride event. Dates coming soon.

Have a great month! Keep you eyes on the road and on the Web site.

Later,

BJ
BJ LaMontagne
CFCA Competition Director 2004

NCM AMBASSADOR'S REPORT
Gary Wollenhaupt

National Corvette Museum NEWS


NCM ENTERS 10th YEAR ON SOLID FINANCIAL GROUND


On the eve of it's 10th Anniversary, to be celebrated this coming Labor Day weekend, the NCM reports continuously improving financial results. In 2003, the Museum experienced a great year where net revenue was significantly "in the black", and for the first time ever, audited financial statement showed net assets exceeding liabilities. In February of 2004, total debt was refinanced into a $5.1M bond, which lowered the interest rate and created a net savings of over $500,000 for the life of the bond. NCM Members interested in additional details can contact me at Ambassador@cfca.net.


BUILDING EXPANSION CAMPAIGN SHOWS STEADY PROGRESS

To date, the building campaign has exceeded $1,000,000. The second phase of the building campaign, "Going To Bat", ends June 30th. The plans for a fully expanded Museum will include a permanent Library and Archives, a permanent Hall of Fame area, an exhibition and banquet hall, and more.


NEVER BEEN TO THE NCM? - TAKE THE VIRTUAL TOUR…

…Then, plan a road trip! True 'Vette lovers won't want to miss all that the NCM has to offer! The 68,000 sq. ft. building houses more than 50 Corvette models and one-of-a-kind concept cars spanning the history of Corvette. Also on hand are thousands of Corvette related photos, movies and videos, advertisements, scale models and rare memorabilia. Spotlighted are the people who have made Corvette an American icon.

Inside, striking full-scale dioramas show classic Corvette models and famous performance Corvette models in period settings. You'll also find the historic one-millionth Corvette, donated to the museum by Chevrolet.

You say you're a true Corvette lover who's never been to the National Corvette Museum? What are you waiting for? Visit the NCM's website at www.corvettemuseum.com/planning_visit/index.shtml. It will help you plan your trip, walk you through a Virtual Tour of the NCM, let you discover the unique opportunity of a Museum Delivery for your Corvette, and showcase the Assembly Plant located across from the museum.


SUPPORT THE CORVETTE LEGACY ~ BECOME A NCM MEMBER!

Gary
Gary Wollenhaupt
CFCA NCM Ambassador
NCM Lifetime Member


For more information, please contact the NCM at 800-53-VETTE (800-538-3883) or visit www.corvettemuseum.com. The National Corvette Museum is a nonprofit foundation exempt from federal income taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to the National Corvette Museum are tax deductible as provided by law.

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