HOOSIER VINTAGE THUNDERBIRD CLUB, INC. NEWS  

Indiana's Most Active Thunderbird Club                            

August 2010

Dear Club Members,

The world is now aware that The Hoosier Vintage Thunderbird Club will be hosting The NC Regional Convention.  The dates are June 23-26, 2011.  The news has gone out to all Regional Directors and will be in the next issue of Scoop Magazine.  There will be much more work to be done on our part, but I believe that at this stage, we are coming along well.  Much of what has been accomplished so far is because of the drive and determination of our VP and Events Coordinator, Darrell Will.  We also have a core group that is willing to roll up their sleeves and get what needs to be done, accomplished.  I realize that we are scattered all over the state and into our neighboring state of Ohio, and that all of you can't get to our planning meetings.  We do appreciate what you can do.

Now, believe it or not, we have members who have never been to a Regional VTCI Thunderbird Convention.  You are the people that I am directing this too.  First of all, life is way too short to be missing out on what goes on at a convention.  You may think that you need a perfect Thunderbird to enter it into judging.  Not true!  There is a category for every Thunderbird.  Say you have decided to put Lake Pipes, 22" wheels with spinners, and neon lights under your Thunderbird.  Let me be the first to slap you, but believe it or not, there is a category for your T-Bird.  (Modified Division.)  Say your car is under construction, has gray primer for a finish, and has a galvanized bucket for a 'bucket seat.'  There is a place for you too.  No kidding!  And say that you are one of those members who are just not into having your car judged.  Your car is your trophy.  Great!  I would bet that you would still like to show it off and have people complement you on your ride.  If that is the case, you could put it in 'Display' catagory.  If you have added a disc brake conversion, halogen headlights, radial tires, or other safety features, you could put your car in 'Touring' Division.  Or say that your car is enjoyed and driven often to events, It looks good with a nice interior, but your engine isn't quite up to par and your trunk has the old origional mat in it.  There is a 'Driver' Division just for you!  Then suppose you are one of those members who have done a complete and Concours correct, better than new restoration.  You have spent much time researching every detail and have spent mega bucks to get it that way.  'Primary' Division would be the place for you.  There is a class for Retro Birds too.  So you see, their is a place for every Thunderbird.  There is no reason that I can think of that we shouldn't have nearly 40 of our own Thunderbirds at this show.  Some of us own more that one car, so bring them on.  This is the time to show the world that The Hoosier Vintage Thunderbird Club is one of the finest clubs in the region.

What to expect.  Well since we are the hosting club, this will be the time we make some sacrifices to insure our guests have a good time.  All of you already know what "Hoosier Hospitality" is all about.  Still, our members always have a good time whereever we go, and I think there will still be plenty of room for that also.  Who will be here?  We are in the North Central Region of VTCI.  That includes clubs from Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and even Canada!  Since we are nearly on the border with Ohio, we expect clubs from the NE Region also.  If we are lucky, we may even see some members from the SC region.  All are welcome!

What we have planned so far is arrival day on Thursday, June 22.  This will be the day to explore all that this three time winner 'All American City" has to offer.  From our Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, (rated in the top ten in the US) to a stop at world renowned Vera Bradley Store, to Indiana's largest shopping destination, Glenbrook Square, or DeBrands Chocolate Stores.  There is much to see and do in Indiana's second largest city.  You may even want to look up your family tree at Allen County's Public Library, which houses the largest public genealogical collection in the US.  Our hospitality room will be open all day to serve you.

On Friday morning, we will line up our Thunderbirds for a short drive North to the automotive historic town of Auburn.  There we will tour The Auburn/Cord/Duesenberg Museum and then enjoy a catered lunch.  After lunch we will explore The Kruse Automobile and Carriage Museum and The National Military History Center, plus The Early Ford V-8 Museum all at the same location.  Then we will travel back to the hotel to get our cars ready for judging and to get ready for the evening festivities.

Friday evening will be a casual dinner/dance in the hotel's Grand Ballroom.  Then Saturday morning will be The VTCI Concourse judging with the social/cocktail hour and The Awards Banquet to follow that evening.

Best of all, this area is known for modest prices.  Our hotel rates are extremely reasonable, and our events and dinners will also suit a modest budget.  We have signed a contract with Don Hall's Guesthouse and they are really are working with us.   If you haven't yet attended a meeting, or become involved in the process, we urge you to do so.

The best thing about a Thunderbird Convention is THUNDERBIRD PEOPLE!  We are a rare breed who have been challenged to protect and honor those rolling works of art that is "Unique In All The World."  You will meet good people from all walks of life.  Wealthy and not so much, but all with the passion to have fun, and enjoy our treasures.  You will make life long friends.  We look forward to the pleasure of your company.

What can you do?  At this point, we will need door prizes, and items for a silent auction.  This can come from you, or you can solicit them from businesses you have used, or ones near you.  Maybe you are handy with a talent for sewing.  You could make a quilt or blanket with a Thunderbird or VTCI logo on it.  Use your imagination.  We will also be selling advertising space in an event booklet that we will have printed.  We will need lots bottled water.  If you see it on sale, you might want to start a stockpile at your residence.  We are working on a receipt that you can use for any donations.  This will be emailed to you so that you can print it out for your use.

In other news, July was a busy month for our club.  Everything we planned fell into one weekend.  We had good attendance at The Back To The 50's and 60's Car Show in Huntington on July 16th.  Unlike last year with rain and thunder, we had sunshine and heat.  Bud and Freda Gibson took home a huge trophy for being voted "The Car The Judges Would Most Like To Ride In."  Their entry was their 1964 Mercury Monterey Convertible, which we have nicknamed "The Thunderboat."  We also gained new members, Larry and Joyce Snider from Marion, Indiana.  They are the owners of several collector cars including a 1955 black Thunderbird, 1940 Dodge pickup truck, 1932 Ford pickup truck, 1959 Bug Eyed Sprite, and two 1950 Fords.  Welcome Larry and Joyce!

July 17th was our Annual Three Rivers Festival Car Show in Lawton Park.  The temperatures were in the low 90's, but with the help of several canopy's and a gentle breeze, it didn't seem so bad.  Joining us were Darrell Will, Lowell and Carole Lepper, Jim McCann and Sandy, Tom Butler, Bud and Freda Gibson, Paul Karris and Barb DeFord, Gene and Beth Kline, Doug and Karen McConnell, Greg and Amy Minnich, Gene Serwatks, John and Penny Smith, Larry Sneary, Ric Echler, and Roger Noll.  Because of the generosity of club members Rob and Velen Webb, and Greg Minnich designing a stand for it, we were able to display our new club banner.  We had seven of our members cars win trophies in the top 50.  Congratulations to all.  Several of our cars were displaying our new front license plates with our club logo on them.  They looked great.

July 18th was the car show held at Arnold's Drive-In in Decatur.  Congratulations to Darrell Will and Greg Minnich, both of whom took home trophies.  Our youngest club member, Brianna Minnich won the Hula Hoop contest.  Greg Minnich won the 'Creeper' Drag Race.

UPCOMING EVENTS

AUGUST 7th-The Hicksville Ohio Summer Fest.  Registration 3 pm to 5 pm.  Awards at 7 pm.  We will meet in the parking lot in front of Will Jewelers on SR 37 (Maysville Road) at 3:00 pm.  and will caravan there.  Club members Paul Karris and Barb will meet us at the Ohio state line and lead us into downtown Hicksville.  We will have reserved parking and so we will need to know how many cars we need spaces for.  Please let me know if you plan to attend.

AUGUST 21st, Than Annual BF Goodrich Shine & Show, Woodburn plant on US 24 east.  Free T-Shirts with early registration, thousands of dollars in door prizes, get away weekend prize, hundreds of dollars in gift certificates given away.  Color photo of each registrant.  We will meet at our usual spot for this event, The Steak & Shake at HW 37 & I-469 at 8:00 am and caravan to the show from there.

AUGUST 22- Convention planning meeting....3:00 pm at Don Hall's Guesthouse.  Come on down.

SEPTEMBER 12-Annual Club Picnic.  New this year, we have secured a shelter house at Obauche State Park near Bluffton.  Carry-in meal.  Arrive at 11:30 am, bring Thunderbirds!

SEPTEMBER 22-26 -VTCI International Convention hosted by Chicagoland Thunderbirds.  If you haven't done so, get your reservations in ASAP.  For all of the convention information, go to our 'Links' page and click on the VTCI website or Chicagoland website.  If we expect others to support our convention, we need to support this one.

That's all the news from Hoosierland.

Come Fly With Us!

Best regards,

Roger Noll, President

HVTC