Greetings Fellow Olds Enthusiasts,
I held off until the day after the hurricane to get out my letter. I hope you are safe and were not affected by the storm. Susan and I were very lucky; we had several limbs and branches down and had to drain the pool a couple of times– other than that, just a sleepless night. Others weren’t so lucky, I have a friend on Davis Island with 17” of water in his house; another friend on a canal in Hernando beach who hasn’t been able to access his house yet but was told by a neighbor who stayed in his stilt house that he had at least 5’ in his house, and yet another friend in the Crystal River area who had water up to his roof! Thank God they all had enough sense to evacuate! I hope and pray you weren’t affected by this nasty storm.
Just a reminder, Club elections are coming up. Now is your chance to secure the office of your dreams! In all seriousness, I would like a break as would my counterparts. Please step up and get some new faces with their new ideas in the Club’s driver’s seat. It has been an honor being you’re President for the last 3 years but I need a break. Please consider stepping up; we’ll always be available for backup and to offer help and support.
On a much happier topic, the September Club gathering in Plant City at the Strawberry Classic Cruise In was a huge success. We started out at the Whistle Stop Café for our initial gathering. There were at least 33 Members present; some of whom we haven’t seen in a while! We had the whole back room of the restaurant to ourselves and judging by the decibel level of the chatter, a lot of good Oldsmobile stories were being spewed! Suddenly, the chatter stopped, the chow was being laid out and everyone strapped on the feedbag! We were not disappointed. Everyone enjoyed the food, and it was deee-licious! I didn’t hear any bellyaching. We could have had our Club meeting at the restaurant, but we decided to mosey on down to the train station to meet. The meeting started with everyone standing up to introduce themselves, telling us where they were from and then tell us about their Oldsmobile’s. From there, we discussed our BOPC Show. We spoke of still needing volunteers. We’ve had a few Members step up; we appreciate their help but could use a few more helping hands. We plan to meet at the show field at 7:00AM to get set up. Please help out if you can. We already have over 80 cars registered. It looks like we will have another great turnout!
We talked about future Club get-togethers. The official club gatherings for November and December with Meetings will be as follows:
November Club Meeting: Field of Dreams Car Show, November 23rd and 24th. Florida Classic Park, 5360 Lockhart Rd., Brooksville, FL. This is a large show with a swap meet, car corral and over 40 vendors. We will meet on Saturday the 23rd. The show starts at 9:00 so try to get there early. I’ll try to have our Club parked as a group. Let’s gather by the Registration Table at 11:00 and have a meeting; there is a large, covered pavilion with picnic tables that we may be able to utilize. Make sure to bring your chairs. This show benefits The Shriners Hospitals for Children! Register early before November 1st for $15.00, after Nov 1st until Day of Show for $25.00; this covers both days if you wish to return for Sunday. I was told they have MANY Door Prizes for both days, and trophies will be awarded on Sunday! www.FieldofDreamsCarShow.com or call John Romanyak at 813-956-3503 for more information.
December Club Meeting: Gasparilla Cars in The Park, December 14th at Carrollwood Village Park, 4680 West Village Drive, Tampa. Benefiting Champions for Children. We should be there by 8:00 to get to our reserved area before the main gate opens to the public. You’ll receive a canvas Booty Bag full of goodies. Vendor booths, live entertainment, picnic area, fishing and trails, skate and water park and more! Register early and save. $20.00 before November 1st, $25.00 after November 1st & day of show. Google “Gasparilla Cars in The Park” to register.
Bonus Club Gatherings!
October 12th, Craft Fair and Car Show October 12th, Keystone United Methodist Church, 16301 Race Track Road, Odessa, Fl. 9:00-2:00. Free Show! Vendors, baked goods, crafts, gift baskets and raffles!
November 9th, Harvest Fest, Sponsored by Open Door Baptist Church. Free Show! 10:00-3:00, 17140 North US Highway 27, Clermont, Fl. www.odbconline.org or call 352-394-4905 for more information. Family friendly, muscle and antique cars, snacks and games. This show is being put on by fellow Old’s Club of Florida Members Mark & Barbara Miner. Mark and Barbara are long-term members who have hosted Club gatherings at their home and always pitch in to help out the club at the BOPC and whenever help is needed. Now it’s our turn to return the favor and support this family friendly show. I hope to see a large turnout there!
December 14th, Brandon Parade of Lights Parade starts at 5:30. Go to www.BrandonParadeofLights.com for more information. Click on “Be in Parade” This parade is co-sponsored by Rivard Buick GMC who ALWAYS help sponsor our BOPC Show. Let’s get some of our Oldsmobiles in the parade to return the favor and show our appreciation! We can fancy up the parade and have a good time doing it! I hope to see you there!
That’s all I’ve got! Ya’ll stay safe and keep those Rockets fired up and rolling!
John