THE SCVT EARLY BIRD FAN
June 2009 Chapter 50 – Classic Thunderbird Club International Volume 37 Number 6
MEETING FRIDAY, JUNE 12 AT 7:30 PM
Meeting Date Changes: July 10 to July 17, October 9 to October 16
(See Presidents Page for Details)
The Early Bird Fan is the monthly newsletter of the Santa Clara Valley Thunderbirds, SCVT. SCVT is dedicated to the enjoyment of the classic 1955, 1956, and 1957 Ford Thunderbirds.
AddressSanta Clara Valley Thunderbirds
P.O. Box 26103
San Jose, CA 95159
Web Sites
MeetingsMeetings are held on the second Friday of each month at West Valley College 14000 Fruitvale Ave. Saratoga, CA. The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. in the school board room.
EventsSCVT members participate in parades, displays, homecomings, regional and national
meets, local cars shows, and driving events.
Membership Dues are $40.00 per year per family and are due by January 31 of each year. SCVT is Chapter 50 of the Classic Thunderbird Club International, CTCI. Membership in CTCI is mandatory to participate in parades and displays sponsored by SCVT. See for CTCI membership requirements.
2009 SCVT Board Members SCVT items for sale
Contact Bernie Epolite - 408-847-0730
PresidentJoe Ryan650-483-6256Magnetic signs$5.00
Vice PresidentDennis Kay650-341-6868Visors$11.00
SecretaryDon Reisinger650-917-1288Baseball mesh caps$8.00
TreasurerRay Delgado408-847-7640Baseball cotton hats$15.00
EditorMarty Gerbasi209-588-1589Summer jacket$21.00
ParadesSteve Pedone408 749-0469Winter jacket$39.50
DisplaysMont Roach408-847-0234Large patch$10.00
ActivitiesGene Cox408-528-1916Name badge$8.50
FundraisingAl Thomas650-493-4476License plate frame$12.00
HistorianKathy Pedone408 749-0469Personalized tote$10.00
CTCI Rep Jerry Schwab650-571-1079Logo T-Shirts$15.00
Logo Sales Bernie Epolite 408-847-0730 SCVT chairs$15.00
3-Piece luggage set$25.00
Grill Badge$26.50
Caravan tips Parts Boxes
Maintain your car.Box 1Delgado
Gas up and check fluids/tires.Box 2Charlie
Know who your leader is and follow.Box 3Reisinger
Turn CB to channel 11.6-VoltWilliams
Turn FRS to channel 7-11.Tentsunknown
Leave enough space for merging traffic,
but keep up.
Gas up at scheduled pit stops.
Generic cars at the end of the caravan.
Newsletter
Deadline:25th of each month.
Send to:Marty Gerbasi
16091 Crestridge Ave.
Sonora, CA 95370
email:
Phone: 209-588-1589
Presidents Page
Ryan’s Ramblings
June 2009
The meeting day and location has been changed for July due to Hot San Jose Nights. The meeting will be Friday, July 17 at Harry’s Hofbrau, 390 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose. We also will meet at Harry’s on August 14 and decide if we want to make a permanent meeting location change.
May events started with the Cruzin’ Morro Bay Car Show. See the full write up in this months Fan.
The last weekend of the month we will have 2 events; the “Cars for ABC” in San Carlos, hosted by Billy & Heather Mann on Saturday, May 30 (this is a fundraiser for the school). On Sunday, May 31 is “Back Road Cruise to Moss Landing” with a stop at Club Auto Sport hosted by the Deutsch’s.
June will start with the Capitola Rod & Custom show that is being hosted by the Affrunti’s and Mann’s on June 6 and 7. The plan is for SCVT to be part of the show on Saturday and then on Sunday, if you decide to stay, the group will have breakfast at Gayles and meet for snacks at a Pajaro Dunes condo on the beach and then go to an early dinner on Sunday afternoon.
On Saturday, June 13 there will be a display at Capital Mall. Note that this is a date change from the original published date of June 14. Contact Mont Roach if you have signed up to confirm your attendance. He may need some alternates, so give him a call if you are available.
On June 27, Doc Dockter is doing a display at the Sunrise Assisted Living facility in Belmont. This is a no charge for the display which is for the seniors at the facility. They will be supplying food & beverages for those that are displaying their cars.
On June 28 is 43rd Annual Palo Alto Concours d'Elegance that is being hosted by the Schuette’s. The American Marque this year is the Mustang.
If you have signed up to attend Hot San Jose Nights, please make sure you submit your application ASAP. They are in the process of laying out the parking spaces and need to know how may spaces we will need so we can all park together. As of last week, Carl Epolite had about 25 sign ups but HSJN only had 12 applications. When you submit your application let Carl know and write “Santa Clara Valley Thunderbirds” across the top of your application. This way we will all be able to park together.
A Happy Father’s Day to all of you Dad’s.
Your Prez, Joe
SEE YOU FRIDAY, June 12th
Meeting Minutes, May 8, 2009
Joe Ryan called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM. Officers present were Joe Ryan, Dennis Kay, Ray Delgado and Don Reisinger. There were 61 members in attendance. There were no guests or new members present.
Vice President: Dennis thanked the Cox’s and the Schwab’s for providing the refreshments and beverages for the evening. Membership remains at 97 paid members for 2009. Anniversaries for the month were read: The Myles’s @ 4 years, John Holland @ 16 years, The Kiehl’s @ 22 years, the Delgado’s @ 25 years, the Meyer’s @ 28 years andMarge Gray @ 36 years. The buy/sell board was passed.
Secretary: April meeting minutes were published in the Fan; questions and/or corrections were to be discussed at the break. No changes or corrections were reported and the minutes were approved.
Treasurer: Treasurer Ray Delgado read the treasurer’s report. With the addition of the income from the Flea Market display, the club treasury is back in good shape.
Club Logo Sales: Bernie Epolite had all of the logo items on display including the new SCVT grill badges. There are a number of items available to members that are specially designed for the lady members of the club.
Parades: Steve Pedone discussed the upcoming fall season and the potential for homecomings. Letters will be going out in about a week to the schools that we have served in prior years. Steve also discussed his recent experience with the start of the California Mille at the Fairmont Hotel. Steve also discussed the situation in regards to the Palo Alto Concours.
Display: The Capital Mall Display is on Saturday, June 13. Doc announced the display at the Sunrise Assisted Living facility in Belmont on June 27.
Activities: Kool April Nights in Redding got 4 cars from the club plus Cliff Underwood who was the host and planner of the event. The Morro Bay follow up discussed the great time everyone had in all aspects. A big thanks to Joe & Pat Ryan for being the hosts for this great overnighter. Rick Deutsch described his adventure starting with an open house at Club Auto Sport in San Jose that will now take place on May 31 followed by a country cruise through southern Santa Clara and northern Monterey counties to Moss Landing. Cars for ABC’s is to be held on May 30 as a fundraiser for the schools in San Carlos. Billy & Heather Mann are the hosts for this event. Capitola Rod & Custom Show is June 5-7 and will be hosted by the Mann’s and the Affrunti’s. There are 14 club members currently signed up for the event and it seems that the event may be sold out with a waiting list. Dinner Friday night at the Crow’s Nest, Car Show on Saturday and Sunday, after breakfast, heading to the University Art condo in Parjaro Dunes. Carl discussed the plans being made for Hot San Jose Nights in mid July. SCVT will have good representation at the show with members participating in some of the many events that have been planned. An itinerary for SCVT participation will be discussed at the June meeting. The date for the SCVT picnic has been set for Saturday, July 18. A sign up sheet will be passed around at the June and July meetings. The date for the Giants game has been selected. It is a Sunday game, August 30. A sign up sheet was passed around. Sandie Kay discussed the current arrangements and travel plans for Hot August Nights. Members will be departing/arriving on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 8/5-7. A get together for SCVT members attending will be planned during the show. On August 1 there is a new event hosted for SCVT by Jenny Jump called Cars Cancer Awareness. Jenny briefly described the event and there will be more details as we get closer. Regarding the regional in Vancouver, Doc discussed his plans for 49 in ’09. He will leave the Regional and after a shorter drive take a series of ferries to Juneau, AK. There are a couple of other members with tentative plans to attend the Regional. The San Mateo BBQ and school benefit is scheduled for August 15. A sign up sheet was passed around. The weekend of October 9-11 is being planned for Apple Hill including a car show on Oct. 10, and touring Apple Hill on Sunday Oct. 11. Fun Ford Sunday is scheduled for September 13and SCVT participation will be on a Sunday only basis.
Editor: Articles are still needed along with timely submission of information both prior to and after events.
CTCI: There is an article that should appear in an upcoming issue of the CTCI Early Bird.
Historian: Kathy Pedone had the latest update for the photo album available with pictures from recent events. She is need of pictures from some of the more recent events.
Fund Raising: Al & Jenny covered the May Mother’s Day raffle items.
Old Business: Doc discussed his plan to attend the Regional ands his trip to Alaska. He brought his car in to show off the detailing job done by Jimmie G who was the guest speaker at the April meeting.
New Business: Bobby Miller told the group that she had worked with a local jeweler to create some SCVT items for the lady birds. Charlie has talked to the people at Harry’s Hofbrau about using one of their rooms for the July and August meeting. It is possible that this could be a replacement location for the monthly SCVT meeting if the terms of the new lease with the College are not acceptable.
Tech Talk: No tech talk. There was a discussion about how the bolts on a member’s power steering system came lose and were lost.
Buy/Sell: The Buy/Sell information was read.
Raffle: The Mother’s Day Raffle was held.
Announcements: The Reisinger’s and the Dye’ are handling snacks and beverages for the June Meeting.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned upon the completion of business.
Post Meeting: Some members joined together afterward at the Flames in San Jose on Hillsdale.
Respectfully submitted, Don Reisinger, Secretary
2009 SCVT Snacks and Beverage Signup
DateSnacksBeveragesDate SnacksBeverages
Jan 9KayPeterson* Jul 17 LynchEpolite
Feb 13PedoneLynchAug 14 MillerBerquist
Mar 13CroxtonLermaSep 11 HamblinDance
Apr 10AffruntiCiti* Oct 16 ManessParker
May 8CoxSchwabNov 13 KelleyPerry
Jun 12DyeReisinger
* NOTE: MEETING DATE CHANGED FROM JULY 10 TO JULY 17 DUE TO HOT SJ NIGHTS AND OCTOBER 9 CHANGED TO OCTOBER 16 DUE TO THE APPLE HILL EVENT.
See the May 2009 Fan for Snack & Beverage Helpful Hints
JUNE 2009 Membership Anniversaries
Member Years
Charlie and Isabell Vincent 36
Jerry and Gail Dance 33
Rudy and Judy Lomas 18
Bob and Patty Moorhead 18
Dick and Jill Kirk 17
Joe and Pat Ryan 15
Lee and Diana Raynor 14
Steve Haug 8
Terry and Colleen Chesler 5
Sandie and Robert Brisbee 3
Mont and Diane Roach 3
Al and Lillian Lerma 2
2009 Santa Clara Valley Thunderbird Activities by Gene Cox
Date EventHost
Jan 24Awards BanquetRyan
Feb 8TET ParadeDance
Feb 28Campo Di BoccePedone
Mar 14Burger BashKay
Mar 21Touch Up ClinicHamblin
Mar 22-24MontereyOzols
Apr 4-5 SJ Flea MarketDye
Apr 15-19 Kool April NightsUnderwood
Apr 26Dream Machines Half Moon BaySchwab
May 1-3 Morro Bay Car ShowRyan
May 30Cars For ABC’sBilly Mann
May 31Back Roads Cruise to Moss LandingDeutsch
June 5-7Capitola Rod & Custom ClassicAffrunti & Mann
*June 13Capital Mall DisplayRoach
June 27Sunrise Assist. Living Display, BelmontDockter
June 28Palo Alto ConcoursSchuette
July 9-12Hot San Jose NightsEpolite
July 18SCVT Kirk Family PicnicReisinger & Committee
July 31 - Aug 9Hot August Nights – RenoKay
Aug 1Cars Cancer AwarenessJump
Aug 15San Mateo BBQ & Car ShowRyan
Aug 18-20CTCI Region 3 – ConventionTotem Classic T-Bird Club
Vancouver, BC
Aug 21 - ???49 in ’09 (North to Alaska)Dockter
Aug 30Giants GameReisinger
Sep 13 Ford Fun SundayReisinger
Sep 26T-Birds on the WharfReisinger
Oct 9-11Apple Hill OvernighterReisinger
Nov ??Filoli GardensSchwab
* Capital Mall Display:Note the date change from Sunday June 14 to Saturday June 13
Want to host an event? I am looking for hosts for the following possibilities:
June 12-14 American Graffiti in Modesto
June 19-23Pismo Beach Classic
Sept 17-20 Cool September Days – Lake Tahoe
Sept 26 Ironstone Concourse
Please contact me (Gene Cox, 408-262-8389, ) and let me know if you are interested in one or more of these opportunities.
Parades by Steve Pedone
No updated information was received.
Displays by Mont Roach
(SATURDAY June 13 –NOTE THIS DATE CHANGE) All 20 spaces for the Capitol Mall Display are filled. Thank you all for your participation in making this a success. See page 8 for more information.
PAST EVENT REPORTS
Cruisin’ Morro Bay Car Show - May 1 - 3, 2009 Hosted by Joe & Pat Ryan
While we were waiting for the rest of the Northern group to met us at Edgewood Rd., Pat asked what was leaking from our car. With the hood up it was determined that one of the power steering hoses had a leak. When we were looking for tape, Bill Mann arrived and determined it was the pressure hose and tape would not work. With the help of Billy Mann, the belt was removed and we were set to go without power steering.
We proceeded to meet the rest of the group at the old Baker’s Square. Twenty-three brave souls started down Highway 101 while the forecast was for rain all weekend. Just before our lunch stop in Paso Robles, we caught up with the Hendrickson’s who were trailering their Pinto. The rain started just as we were finishing lunch. It was a light rain so no one really got wet. Don said we owed our good fortune to our ‘weather goddess’.
We proceeded to the registration area to pick up our packets. It turns out that several of our members decided to make sure they got into the show, registered more then once. The Affrunti’s, Mann’s, Kay’s and Epolite’s had more then one registration. It appears that the Reisinger’s were not to be outdone and registered 3 times!
After picking up our packets, we proceeded to the motel. Everyone unpacked and proceeded to the area outside of our room for a cocktail party with plenty of food and drink. Many members contributed to the event and we had a great time. Billy Mann had brought a pop up tent which we put up for more covered seating.
Everyone was on their own for dinner and a couple of brave souls participated in the cruise, which proceeded even though it rained off and on.
It rained pretty hard Friday night and a few of the cars had some water in them. There was an issue with the plumbing, which had backed up into 3 rooms, but a plumber was called and the issue was taken care of while we were at the show.
The weather for Saturday was overcast, but no rain. There were lots of great cars to look at, and as usual, the town folks really like having the car people in town. Many of the merchants gave gifts to the participants through a treasure hunt.
After the show we proceeded back to the motel for a short rest before dinner. While resting in the room, Pat looked out our window and said the hood was up on our car. I went outside and Bill had put the car up on ramps and was getting ready to change the power steering hose. I had the parts box in my trunk and it seems that Carl’s Mustang key fits my trunk. Bill and Billy then proceeded to get oily while changing the hose. They are always willing to do any repairs necessary to keep our cars running during an event. I know for myself, I feel a lot more at ease on a long trip when they are there. I know I’m not alone in that feeling. I want to thank them again for their help.
Saturday night we had dinner at the Apple Farm in San Luis Obispo and everyone had a great time. After dinner the usual card games started in several of the rooms.
Sunday the weather again was overcast but no rain. We stayed at the car show until 11:30 AM and then proceeded to Paso Robles for lunch at McClintock’s. After lunch we proceeded home without any issues.
Sandy Kay & Bernie Epolite registered for 2011, so that looks like our next trip to Morro Bay.
See event photos in the Photo Album section, pages 12 and 13.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Capitola - June 5-7, 2009 Hosted by The Affunti’s and Mann’s
For those of you that signed up, The Capitola Car Show is Saturday, June 6th. We have made reservations and will be meeting on Friday night, June 5, at the Crows Nest in Santa Cruz at 6:15 PM. We have 22 signed up for dinner on Friday night and we have two tables reserved for 10 and 12 right next to each other, but they will only hold the tables until 6:30 PM. If there are any cancellations, pleaselet me know so I can change the reservations. The address of the Crows Nest is 2218 E. Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz 95062 (831) 476-4560. On Saturday, we will be meeting in Santa Cruz on the Boardwalk early in the morning and caravan in to Capitola with the rest of the cars. After the car show on Saturday, we will be having dinner atMargaritaville in Capitola. They will not allow advance reservations but last year we had no problem getting in and we will be able to leave our cars parked in town. For those of you staying Saturday night at the Capitola Inn we will be having breakfast at Gayles on Sunday morning. I will e-mail each you with more details as we get closer. See you all soon. Charlie, Claire, Bill and Diana. Contact: Charlie Affrunti 650-365-1672,