100 Million Small Blocks

Hi all!

I just got a quick email from the Corvette Action Center letting me know that GM has built its 100-millionth small block engine!  It's been 56 years since the first small block was built, and the powerplant is still going strong.

By the way, can you guess what the 100-millionth engine is?  A Corvette ZR1 LS9!

BCCC Banquet 2011

Well, I tried to embed the Flickr slideshow for this year's banquet, but I guess I'm not as tech savvy as I thought!  Instead you'll have to click on the photo to get to the show.

The banquet was fantastic again this year, held again in the fabulous Redwoods venue.  The food was great, as was the wine!  Even the company was pretty good.  I was sitting next to Blair, so my expectations were not so high.

Oh, that was mean!  Of course I am only joking!  I can't insult Blair, especially not after he helped me move all 30,000 pieces of my new 'vette into my garage!

And, of course, we got to see a bit of the game were the Lions blew out the Alouettes something like 43-1!  Go Lions Go!

Next year I just hope more people decide to participate.  You are definitely missing out if you don't!

Oldest but not Slowest

After something like 4 years and 40,000 brake jobs, I finally found myself back on the track.  (Well, ok, it's not really a track, it's more a course, but when I brag to my buddies, it's a track!)  What am I talking about?  Auto-crossing, of course!

The BCCC arranged another slalom at the Driver Training Center in Pitt Meadows on Saturday, attracting not only Corvettes but a number of Subarus, a couple of Porsches, a Fiero or two, an S2000, and a Beemer.  The drivers appeared to be a mix of BCCCers and UBC car clubbers.  I'm not sure where the two drivers driving the propane 'vette came from - other than Victoria - but boy were they fast!  At the time I left, I think that their car, with an approximate 40 second lap time, was the fastest of all the cars.  And I think the S2000 was second fastest!

Actually this was my second autocross in four years, the first coming at Pemberton during the fantastic Thunder in the Mountains.  I loved it, and after the nerves calmed down a bit, I think I - and the car - performed pretty damned well.

There were less nerves this time as I headed out on to the admittedly tight track - that's what every, even the Subaru drivers, were saying: the course was tight.  And it was, especially the two right-hand turns that formed the apex of the far part of the course.  However, despite some serious close calls, I never did peg off that end cone.  Other cones - well they weren't so lucky.

Despite the squealing, the occasional side-ways sliding, and the almost complete wipeout of the stop box, I did manage to improve my times every run in the morning.  Granted, I'm sure it wasn't as pretty as the Porsche GT3 on slicks - man that was a beautiful car to watch - or even as fast as the 1975 Porsche, but my runs weren't the slowest of the combatants and I know I kicked some C4 butt - and maybe even some offshore butt too!

Please forgive my ugly competitiveness!

Unfortunately, my day did end early, as I lost my clutch on the way to Subway!  Or at least, I noticed it during the lunch break.  Rather than do more damage, I retired my ride, watched another set of runs (when Vic made the course a little less tight), then limped home.  Despite the setback, I am very glad I came out.  It makes me want to (fix my clutch, yes, but also) upgrade the suspension and steering, and get some better tires (not slicks - that'll put me way out of contention).

When does next season start?

August 27, 2011 Autocross

Twenty seven drivers arrived at the Pitt Meadows Driving Centre for a hot day of Autocross.  Each driver got to drive five runs in the morning.  At lunch time we altered the course to make it a little more Corvette friendly by allowing more speed.  Another four runs were achieved by each driver before we melted into the pavement and called it a day.  The fast car was the race prepared propane fired Corvette of Jim Sandwith, he really scorched the track.

Key volunteers to make this event tick included Gary Clarke, Marie Wheway, Rosalie Sinden, Stewart Heyes and Jeanie Robb.  No trophies were provided, but every driver left with huge smiles and a great feeling of satisfaction for a day of bonding with their car.   

-Vic

Pemberton Autocross

August 21, 2011

21 intrepid Corvette drivers, along with 2 Subaru and 2 Porsche drivers enjoyed the autocross challenge at Pemberton airport.  Through the efforts of club volunteers nine runs were taken through the day.  Paul McAlduff of Tireland, along with Toyo sponsorship, supplied trophies and prizes to the group.  Winners included Suzette Keller and Sylvia Rouse in the hotly contested ladies classes.  Gord Westren in his race prepared 85 red Corvette was the fast time of the day, followed closely by John Annon.  Trophy winner in Class 3 was Jim Burt, with Joseph Pelle second.  Class 4 honors were taken by Blair Degenstein, Class 5 by Dan Mouldey, Class 6 by Vic Nightscales, SS by Chris King in his ZR1, and Race Class by Gord Westren.

Thanks to Rosalie Sinden, Susan and Don Williams, Marie Wheway and Stewart Heyes for making the event run, and allowing all the drivers a fun time.

- Vic

BCCC Cruise

18 members along with 14 Guests in 18 Corvettes enjoyed a scenic Cruise through the Fraser Valley on August 28th. Numerous door prizes were presented to those lucky winners.
We ended up at the Aquadel Golf Course in Cultus Lake for dinner on the patio.
Thanks to Ken Butcher and Paz for a fun well organized day.

Tim

New Photos to the Right and the Website

Just a quick note to point out that there are a few new slideshows on the blog (look to the right).  I finally got off my duff and uploaded some of the pics I've been taking.  I've got Prestons, Waterfront, and Whistler (and the last Winter Social, but that's been there before).

There are also a number of new albums on the BCCC website featuring Thunder in the Mountains; check it out!

If anyone else has photos from these - or other - events, put them on the web somewhere and send me an RSS feed or a link.  Don't send me the photos though!  If you don't have a home on the web, then you can send the photos to our website's web master, and she can put them in the BCCC photo album.

Club Picnic

Our annual picnic was held on Sunday, July 24 at Deas Island Park. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we had about 40 people in attendance. We brought 2 barbeques, so people could cook their own lunch and we had a bocci ball tournament and a golf chipping challenge game. It also happened to be Fred Poperink's birthday, so Shelley brought a cake for the occasion, which we all enjoyed. A good time was had by all and Maurice and Janice Walker both won a bottle of wine for 1st place in the bocci tournament.

Brenda

Sunshine, Roaring Engines, Squealing Tires and Big, Wide Smiles

36 drivers enjoyed the slalom challenge at the Pitt Meadows Driving Centre on a sunny Saturday.  In addition to Corvettes, we had Porsche’s, Fiero’s, etc., even a Lotus Elan which was sporting a set of large slick tires.  Some of our dedicated non competing club members worked to make this event a fun and safe exercise for all attending.   Marie Wheway and Rosalie Sinden coordinated the timing process.  John Jenson, Al Frost, Gary Clarke, Lew Berry, Wayne Pelletier provided invaluable assistance to make the event a smooth and fun process for participants. 

Believe it or not, the fastest time was set by the propane powered Corvette of Jim Sandwith from Victoria.  And there were lots of other fast Corvettes, represented by our members Paul McAlduff, Nigel Wheway, Patrick Tran, David Mitten, Ken Butcher, Bill Powell, Giff Robb, Blair Degenstein, Marj Bowen, and of course myself, Vic Nightscales.  We had some first time competitors, and it is amazing to watch their smiles broaden and they discover the wonder of their cars.  Paul McAlduff of Tireland was kind enough to provide a few prizes at the end of the day, and that capped off a wonderful event.  Next events are August 21 at Pemberton and August 27 at Pitt Meadows, and we need all members to help us make these a success.  

- by Vic

National Association of Automobile Clubs of Canada
News from the NAACC
Update #82

July 29, 2011



From Government:

New intelligent transportation system in place to measure wait times at Canadian border crossings, July 29, 2011:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/mediaroom/releases-2011-h064e-6405.htm .

• The National Association of Automobile Clubs of Canada (NAACC) received official proclamations from the Provincial Governments of British Columbia, Manitoba and PEI. The month of July was officially declared as Automotive Heritage month. The British Columbia proclamation is on display at NAACC headquarters.

• The NAACC asks that you forward your July 2011 club activities directly to Tom Woodhouse tvend@sasktel.net and Gordon Forman DirectorMB@naacc.ca so that they may be included in a Canadian press release.

LeMay Museum Tacoma Washington: www.lemaymuseum.org Hard Hat and High Heels fundraiser party announced for LeMay—September 24, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: PCGCampbell – Bill Groak (310) 224-4940 (bgroak@pcgcampbell.com)

TACOMA, Wash. (July 5, 2011) – Hard hats instead of top hats? Construction boots instead of leather loafers? Sounds more like a Village People concert than a gala fundraiser…but that’s just the way LeMay -- America’s Car Museum (ACM) wants it for its exclusive “Hard Hat & High Heels” preview party, Sept. 24 at the museum’s four-level, 165,000-sq.-ft., facility in Tacoma, Wash.

Tickets for the auto museum’s biggest fundraiser event of the year are on sale now. ACM, dedicated to preserving more than a century of America’s love affair with the automobile, set to open in May 2012. ACM will feature 15 galleries, rotating exhibits, an educational center, library, a 3.5-acre show field, theatre, café, banquet hall and meeting facilities.

The Hard Hat & High Heels party will be ACM’s first public preview. “We’re putting the ‘fun’ in fundraiser,” said Dominic Dobson, ACM’s chief development officer. “The ‘construction chic’ attire is part of the festivities. Just check your power tools at the door.”

Dobson said the event will include a cocktail reception, dinner, entertainment, live auction and a chance to see some of the exhibits before anyone else. TV’s Rob Weller, former host of Entertainment Tonight, will be the evening’s Master of Ceremonies.


The NAACC suggests that this fundraiser is a once in a life time opportunity to be part of history. The LeMay museum is destined to be the most significant automotive gathering place in North America!

For tickets or more information, visit www.lemaymuseum.org or contact Suzanne Hight at suzzane@zspecialevents.com.

ABOUT LeMAY – AMERICA’S CAR MUSEUM (www.lemaymuseum.org) LeMay – America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Wash., explores how the automobile has fulfilled a distinctive role at the core of the American experience and shaped our society. The spacious Museum with rotating exhibits is designed to be the centerpiece for automotive history as well as an educational center and library. The nine-acre campus also contains a 3.5-acre show field, theatre, café, banquet hall and meeting facilities. To become an ACM member, volunteer or make a donation, visit www.lemaymuseum.org.

The National Association of Automobile Clubs of Canada (NAACC) sits on the Steering Committee of the new LeMay Museum. Canadian collector vehicle enthusiasts have been part of the LeMay program for the past thirty years or more. Harold and Nancy LeMay belonged to the Vancouver Chapter of the Vintage Car Club of Canada for 25 years.
Your clubs membership in the NAACC will open many doors at the new LeMay museum.

The poster car for the LeMay museum is a 1963 spilt window Corvette (Daytona blue on blue—300hp)

Waterfront Show & Shine Winners

CLASS A

1st DON WILLIAMS

2nd AL FROST

CLASS B

1st GREG HOLDEN

2nd DAVID HOGG

CLASS C

1st MARJ BOWEN

2nd JOSEPH PELLE

CLASS D

1st LARRY KNIBB

2nd TED PETERSON

CLASS E

1st LEW BERRY

2nd BRIAN TOOP

CLASS F

1st WAYNE MERCER

2nd BLAIR DEGENSTEIN

CLASS G

1st JOHN JENSEN

2nd TIM PEPPER

CLASS H

1st JOHN ANJILLA

2nd ROY DREWITT

CLASS I

1st WAYNE PELLETIER

2nd MICHAEL MOORE

PEOPLES CHOICE

AL FROST

Thanks to Don, Sue and all the other volunteers who made this another very successful BCCC event.

Nigel

Gotta Love the Waterfront Show 'n' Shine!

It's not your standard show, simply because of the setting. There's no asphalt, there's no mall, there's no nearby road with traffic whizzing by.

Instead, there's green grass, blue water, amazing skyline; and for those so inclined, Elvis singing at the next door Quay.

And of course beautiful cars and amazing people - which is the only constant at all of our shows.

Waterfront was another massive success, with dozens of cars (I don't have the official count, but I'd guess 70 or so) parked out in front of the water in the beautiful weather.

Yes, you heard that right - beautiful weather! It seems a rarity these days.

Sue and Don and their troupe of dedicated volunteers once again did a great job organizing the event, with Sue (probably) doing all the work and Don arranging for the sun. Our thanks goes out to them!

Don (or Sue, probably) will give us an update, including the list of winners for 2011. All I know is that my LT-1 came in second, once again beat out by Marj's 70 big block. I'm just glad that Ray and Meredith arrived late in their 69 convertible (and it's red, no less), else I don't think I'd have gotten my grubby little paws on one of those snazzy plaques.

Happy Canada Day!

(Hey, it's the right colour!)

I Fly For Pie

Patrick and John apparently like pies.

On June 26, these two led 25 cars from Coquitlam to Chilliwack for some apparently excellent pie.  The 31 BCCC members and their 15 guests, met at the A&W in Coquitlam - with a stop at Timmy's in Langley - for a cruise to the I Fly For Pie event at the Chilliwack Airport Coffee Shop.  Amazingly, even the weather co-operated.

Tim tells me that the portions were huge, and that he saw a few members waddle out of the coffee shop.  Hey, those are his words, not mine!

Gail and Lew went along - and I can't imagine either of them waddling - and took numerous photos, which can be found in Gail's I Fly For Pie gallery.

Thanks again to Patrick and John for organizing this fun event!

BCCC Supports the Next Generation of Car Nut

Lew & I had the pleasure of going to BCIT Thursday June 23^rd to present the recipients Patrick Spavor & Victor Nissen the BCCC award for Automotive Studies from 2010 / 2011.

These two students are from the automotive refinishing class and were very appreciative of our donation along with Jay Notay, Dean for the School of Transportation, Steve Perry, Associate Dean & Mark Deroche, Instructor of the Auto Collision & Refinishing.

The school has a Corvette body which they paint yearly as the students go through their course.

We have been invited to visit the Automotive school sometime in September at a date to be arranged.  They would like to see us show up in our Corvettes; it will, however, be during working hours.  I will keep you posted when we get a time & date.

Nigel

Sunny Day for Preston's?

We woke Sunday morning to a sunny day with a few white, fluffy clouds. A perfect car show day! By 8 AM we had a line up of approximately 20 Corvettes waiting for the lot to open - it was a sign of what was to come for the day.

There were 83 Corvettes registered - 38 were non-BCCC cars - with another dozen that came but didn't register. What a great turnout!

The BBQ was also very successful, thanks to Beve and husband John. Many thanks to all the volunteers that helped out. We would not have been able to pull this off without their help.

Class	Number of Cars	First Place	Second Place
A - 1953-1962	8	Lorne Embree	Al Frost
B - 1963-1967	12	Greg Ballantyne	Jim Peterson
C - 1968-1972	8	Gillian Heyes	Marj Bowen
D - 1973-1977	6	Larry Knibb	Greg Lehner
E - 1978-1982	1	Lenny Marriot
F - 1984-1990	9	Roy Drewitt	Wayne Mercer
G - 1991-1996	5	John Jensen	Ross Smith
H - 1997-2004	15	Dan Mouldey	Seann Tanner
I - 2005-2010	20	B. Hoschka	B. Hoschka
Best in Show		Lorne Embree(?)
Preston's Choice		Lorne Embree(?)

Judy and Dave

NAACC June 2011-- Update #81

National Association of Automobile Clubs of Canada NAACC

June 2011-- Update #81

Word from the President

We support Antique, Restored, Customs, Hot Rods, Tuner, and Racing vehicles that are 20 years old or older. We are North Americas largest collector car vehicle association. Our many Alliances include the Specialty Vehicle Associations of Alberta and Ontario and the Collector Car Club Council of British Columbia. The Vintage Car Club of Canada has been a continuous NAACC member for over forty years.

LeMay & SEMA & CCMTA

·         We have a Strategic Alliance with the LeMay ‘America’s Museum’ in Tacoma Washington and have a working relationship with SEMA.

·         Our group is an associate member of Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA).

We have NAACC Directors representing the collector vehicle hobby in every Province across Canada. Our primary purpose is to interact with the Government to insure that restrictive legislation does not take collector vehicles off the public highways. Often politicians are simply unaware that the collector vehicle hobby exits. In the early 1980’s the NAACC spearheaded a successful movement to have customs duty on collector cars and parts 25 years old and older removed. We were successful! In 1996 we were successful in dealing with Federal proposals that would remove all 1978 and older vehicles from the public highways. 

(Canadian National Action Plan—CNAP)

Leaded Racing Fuel Update

In 2008 we helped in obtaining an extension for the use of competition leaded racing fuel. In 2010 we presented written requests to the Canadian Federal Government asking that the leaded racing fuel ban be extended for an additional five years.

On June 19 2010 we were told by the Federal Government that the fuel extension was approved for an undetermined length of time. When I spoke to Mr. Leif Stephanson, Manager, Fuels Section, Oil, Gas and Alternative Energy Division for Environment Canada on June 28, 2010 he said the ban was for an undetermined amount of time but would be reevaluated within the next five year timeframe. This is a huge win for the hobby and special thanks goes out to all of the clubs, associations and stakeholders who helped make this possible. A special thank you to the clubs in Ontario and the SVAO. The NAACC is a Federal Government Stakeholder.

Club and Officers Insurance

The NAACC offers a variety of insurance programs including officers and club members’ liability insurance for both incorporated and non -incorporated organizations.

We also offer, at no charge, a very extensive club package including discount programs to many major organizations including Delta Hotels, Avis, and Marks Work Wearhouse, KMS Tools, Lordco and Tool World.

The NAACC has declared July as Automotive Heritage Month in Canada In 2010 there were many activities held across Canada that celebrated the collector car hobby.  North West Deuce Day July 16-18, 2010 was held in Victoria BC. There were over four hundred 1932 Fords registered and 700 pre 1951 vehicles attended this event on the front lawn of the parliament buildings.  Show chairman. Allan Clark was presented with a thank you plaque by the NAACC in front of thousands of participants and spectators. Lorne Kerr (BC) was honored for presenting the ‘most historic vehicle’. He has driven his 1929 ‘Blown’ Model A Ford roadster for nearly 50 years.  NAACC Director Rudy Croken (PE) did an outstanding job in PEI organizing the government. PEI celebrated ‘Heritage Month’  with a variety of well attended activities.  NAACC executive secretary Tom Woodhouse (SK)  is the Heritage Month chairperson.  We look forward to another fun filled July in 2011.

2011-LeMay ‘America’s Car Museum’, Tacoma Washington, is more than half finished with the construction of their new museum. Congratulations to CEO David Madeira and his Board of Directors and Steering Committee.  The construction progress may be viewed at www.lemaymuseum.org  The NAACC has a Strategic Alliance with the LeMay America Museum. NAACC president John Carlson sits on the Steering Committee. 

Cross Canada Tour, Coaster’s Tour 2010 lead by wagon masters Fraser and Dorothy Field was completed in August 2010. This exciting 24,000 km adventure was a huge success with more than 100 vehicles traveling from coast to coast. The event was operated under the umbrella of the NAACC; all participants were NAACC members.  An NAACC thank you recognition plaque was presented in Victoria BC to the Fields on behalf of the hobby.

Corporate membership is now available.

Our new corporate advertising program provides significant business exposure and is now available. If you know of a business who would like to get involved please contact Gordon Forman at DirectorMB@naacc.ca                                                                   

We have had many success stories since our incorporation in 1976. Currently there is a movement at various government levels to restrict the use of vehicles 1990 and older. Vehicle storage and restrictive exhaust emission requirements and ride height issues the eastern provinces are also concerns for us. Promoting uniformed, restrictive legislation is ongoing in Canada. Our web site www.naacc.ca provides membership information and contains many new updates.

Significant membership numbers and awareness is the key to keeping our vehicles on the public highways without restrictions. We all need to stand united together and be heard as a common voice. We appreciate your support.

Sincerely,

John Carlson

President / CEO NAAC

www.naacc.ca

Biggest Preston's Ever!

Eighty-three cars registered and another dozen or so just hangin' out. That was the awesome turn-out to the annual Preston's Show and Shine. I'm thinking the weather might of had something to do with it, as we finally enjoyed our first consecutive days of sunshine this spring.

And there were some fabulous cars out on the lot or in the show room, including a '57 Fuelie and 2010 ZR1! That's probably the only time I'll come within drooling distance of that particular car!

Congrats to everyone who put on the show - Dave and Judy; thanks to their helpers and to Preston's; and thanks to everyone who showed up and showed off!

Back at Tradex!

We forgot to mention - we were back at the Tradex Classic Car Show this year!  Better late than never, I guess, but in all honesty I don't remember all the details of the show, so I can't really say much about it.

Dan Ward organized our participation in the event and got a lot of help from a lot of people - John MacLean, Al Frost, Nigel Wheway, Al Mandleman, Don Williams, Lew and Gail Berry..... and I know there were a lot of volunteers helping man the booth over the weekend, but I am not sure who those wonderful people were. 

We had four cars at the show, belonging to me.... oh, and to Nigel, Don, and Al; we tried to represent as many generations as we could but we were only allowed four cars total, so we only got the C1s, C3s, C4s, and C5s represented.  Maybe next year the Tradex people will allow us a bigger display.

Check out the gallery for additional photos.

Sun, Speed and Smiles

32 drivers enjoyed the challenge of a slalom event at the Pitt Meadows Driving Centre on a sunny Saturday.  In addition to Corvettes, we had Porsche’s, Miata’s, Volkswagen’s, and even a Ford Focus which was sporting a large set of slick tires.  Some of our dedicated club members worked to make this event a fun and safe exercise for all attending.   Leslie Shelby, Gillian Heyes, Sue Williams, and Rosalie Sinden coordinated the timing process.  Brad Shelby did a tech inspection to ensure all cars were safe, and Don Williams, Ted Taylor and Stewart Heyes coordinated incoming traffic and parking arrangements.  There were a variety of other tasks that were handled by all in attendance  in order to smoothly move the event along.

Believe it or not, the fastest time was set by a Miata (slicks and modified suspension components help).  But there were lots of fast Corvettes, represented by our members Krista McAlduff, Paul McAlduff, Nigel Wheway, Patrick Tran, Brad Shelby, Ed Painter, David Mitten, Ken Butcher, Blair Degenstein, Marj Bowen, and of course myself, Vic Nightscales.  Next event is July 30 at Pitt Meadows, and I would like to see all members bring their Corvettes and experience the real thrill of Corvette ownership.  

- Vic

Welcome BCCC Test Pilots!

Hi to all my fellow BCCC members!

Please have a look around this blog, and judge its usefulness to the club.  As you know, the Newsletter is dead (anyone want to take over the editor role and revive it?  Didn't think so...) so I've been looking at a way to get the same basic content - stories about events and topics of interest to our members - out to you gals and guys.

The idea is to take articles that would normally be found in the newsletter and post them to the blog.  Links to other articles and to photos and such can be included in the blog.

The advantage is that

• it's easier to produce and maintain a blog
• it can be interactive, through comments
• it is real-time - there's no publishing dates or deadline; we can post as we get stories
• more than one person can submit stories
• it has the potential to tap into a bigger readership

This blog currently just has sample articles with a very basic look and feel.  With a graphics artist we can take this where ever we want.  What I am looking for is

1. General impressions
2. Usefulness as a replacement for the newsletter
3. Potential as a replacement for the website

The current website is basically an events list and a gallery.  This blog would be story-centric, but each story would have embedded pics and links to the larger gallery.  An events list is easy to add too, as are sponsor pages, shop and swap, and so on.

Anyway, like I said, take a look around and let me know if it is worth it for me to take this to the next step.

Summer Autocross Smiles

– Saturday, June 26, 2010

Twenty three Corvette drivers went home happy and smiling from the BC Driving Centre at Pitt Meadows.  While initially a little cool in the morning, the weather warmed up as did the tires, and most of the fastest times occurred on the last run of the day.  Our intrepid starter Stewart Heyes, and our precise timing crew of Jim Waugh, Gillian Heyes, and Rosalie Sinden worked hard to keep the cars moving and everyone enjoyed eight runs.  Jim did wear a path in the asphalt between the start and the finish box in order to keep the timing box calibrated, but managed to keep smiling.

Click on the photo to go to the BCCC photo gallery.

Our entries included five guests from Vancouver Island, one of which, Jim Sandwith, made fastest time of the day with his propane powered C4 (possibly due to the fact that it was tuned by Brad Shelby).  I rode with Jim on one of his runs, and his wide Hoosier slicks seemed to glue into the track and defy the laws of physics.  Second fastest time was performed by our own Paul McAlduff in his C5 Z06, no doubt inspired by the threat of being beaten in his own car by his wife Terry and his daughter Krista.

Club members also dominated the other car models, as C3 corvettes were represented by “jaws” driven by Dan Maxwell and Doreen MacMillan.  C4’s included Blair Degenstein, David Mitten, Brad Shelby, Patrick Tran, Ken Butcher and Marj Bowen.  C5’s and C6’s were represented by Ed Painter, Jim Howell, Nigel Wheway and myself, along with the McAlduff’s who all showed how fast  the C5’s and C6’s were.

The club contingent was bolstered by Dan Ward, Terry Paauw, Leslie Shelby, Marie Wheway, Lew Berry and Gail Berry, who attended to take pictures and cheer us on.  All in all it was a fun day, and we hope that we can entice all members to plan to attend our September 25 date to learn how to really smile.  Put it on your calendar.

Vic

The Great Garage Sale

by Jim

The idea of a garage sale surfaced during the November 2009 general meeting. It was mulled over during the winter and in March a committee was organized and volunteers stepped forward. Momentum gathered and a call to action was sounded for club members to scour basements, attics and garages for treasurers that had lost their former luster. They would be donated to BCCC and the proceeds used to fund club events. The sale would be held on the spacious semi-circular driveway of Marie and Nigel Wheway’s home. All over the Lower Mainland and out to the Fraser Valley members responded enthusiastically donating boxes and trunk-loads of hoardings. Along with traditional garage sale items were golf tournament winnings, Corvette memorabilia, garden plants and Christmas decorations. Members and friends spent time gathering, sorting and pricing items to ensure the sale would be a success.

Clicking on this photo will get you to the Blog photo gallery.

The appointed day, May 8^th arrived. All week long the weatherman had been predicting rain. But not today; today was to be a day of glorious sunshine and warm temperatures. The overhead door on the Wheway garage rolled open early and sunlight flooded in to reveal rows of tables stacked with neatly arranged items waiting for customers. Club members began to arrive to help with the set up. Potential buyers dismayed with offerings at the garage sale next door, rushed through the hedges to help carry tables and setup displays to be first in line for the best selection. By 8:15, well before the scheduled commencement time, the tempo was full throttle with more buyers arriving by the minute. The crowds on the driveway began to resemble those at the annual Army & Navy shoe sale. The frenzy continued in waves for most of the morning. Members continued to deliver more items, many lingering for a coffee and a visit.

Around noon, the women members who had assumed negotiating duties noticed that the throngs of buyers had started to wane. The call for discounts was heard all over the street and it triggered a beehive of activity to adjust prices to enhance their customer appeal. This was a marvelous idea as buyers rushed to take advantage of the bargains. Vigilance paid off again as a few members noticed that fewer customers were stopping into the Great Garage Sale. Fast thinking was called for – yes – five dollar boxes. Customers would be sold empty cardboard boxes to fill with the remaining great deals. It worked! The treasures that previously had not found buyers, now disappeared by the five dollar box full. A great sigh of relief was heard from the sidelines as the male members in their comfortable lawn chairs realized these items would not have to be gathered and stuffed into boxes at the end of the day.   

The activity continued until no more customers could be seen. The time had come to pack up the unsold items for pickup by the Developmental Disabilities Association (DDA). Another flurry of activity ensued, albeit with a little less energy than earlier, as volunteers gathered, sorted, boxed and stacked the left over stuff along a wall of the Wheway garage. At a glance it was clear that the volume of items remaining was meager compared to what had been waiting for the crew just 9 hours earlier. What an achievement!

In reflection, the platters of bunwiches and bowls of goodies were gone. The vegetable tray was empty. The flow of coffee and tea that had continued all day had dried up. The Wheways had been wonderful hosts. The club members who had worked to make the sale a great success agreed that we had had a wonderful day; lots of fun and great conversation. As for the money, the sale brought in $908 and our expenses were $114 that resulted in net proceeds of $794 for the club. The Great Garage Sale was deemed a worthwhile event and a huge success.  

Thank you to all of the people who donated items for the sale. It could not have happened without your generosity. As for all of the members and friends who volunteered and got involved with the Great Garage Sale – thank you!