Presidents Page July 2010

The arrival of July means the year is half over alraedy. I'm starting to get caught up with some of the jobs I planned to do this year. If all goes well I just may get them all done. The weather has been great with what I would consider just enough rain to keep the gardeners and farmers happy. My gardener (Chris) has all her flowers planted and they seem to be doing well. Gardening is one of her favourite pastimes and she can spend hours tending her plants. I love to look at them but I'm glad she's the ome with the green thumb.
Our Victoria Day Tour organized by Dave and Delores Lemkay was a great success, the weather was beautiful and we had a very enjoyable day touring the Kinburn and Constance Bay area. Thanks Dave and Delores for your time and dedication in organizing this tour.
Asa tribute to our departed friend Jim Rolfe, I plan to have a short three-hour tour ending at the open house that Muriel Rolfe has planned July24. We will leave TerMarsch's at approximately 1:00 p.m. and tour through Round Lake and Killaloe then on to the Moose On The Beach at Lake Clear for a short stop. They serve a good cone of ice cream (been there-done that). Then we'll head back through Eganville to Muriel's home.
I hope everyone is enjoying the summer so far and lets hope the weather co-operates with our up coming plans. See you all at our next meeting.
Wayne

P.S. The photo posted this month is of my mustang in the paint booth at Hammel's. I'm proud to say I painted this one myself.

Presidents Page June 2010

As I write this the Victoria Day long weekend is just days away. Lets hope the pleasant weather we are having now, continues throughout the weekend. My wife Chris and I hope to attend the annual Bay Days car show in Barry's Bay this Saturday. The last couple of years it rained at this event. I hope this year the sun shines as that always makes for a better turn out.
We are also looking forward to our first club tour of the season. Dave and Delores Lemkay are leading us down along the Ottawa to Pinhey's Point for a picnic lunch and then back to PJ's in Arnprior for our evening meal. I'm sure we will have an excellent day as the weather forecast is good and this is a location I have not visited before.
I recently had the opportunity to appraise a 1956 Chevrolet that came up from Florida, my how nice it is to see a car that old in such good condition. I guess spending your life away from the ice and snow has it's benefits for cars as well as people. My dad owned a 1956 Chevrolet when I was young and that is the first car I ever drove. To tell you the truth it was just in the driveway but I was 10 years old and that is a memory I won't forget. It was wintertime and I was to move the car so we could finish shovelling the snow. Well it was a standard and I didn't want it to stall so I gave it plenty of gas as I took off which went fairly well until I tried to stop at the end of the driveway which was quite icy. Lets just say I was lucky there was no traffic that morning, as I needed more driveway than I had to get stopped. I think we all know that feeling when the brakes are on and things are not slowing down.
All looks well as we look ahead to the upcoming months as there are a number of events on the horizon. Check your Quail for the time and place of our future events and as always drive safe and we'll see you later.
Wayne

Presidents Page May 2010

Another month has come and gone and I’m further behind than ever. I think this is a
common problem as most people I talk to feel the same. So much to do and so little time to do it. That’s enough complaining lets move on in a more positive vein. This is volunteer week and I would like to applaud all the volunteers in our midst who make our world a better place through their selfless acts. We are lucky to have a number of these people in our club. From the breakfast chefs to the “Old Car Tunes”, all the executive and committee members, restoration crew and those that volunteer in any way, I feel we are lucky to have you among our membership.
My wife and I recently had the opportunity to get close to a Ferrari when one
happened to pass the end of our driveway as we pulled out. So I had to chase it of course. Luckily he wasn’t using all his horses so I was able to get close after a few miles. My what a sweet sound when he pulled away from a stop. I guess I’ll just have to wait for a winning lottery ticket to make that dream come true.
I noticed a few of our members have their old cars out and on the road. If all goes well the old International will be out in a week or so. I am looking forward to anothergreat summer of cruising and tours. Keep your newsletter handy as all the upcoming events and tours will be listed and if your schedule allows please join us
So keep the rubber side down and I’ll see you at the next meeting.
Wayne

P.S. The image posted this month is a shot of my mustang on its way to the paint shop.

Presidents Page April 2010

As we welcome spring to the valley it’s hard to believe the winter we have had . According to the statistics it has been the warmest on record. I’m sure global warming or as some call it climate change will have its downside, but I love the mild winter we just had. My snow blower was used only twice and I never plugged the block heater in on my truck once. It won’t be long until the old vehicles come out of storage. In fact I’ve seen a few on the road already. As we look ahead to our touring season lets hope this beautiful weather is just a taste of things to come.
So much has happened this past month. The Olympic games are over and our Canadian athletes did very well. Setting a new record for most gold medals won by a country at the winter games is something we can be very proud of, as even though Canada is a large country in size our population is quite small. To beat countries with many times our population is quite an achievement. How about the men’s final game with “Sid the Kid” scoring the winning goal in overtime? That has to go down in history as one of the most exciting games of all time.
Our club has grown a little with some new members joining in the last few months. Lets hope we continue to attract new people to our group as people are what make this club what it is.
On a personal note, aside from my day job fixing other people’s cars I have found some spare time to get a little work done on the old mustang. In fact if all goes well it just may see the road this summer. I know my wife’s honey-do list is getting quite long so I may have to take a break to do a little around the house. A number of our members are retired and I’m looking forward to those days myself. I know there will be lots of things to keep me busy and just maybe I’ll have the time to get most of them done.
Our next meeting is at the Champlain Trail Museum so if you can make it please do and hopefully we can make some plans for the upcoming season.

Wayne

President's Page March 2010

Hello everyone, it's that time of year when the sun seems to be getting warmer and the days are getting a little longer. Although this winter has been in my opinion quite mild and we haven't recieved a heavy snowfall for weeks, I can hardly wait for spring.
As I create this page the Olympic games are playing in the background. It's the first day of the games, lets hope our Canadian athletes perform to the best of their abilities and win some medals too! Unfortunately the games are off to a somber beginning with the death of a young athlete on the luge track. They estimate his speed at approximately 140 kph. when he crashed. I can't imagine travelling that fast without at least two wheels under me and brakes of some kind.
If you have travelled through downtown Pembroke recently you may have noticed the snowmen hanging from the lampposts on Pembroke Street. Thanks to Neil and Lori Videto the car club has a fine snowman hanging near the bridge. Thanks again Neil and Lori for your time and effort on behalf of the club.
Our restoration project is proceeding well and thanks to Mark Taylor we have acquired some additional items to add to the display when completed. If all goes well the Champlain Trail Museum will have it's own railway in operation this year. Unfortunately there may only be room for one or two passengers and the station will only be open on special occasions.
Our next event is the sleigh rides at Schmidt's farm and I'm looking forward to a great time, as the weather should be pleasant and I know the food and entertainment will be excellent. There was a day in years gone by when I worked on the family farm and we used a horse to skid logs in the bush. It's surprising what a horse can pull and how intelligent they are.
The recent death of our friend and fellow club member Jim Rolfe, reminds us all that our time on this earth is limited and we should make the best of each day. I hope his wife and family find some comfort in knowing Jim was such a well respected member of our club. We will miss him.
As we look ahead to our upcoming touring season I invite any suggestions from our membership as to events and tours you would like to have this year. Our March meeting will be held at the Shanloon restaurant but if you are not up for a meal please join us at about 7 pm. when the meeting will actually start.
So long for now.
Wayne Brohart

Tribute to Jim Rolfe 1935 - 2010

We are saddened with the loss of longstanding Antique Car Club of Pembroke member Jim Rolfe, whose passing came after a year of health issues. Jim’s approach to his illness was typical of the way he lived – prepared, pragmatic and punctual. During this time he calmly kept us posted with his treatment regime and held out hope, as we all did, for recovery and a return to enjoying life.

In the life of the car club, the vehicles that he and Muriel toured with, the 1966 Dodge Transit Van and more recently the 1953 Military Jeep M-38A1 with matching trailer, were examples of professional research and restoration reflecting his military career. It was a calculated decision they made, to sell off the vehicles including the Dodge motor home, as Jim didn’t want to leave this sort of business unattended should he not be able to manage in future. His plan was to find a mint Volkswagen with which they could turn the key and tour. In his words, there’d be no more restoration projects and more touring.

Jim took pride in organizing club tours and events. These were always done with planning and precision giving rise to the phrase “it’s tail lights” for anyone who wasn’t there on time. Jim also submitted articles to Old Autos that kept others in the hobby apprised of ACCP happenings.

Jim was a team player and a team spirit builder. On our 2009 Victoria Day Tour, Jim and Muriel turned out for the send off on a crisp sunny May morning. Jim had just undergone surgery days before. They joined in on our autumn Calumet Island Tour, enjoying dinner at Auberge Mont Blanc and at the Christmas Banquet Jim found the meal, the music and the acoustics just right. With Jim’s sensitivity to noise levels, that was quite an endorsement!

We’re proud that Jim was one of our members. We can take certain solace knowing that the camaraderie of our club family and our activities were an integral part of Jim’s life, especially so in these latter months and days.

To celebrate Jim's life, a memorial visitation will be held from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Saturday February 27th at the Murphy Funeral Home, 296 Isabella Street, Pembroke ON.

President's Page February 2010

Hello everyone, time for another issue of the president's page. Our club is off to a good start with a couple events already planned for the near future.

First on the list is a social get to-gether at Popkie's mill, set for Sat. Jan. 23, from 1 p.m. until whenever we leave. Don Stresman is doing a phone blitz to make everyone aware of this event. Last year we had a good turn out and hopefully this year we will have another great day.

Feb. 14 is the date set for the "Horse- drawn sleigh rides" at Schmidt's farm. Another great get-together for some good old-time fun. So bring your "Valentine" and dress warm for a sleigh ride in the great outdoors.

Hats off to Don Stresman for all his work in organizing both these upcoming events.

Our current restoration project is well under way. The guys have the old railway motor car totally disassembled and the plans are to have some parts sand-blasted and some new parts constructed before the re-assembly begins.

Plans are underway to revive the annual "A.C.C.P. Rodeo". I imagine this brings back some fond memories to those who remember this event from years gone by. The organizing committee hopes to create a fun filled day for all who attend.

Looks like we could have another busy year ahead of us, which bodes well for our club. Thanks to all those that make my job a pleasure.

Wayne Brohart

P.S. The image above is of my present project and as you can see it's quite a project!