President's Page - April 2014

Welcome Spring!  Welcome Equinox!

In that winter has been hanging around since its arrival in November, nobody can argue that we have had a true Canadian winter.  Some of our group were fortunate to enjoy the sunny south and others of us enjoyed the true Canadian winter - keeping the home fires burning and all that stuff.  Seeing the last of the fishing huts on Golden Lake, I’m glad that in our household, we’ll soon be thinking whitewalls not white fish.

Our February meeting at Algonquin College campus, besides being educational, was a great kick-off event for 2014. Thanks to Daniel Hewitt for making this possible and to instructor Mark Stevens who took the time after his regular day to present the Motive Power Program and give us a tour of the new Algonquin College Pembroke campus with its state-of-the-art shops, labs and classrooms.  Thanks to Jamie Bramburger for arranging meeting room # 200, the Gerry and Doreen Binhammer Room, which we had for our brief March business.

It will soon be time for all of us to clear a path to the door to maneuver our antique vehicles from storage and get them all shined up for the next seven months of touring.  It’s sort of good excuse to commence certain “spring cleaning” and that should mean that we see a new batch of good auction items.  We think that our sometimes zany auction does make for a light-hearted conclusion of our meetings - a little fun to raise a little money in support of club projects.

Thanks to Margaret and Howard Moore for featuring their 1971 Chevrolet truck, recently purchased at the Barrett - Jackson auction in Las Vegas.  We look forward to the addition of this beauty on our upcoming tours as it adds to the Chevrolet complement within the club.                         

                                                                                                                                                     
Our April 2nd meeting will be held at Dineamics Food and Drink (formerly Shots Sports Bar) located at 185 Pembroke St. E., directly across from the Pembroke Post Office.

There’s plenty of parking in the back or if you come early there is parking in the front as well.   Our social time will commence at 5:30 in the dining room/bar area.  You may wish to order off the menu or check as to what the appetizer may be for that day.  The management and staff have allowed for us to use their large meeting room afterwards for 7pm.  Thanks to Don Stresman for arranging this change of venue.  Look it up on line – it has lots of good reviews. 

We have survived yet another St. Patrick’s Day celebration with lots of traffic in good old Douglas, but it’s time for some spring weather! 

See you all soon.                              Delores

President's Page March 2014

Whether March comes in like a lion or a lamb, nice spring weather can’t be far away and I know some of you have toes tapping, maybe for St. Patrick’s Day.  Not to mention, we’re all anxious to bring vehicles out from winter storage.  With all the snow this winter, farmers will be happy to have that moisture in the ground and our waterways will be replenished. 

What a great turnout of members, children, grandchildren and guests for Family Day at Northfork, Quebec.  We were blessed with clear and calm full-sunshine blue skies as we enjoyed the woodland trails on the blanketed sleigh that was gently pulled Blondie and Brandy and doggy mascot Maggie. Afterward we warmed up in the chalet and enjoyed some good old Valley songs thanks to Dawn, Neil & Lori and Don. Rumor has it that there was a step dancer in snow boots up on the floor rather briefly too.

All this was topped with hearty meal of chili, Caesar salad and homemade dinner rolls as rays of the setting sun streamed in the dining room windows.  What more could one ask for?  Thank you to all who came from near and far to make Family Day such a success.

Without belabouring our schedule of events, it has been said that there’s no shortage of events in the area that we can tag on to.  One such event would be the July 13^th Merrickville Car Show / Cruise and Shop.  This presents a nice tour to take in and thanks to Wendy and Phil, they will organize and steer us to Leeds & Grenville County.  Sounds like a great time for all to consider.  The President’s Mystery Tour will take place August 10^th.  Two dates, you should circle on your calendars for the ‘driving months’.  We discussed an early spring “Shake Down Tour” too for April or May. Please give some thought to planning a driving tour and speak up at the meeting.  We always look forward to new ideas.

Most members have renewed their memberships for 2014, at the cost of $ 35.00.   Bob has told us at the last meeting, that those who haven’t paid won’t be reading this in their Flying Quail, as he cuts off mailing after February.  It’s refreshing to report that honorary members Ellen and Brian Black dropped off their $35.00, insisting that it be a donation to the club.  Thank you so much! 

Our March 5th meeting will take place at the Algonquin College campus starting at 7:00 in room 200.  (There is an elevator to the second floor) The meeting will be brief to allow us to be escorted by Mark Stevens to view and be updated on the Motive Power Technician Program.  Thanks to Daniel Hewitt for initiating and planning this special evening.  Given the visit, there will be a light agenda and for this month, we will forego the auction sale.

Looking forward to seeing all of you on the 5^th of March.   Delores

President's Page - February 2014

What roller-coaster winter weather!  From Arctic vortexes to Chinooks, we’re getting quite a ride.  Groundhog Day is coming up quickly, so let’s hope spring weather soon arrives. 

Our January meeting succeeded in giving us all the opportunity to brainstorm on events for this year.  The Kingburger venue is most enjoyable for a good meal with some social time and the layout seems to work OK for our meeting needs.

This time of year takes me back to the ‘good ole days’ of sleigh rides at my parents’ farm and other places in the Valley.  The sound of the bells on the harness and the scrunch of the runners cutting across the crisp snow are great memories to look back on.   But how about a 2014 sleigh ride in February? Perhaps a day time may work better for a number of us. We could choose a date and location at this meeting, be it Willy’s Ranch or maybe a return to Northfork followed by a dinner.   Let’s talk.

The February meeting will be the time to try to pencil in some of our regular tours and events. The challenge has been made for couples to consider taking on the design and organization of a tour.  Please think about this ahead of time and come to the meeting prepared to take on a tour.  You all have special places and ideas – let’s hear from you.

Our meetings can take on new twists once warmer weather arrives, whether it be at the waterfront park, a member’s patio or cottage, or a new eatery to discover, think about these things as we go forward into the new year. As was discussed last meeting, one of the fun projects that we did was to showcase members when they were young in a picture that included an early family vehicle.   With so many new member couples having joined since we completed that project, it’s time to capture our newer members.  So here’s another challenge – dig up an old car-related family picture, do a brief write-up and we’ll feature this in upcoming Flying Quails.  Look for the first 2014 entry on another page in this issue.

Dan Hewitt has been successful in connecting with the new Algonquin College campus for a special tour of the Motive Program as part of our March meeting.  Information is included elsewhere in these pages.

May you all have a healthy, happy rest of the winter – stay warm and safe.  

I look forward to seeing you all at our next meeting on February 5th at the Kingburger, where Myles and staff are most gracious in making us comfortable with tasty food and cold refreshments.  Socializing begins at 5:30,  Supper by 6:00 and Meeting at 7:00pm.  See you all then.    Delores 

President's Page - January 2014

Packing the Caddy for 2014

As this message is being prepared we are only one week away to Christmas Day.  This season reawakens those traditional values of our collective past - Christmas card exchange, Santa Claus parades, carol singing, Sunday school concerts, baking and decorating our homes for the festivities. We should not lose sight of the real values of the season, mainly how valuable our family and friends are.

 By the sounds of things, our Christmas Shine was enjoyed by all. It was great seeing some of our newest members join in with some of the longest-standing members. Our thanks goes out again to Lorne and Myrna for dedicating many hours in making the Seniors’ Centre “feel like home”.  Thanks to Neil and Lori, Ron and Dawn, Jeff and Kathy, Mae and Bob for assisting with the decorations and preparations for the band. Thanks to Kathy, for preparing the punch and thanks to Gale and John for their tasteful selection of door and spot-dance prizes.  Once again, Gerry Binhammer kindly donated to the cause and the vocal and keyboard musical talents of Kay O’Gorman, fine fiddling by Dean Lapierre and percussion by Dan Hewitt added so much to round out Car Tunes band’s presentation of music for the evening. Nashville here we come! And thanks to Santa whose Ho Ho Ho we’ve heard before.  

 The President’s Trophy was presented this year to Myrna and Don Stresman in recognition of their attendance and support throughout the year.  The Crank-of-the-Year was given to Pam and Dan Hewitt, who cranked up the start of our anniversary year with the tour to the Tackaberry collection and hosting the Rodeo that so many enjoyed at Lake Dore Park and tours in between. The Rodeo Cup was won by John and Gale Hanson who demonstrated precision parking with their ‘76 Mercedes.  Bonnie and Clyde, aka Donna and Jim Savage, were presented with a token for Jim’s maneuvering of the ‘76 Thunderbird through the pylons and Donna’s target shooting that was second to none. Congratulations and thanks to all of you for your volunteerism and ongoing support to our Club. 

 The trophies will be engraved over the next month. Please bring them to our meeting in January and they will be returned to you by the following meeting.  Marilyn Simpson has been helpful in this task for years.

Our new executive will be installed at this meeting.  It will be exciting to plot our course heading into the new year and I look forward to being part of this team. 

As we move into our 51^st year, I know that we can make it another enjoyable journey in our old car hobby.  Please give thought to taking on a tour or event, maybe with another couple.  It’s your club, let’s enjoy!

 Our January 8^th meeting will be held at the west end Kingburger, starting with social time at 5:30, dinner at 6:00 and meeting starting at 7:00.  Since we have a number of investors with our auction sale, please bring the items that you feel will move during this time of year for another fun-filled evening.

 

Happy New Year!
your outgoing and incoming president...    Delores

President's Page December 2013 ~ Our 50th Year

What beautiful fall weather we’ve been having – although not quite a “hunter’s delight” with recent double –digit temperatures.  We’re only taking the water line out of the lake and raking leaves at the cottage now.  It seems the whole year has been most favourable for our events and tours. 

Looking back, my tally tells us that there were a total of 38 ACCP outings over the past year. This impressive list kicked off with the picture review for 50th Anniversary ACCP Yearbook, Tour to the Tackaberry collection in Athens, Sneak-a-Peak at  Champlain Trail Museum,  Antique & Classic Car/Truck Show in Petawawa, Birthday celebrations at the Juby residence in Castelford,  150th Celebration at Grace Church at Rankin, Strawberry Social, Farmersville Steam Fair, an afternoon of wining, dining and Simon at the Dunfield’s, Killaloe Car Show, 50th Anniversary Ice Cream Cruise Night at Hugli’s Ranch, Round Lake Centre Car display, Popkie Mill car show,  Fiesta Kids Day at the Museum, President’s Mystery Tour, Rankin Car Show, Renfrew Car Show, Renfrew County Plowing Match, Hockeytown Parade, Road-A-O at Lake Dore, Eganville Seniors’ Centre Car Show with Elvis, Griffith Car Show, Mount St. Patrick’s Parish Supper, Oktoberfest at Ladysmith and the upcoming Pembroke Santa Claus Parade and our Christmas Shine at Victoria Hall. Thanks to you all who have generously volunteered time and your homes and your creativity to make events, meetings and the Flying Quail memorable and fun! This club thrives on good team work.  

We have our Santa Claus Parade float arriving all the way from the North Pole and preparations  are wrapping up for our annual Christmas Shine.  Tickets can still be purchased from Wendy at TerMarsch Fuels or give Ron Roy a call to reserve yours.

Our Club has been fortunate in attracting new members over the past while. We welcome Jim and Donna Savage, Howard and Margaret Moore and Larry and Marg Smith adding a Thunderbird, Chevrolet Impalas and a Dodge Custom Royal to the roster.  We look forward to welcoming Dave and Randi Stahn in December who have an interesting Packard collection.  We welcome all of you to our ACCP family.

Our November nominations have determined the executive for the coming two years.  I thank Ron Roy for his countless hours to contact everyone from the membership list to canvas their interest in stepping up on the ACCP “running board”.  Thanks also to Lorne for his assistance. Their slate of nominees, each of which were acclaimed include: Wendy TerMarsch - Treasurer; Muriel Rolfe – Secretary; Ralph Lemke - Vice-President and yours truly has agreed to remain President.  I want to thank Dave for his past term as Secretary, Wendy for keeping the books and bank straight and to Bob and Mae for continuing to be our gatherers, collators and postmasters of the Flying Quail.

We are saddened with the passing this year of dear friends and devout members Don Page and Ernie Murdoch.  We cherish their memory and celebrate their wonderful contribution to the club.  A number of members have had health challenges and we wish them well with recovery and return to good health.

Please bring all trophies received over the past year to the December 7th meeting.  We will be awarding these for 2013 achievement at the Christmas Shine. Remember to bring your auction items, big or small we welcome them all.   Our December meeting is at the Kingburger starts socially at 5:30, Meeting at 7:00

From our family to yours, I take this opportunity to wish you a very Merry Christmas.  Drive safely, eat healthy and be happy.   

                                                                                                                                Delores  

President's Page - November 2013 ~ Our 50th Year

Youngest ACCP member Daisy Hewitt sizing up a Model A Ford

We are all still enjoying the bonus of beautiful weather and for some of us, the old cars, trucks and motorcycles have been able to dodge (excuse the pun) winter storage a bit longer.

Our Oktoberfest tour to Ladysmith was threatened with poor weather although there was still a nice array of vehicles in the parade. Thanks to all who toured over to join in for a total of 78 vehicles despite the rain that certainly did eventually come.

Our October meeting was fun at the Kingburger – a nice change from routine. This venue suited us well and we’re heading there again for the November meeting.

Speaking of which, the November meeting is exciting for our club as the nominations committee, headed up by Ron Roy will present the outcome of their hard work in the slate of nominees for the 2014-15 executive. As other clubs and institutions, we face challenges to find new volunteers to step up onto the 'running board' for the new term. ACCP, apparently like other such clubs, faces changing demographics of its membership. As we collectively move through life, there are always new challenges that might take a bit more of our leisure time.

And, clearly, taking on a position in the club’s management does require dedication of one’s time and energy.

As I close in on the end of my two-year term (Yikes has it been that long?!) I have enjoyed working with all of you on the executive and in the general membership. You all make a great team in which to work. It’s the building on input from all of you, which makes our club successful and active. Looking forward, we may want to consider some changes that could streamline our calendar. For instance, would something less than 12 monthly meetings suit us better? Just a thought.

November 27th is the Christmas Parade in Pembroke. The theme this year is Christmas at the North Pole. A number of volunteers have come forward from the last meeting who will work with Neil & Lori Videto in creating our 2013 – 50th Anniversary entry.

Lorne has had tickets printed for our Christmas Banquet. This will take place on Saturday December 8th at Victoria Hall. These will be available to purchase at the November meeting. Remember that there’s the opportunity to invite family and friends; all are welcome. We will have a full-course meal of Prime Rib Beef Roast, Herbed Lemon Chicken and all the fixings. The $25.00 per person ticket covers a full evening of entertainment with door prizes and handing out of some of the traditional year-end trophies: “Crank of the Year”; “President’s Participation Trophy” and “Rodeo Champ”.

To reiterate: Our November meeting will be at the Kingburger Restaurant at 1294 Pembroke St. W. with socializing at 5:30, dinner at 6:00 and business at 7:00 o’clock. I look forward to seeing you then.

Delores

President's Page October 2013 ~ Our 50th Year

To all members and friends of the ACCP:

We are now well into the Harvest Season with farmers taking off their crops and gardeners reaping their bounty, storing and canning in preparation for the months ahead. It’s perhaps a bit early, but our thoughts are already on storing our autos, boats and other toys for the winter. I know of some of us who have acquired an extra toy here or there, which means the garage or barn needs to be rearranged or expanded.

This past month has been fun but a bit of a challenge, at times, to determine which event or tour to engage in. With Pembroke’s Hockeytown Centennial Parade, The Renfrew Car Show and the Renfrew County Plowing Match all taking place on the same day, September 14th, it certainly reminds us we are all busy in a most busy season. I thank all the members who have volunteered their time so freely in bringing their vehicles and families to help make each event a success. Over the club’s fifty years, one thing is clear; tours and other such events only come together well with a lot of ‘behind the scenes’ preparation.

We welcome Myrna and Lorne back from the East. They’re a big part of our ACCP family and their absence in summer is certainly noticed. We offer condolences on the passing of Myrna’s sister. On a happier note, the question is: “when is Maiden Lane the Lobster Fest” ?

By this meeting, we’ll be just getting over the fine fare at the Mount St. Patrick’s Parish Supper and there’s already good vibes about Oktoberfest in Ladysmith. Dave has suggested an interesting route and meal venue for a fall colour tour if the weather holds out, and then there’s the Christmas Shine on Saturday, December 7th. For this, there will be tickets printed and available by the November meeting. Plan ahead to invite family and friends to join us for a fun-filled evening. Guaranteed, it will be an entertaining Christmas party. We’re confident that Santa has had ample time to work on his beard for this year.

Our October 2 meeting venue has been changed to the Kingburger Restaurant, 1294 Pembroke St. W. in the dining room there. Myles and staff are looking forward to us joining them at 5:30 o’clock for a socializing, dinner at 6:00 and for any who wish to attend only the meeting, it will start at the usual time of 7:00. I look forward to seeing you all then.                                                    Delores