President's Page July 2009

There are so many events staring us in the face these months that we’ll all be challenged to manage our participation in any of them. By the time you read this, we will have enjoyed the Dore Bay Country Club Golf & Steak BBQ, the Heritage Manor Father’s Day car show, the Red Hatters’ 50’s Rock ‘n Roll party, the Petawawa Civic Centre Days show, the Strawberry Social at the Champlain Trail Museum and Westmeath Fair.

With our July meeting falling on Canada Day, July 1st, we will meet at The Sands on Golden Lake for a dinner meeting that will be followed by a boat cruise and bonfire on the beach. The Sands is preparing a Prime Rib roast beef buffet that will be served in our own meeting room on the beach-side level starting at 6:00 - meeting at 7:15.

Looking ahead in July, we are invited to join in the parade and other festivities in Waltham QC on the 4th for their 150th celebrations. There will be lots doing in August too, with certain plans for a car show on downtown streets to coincide with the Pembroke Waterfront Festival on Saturday the 8th. Graham Wall has agreed to help coordinate this event with his long list of car buff contacts.


On Sunday August 9th, an afternoon invitational car show will be held again on the lawns at the Champlain trail Museum to coincide with their Blueberry Festival. On the heals of this will be the annual car show at the Lakeside Hotel at Portage du Fort QC coordinated by Wayne & Chris Brohart.

The special event to say “thanks” to Ron Nelson is now confirmed to happen on Saturday September 12th in Eganville. Car buffs are invited to join in a parade through Eganville and enjoy a buffet dinner at the Royal Canadian Legion that will both toast and roast Ron, who has given so much to worthy causes throughout that community for years. Proceeds from the dinner will go toward the village’s new Health Centre project.

Closer to home, it was great to celebrate the return of the Risto Delivery Wagon to the Ottawa Valley Historical Society after this winter’s restoration project. Thanks to the team, led by Lorne Troutman, including: Wayne Brohart, Ralph Lemke, Bob McCauley, Ron Roy, Ron Ruhnke, Don Stresman, Jeff & Neil Videto. Also Ghislaine & Colette Pigeon who graciously donated superb wagon wheels to the cause.

We welcome new members to the club - Tommy & Shannon Dunfield from Westmeath with a 1967 Fairlane convertible and 1969 Fairlane Cobra and Leslie Moore and Janice Visneskie from Golden Lake with a 1974 Dodge Duster. And in our way, we extend best wishes for members who are under doctor’s care for treatment at this time, including Joan TerMarsch and Jim Rolfe.

Dave Lemkay

President's Page June 2009

With our June 3rd meeting, we mark the half-way mark of the year - difficult to believe in some ways! In terms of tours, we’ve had a slow start, but heads-up, there’s a lot on the agenda going forward!

Following the great snacks many of you brought to the last meeting and the special dessert of ice cream and Stresman’s maple syrup, hot pizza and soft drinks is on the menu for a 6:30pm start to this month’s meeting at the Champlain Trail Museum in the train station area or inside depending on weather. Either way, bring your lawn chairs and auction sale goods.

Tuesdays have seen the Museum Project guys busy with the restoration of the horse-drawn Risto delivery wagon. Great job! The Dore Bay turkey fry was another superb outing for many and during May, the Antique Car Tunes folks practised at Ron & Dawn Roy’s for the highly touted live on-air gig on Victoria Day at Valley Heritage Radio 98.7 FM in Renfrew.

Speaking of that day, our tour down the Valley was blessed with sunshine and many new acquaintances were made. We had the opportunity to meet three new couples who have indicated their interest in joining ACCP. We will have the opportunity to welcome them at the upcoming meeting. To have a growing membership, as we have seen in recent years, clearly signals a healthy club.

Our calendar of events for the coming months is full! Three in June – Heritage Manor on Saturday June 20th ahead of Father's Day, the Red Hatters’ 50s Party at the Legion on the 22nd and the Champlain Trail Museum Strawberry Social on Sunday June 27th. On July 4th, we’re invited to the Waltham QC 150th Anniversary celebrations, and to our cottage on Golden Lake for an overnighter on July 7th. (There’ll be a full moon boat cruise & bonfire that evening).

The City of Pembroke has asked ACCP to coordinate a full-scale vintage car show in conjunction with the August 8th & 9th Waterfront Festival. Plans are to block off Pembroke Street and the side streets to grow the festival up into the city core. This will be a big undertaking, so we will need to recruit many of the other enthusiasts in the area. More details to be discussed at the meeting.

We have a few members who are convalescing and I take the opportunity here say that our club has much to offer besides the vehicles and tours. Our group has a fine social structure and it’s the elements of camaraderie and community that are so important when someone might have some difficulty. Our thoughts are continually with Joan TerMarsch, Ed Wodzak, Jim Rolfe, Stan Priebe and Lorne Troutman, each of whom is on the mend these days.

Dave Lemkay

President's Page May 2009

It was good that so many of us were able to get together at the Dore Bay Country Club for the roast beef dinner on April 18th. In some respects Dore Bay has become a great get-away for winter and summer events. As we head into May, our first tour of the year will be an afternoon trip on Victoria Day – the 18th leaving TerMarsch’s at 12:00 Noon and heading down the valley through Osceola to the Barr Line and Renfrew, staying on the old highway. From there we head along Burnstown Road to Valley Heritage Radio where the "Antique Car Tunes" will perform a brief live on-air gig. Afterward we will meander through the Renfrew Glen to Lochwinnoch Road making a visit at the Valley Carver’s shop. Dub Juby’s carvings depict our Ottawa Valley heritage and are found across Canada and all over the world. As well, Dub has a great collection of old motorcycles that will be on display. We will visit the lighthouse at Sand Point and Red Pine Bay where the squared timber crib arrived last June for a brief history of the area by Mayor of McNab-Braeside Township, Mary Campbell. We eventually arrive at Glen Dochart, 1118 Campbell Drive, Mary Campbell's century farm & B&B, where we will be entertained by 60s British Rock Invasion entertainer Simon Clarke. At the same time we will be served up a special BBQ dinner. Invitations are going out to old car enthusiasts from the Renfrew and Woodlawn areas, so this will be part car show, part reunion.

Thanks to resident auctioneer Don Stresman who skilfully handled the sale of quality hardcover books from the Biederman donation, we raised almost $150. Thanks also to many of you for your vigorous bidding. This, plus a kindly donation by a member nicely covers off the purchase of the new griddle for the breakfast team at Supples Landing.

We return for the May meeting to the Community Hall in Shady Nook. A springtime treat of ice cream and fresh maple syrup will be served afterwards thanks to Stresmans. Other snacks may be on hand and now that the hockey season is over, facilities at the hall will be available to us without restriction. See you there at 7:00 and remember this is our first driving month. While you’re extracting the old car from storage, look around in there for unwanted treasures for our auction sale. It’s a fun part of our meetings and also nicely puts money to good use within our club activities.

Also in May, the car show in Barry's Bay is on. This is always a fun event in a delightful Valley town. June events on the horizon include the Fathers’ Day Car Show at Heritage Manor on June 21st. The following afternoon, the Red Hatters Fifties Rock ‘n Roll party is on at the Pembroke Legion. June 28th – the last Sunday of the month is always the Strawberry Social at the Champlain Trail Museum. We want to fill the train station grounds again!

July 7-8-9 is our Thousand Islands Tour to Glen House Inn on the 1000 Islands Parkway near Gananoque. We have tentatively booked a suite of Riverview rooms that are together in a block. Note that by June, a valid Canadian Passport is needed to make any boat stops on American soil. However Glen House Inn has pontoon boats for rent and this will be a less complicated arrangement for those wanting a cruise on the St. Lawrence.

Dave Lemkay

President's Page April 2009

April Fools Day might add a whimsical tone to our meeting this first Wednesday of the month. We will venture out to the Santa Fe Grill & Beverage Company at 207 Nelson Street for a nifty dinner at 6:00 and followed by our meeting upstairs at around 7:00, which should conclude no later than 9:00.

As I write this on March 20th, the sun is shining for a full 12 hours directly at the equator. That makes this the first day of Spring, although it’s a wee bit cooler here in the Ottawa Valley on the 45th latitude than at zero in Uganda or Brazil or Sumatra. But let’s take what we can get. Soon we will be complaining about the heat.

Spring brings with it, increased activity with restoration of our old vehicles. Jim Rolfe celebrates his first drive on the newly completed 1970 Jeep rolling chassis. Lorne Troutman has the new upholstery and nickel-plated rad shell installed on the Model A. Marilyn Simpson and Ralph Lemke tell me that the’55 Studebaker Starlite Coupe sports a shiny new coral and black paint job with wide whites. Upholstery is next on the long list. Brohart’s Mustang is gradually coming to life and the winter facelift on our Cadillac is complete. It has been reassembled at Mike Cuff’s after new the paint job. It’s exciting that we will have our toys ready for touring with the first one planned for May 18th.

Events for 2009 are already filling the calendar, with the Dore Bay Roast Beef Dinner on Saturday afternoon April 18th followed on May2nd with the famous Turkey Fry. Our first road trip will be a Victoria Day Tour (May 18th) and first car show will be the Father’s Day Display at Heritage Manor in Pembroke followed the next day with the Red Hatters’ Rock ‘n Roll Party at the Legion. Then we will hit the road for the 2009 Tour to The Thousand Islands on July 7-8-9.

You may notice that the tentative Ottawa-area museum tour has gone missing… I take this opportunity to say that our tour promoter Jim Rolfe is dealing with some medical issues and although he fully intends to participate as usual, he won’t be organizing his usual tours for a while. Also on the under-the-weather list, Ed Wodzak underwent bypass surgery last week in Ottawa. I had the chance to pay him a visit at the Heart Institute and he says although this was a “big one” he’s on the mend and looking forward to heading home soon. So, keep these and our other members who are dealing with health issues presently in your thoughts and prayers.

See you at the meeting - April Fools Day at Santa Fe!

Dave Lemkay

President's Page March 2009

If you recall, in the February post, I mentioned about meeting up with folks formerly affiliated with our club. No sooner did that come out than I got an email from Ken Etmanski – using the nickname "Axle". He is now chief pilot with the helicopter firm in Calgary and besides raising a young family, he has gathered up four 1934 Pontiac hulks with plans to do a restoration into one good touring car. So the saga continues – all born back in the early days of our club. How many other second-generation stories might there be? Maybe this calls for a reunion!

We welcome new members – Dean and Anita Lapierre and their son Lucas – including their family of cars – a 1959 Ford Sunliner convertible and 1931 Model A Ford Tudor. Dean has demonstrated his musical prowess, playing with the Antique Car Tunes at the last meeting. There’s news also from Ed Wodzak who has acquired a 1958 Chevrolet convertible and maybe a 1957 Chevy too. Troutman’s Model A has all new upholstery installed by Bert Blok and once Lorne gets a new gas tank gasket in place, he and Myrna will be ready for spring-time touring. In our household, we can report that Mike Cuff has our ’71 Caddy all stripped to bare metal in most places and it’ll soon be ready for a new coat of Sea Mist turquoise paint. Phillip won’t be able to draw attention to the trunk lid now ha ha.

On a sad note, I regret having to pass on news of a former member who attended some of our meetings and tours in the '80s. Steve Broady passed away in Vancouver this month. He was national sales manager for Acme Seeley Ltd. that was headquartered in Renfrew in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Members will recall Steve’s huge Austin Princess Vanden Plas limousine, his Rover saloon and Jaguar and Spitfire - all significant British cars that he took great pride in restoring.

Our tours and other events are starting to take shape. For starters, there’s a roast beef dinner at Dore Bay following their annual meeting on April 18th. On May 2nd the annual Turkey Fry takes place there too. How about on Monday May 18th we will make our Victoria Day Calabogie to Clayton Tour winding up in Renfrew for a '50s-style drive-in supper at Odi's Kingburger. On Father’s Day, June 21st, we’re invited to display our cars at Heritage Manor and maybe offer some short drives to the older lads and ladies. June 22nd is Red Hatters‘50s Rock-n-Roll Night to be held at the Pembroke Legion. Fifties cars are requested. June 28th will be the Strawberry Social at the Champlain Trail Museum and tentatively, the Gananoque – 1000 Islands Tour will be offered in July. How about travelling down on Tuesday July 7th for a full moon arrival, staying overnight also on the 8th with a departure on Thursday the 9th? A block of rooms will be reserved at Glen Mill Inn and a 1000 Islands cruise will be part of the itinerary. This is a beautiful resort on the river.

The March meeting will be at Merrybells and Barclay is looking forward to our being there on the 4th. So we will see you at 6:00, ordering right away to be able to start our meeting as close to 7:00 as possible. As you know, the auction sale held after each meeting can be a good source of fun and funds. We are all sort of closet junkies and with a little forethought, we should be able to contribute to the cause while clearing out stuff that we really don’t need. Ladies – don’t hesitate to bring along non-car treasures too.

Dave Lemkay

President's Page February 2009

You never know who you’re going to meet that has a connection to old cars and in this case the ACCP. Skiing last weekend at Pakenham with Addie, I happened to go to the cafeteria for a snack wearing my new black ACCP hat. A gregarious fellow behind the counter piped up after seeing the hat to say: “my Dad belonged to the Model A Ford Club in Pembroke”, saying that he was Robbie Rantz, Bob’s son. For those of you a bit longer in the tooth, you will have fond memories of the Rantz family in their Model A on early tours and Road-A-Os. I gave Bob a call and he says that he has had some thoughts about the club and that he and Pauline will see about maybe attending the February meeting.

So “hats off” once again to Wayne Brohart for renewing our club identity with the snazzy black caps – as I have said before, we benefit from our calling cards in the form of the Flying Quail, the web site, our vehicles (with window decals) and our jackets and hats.


Congratulations to Don and Myrna Stresman who “hands-down” won the activity award for 2008. With perfect attendance at meetings and on club tours, the handsome plaque is theirs to showcase for the year. There were many others who had respectable scores and clearly, that is the mark of a healthy club. Thanks to you all for your commitment and participation. We look forward to a fun-filled and rewarding year to come.

So far this new year, we have attended the Dore Bay Country Club Spaghetti Feast and the old fashioned horse-drawn sleigh ride at Schmidts. The Antique Car Tunes have had a jam or two and the Risto delivery wagon restoration project is underway. Ahead on the calendar, we have prospects of some great tours! Already we have chatted about a summer tour to Ganaoque to tour the Thousand Islands. I would like also to suggest a day-long loop through Calabogie to Middleville, returning after a picnic lunch back through Pakenham to Burnstown and home via Renfrew. We could visit interesting sites, including the marble mine near Clayton, the historic Mill of Kintail, the waterfront park and the Waba Museum at White Lake and maybe early supper in Renfrew at Odie’s Kingburger that has that old drive-in atmosphere – this could be a great photo session too. Bring you ideas to the meetings and we can fine tune the details and lock in dates.

We have been asked by the Heritage Manor to consider bringing our vehicles on Father’s Day to assemble an impromptu afternoon car show. They feel that our presence there would be well received by the seniors, especially the men-folk, to be able to mingle and meet members and reminisce about their cars of yesterday. Of course, Father’s Day is a family affair for us all, but maybe in giving a little, we reap much larger rewards… we can talk about this at the meeting, as well as other suggestions you will have for tours.

Dave Lemkay

Presidents Page January 2009

By the time this is published in January issue of The Flying Quail, we will have ushered in the New Year, although it was necessary to write it ahead of Christmas to meet the deadline.

I will start by expressing our sadness at the passing of our good friend and longstanding member Calvin TerMarsch. We all have grieved during this season and we offer our condolences to Joan and the family, Wayne & Shelley, Wendy and Phillip, Dean & Dianna and the grandchildren. Cal’s passing leaves a space in our club family that will never be filled. However, we can be happy knowing that he really enjoyed the tours that he was able to participate in this past year – the Champlain Trail Museum car show, the tour to Norway Bay in the red Buick, driving his Pontiac to Hugli’s for ice cream and finally the Colour Tour to Calabogie in October. This was Cal’s last run in his prized yellow Chieftain convertible.

Looking ahead to the New Year, our first event will be the Spaghetti Feast at the Dore Bay Country Club on the afternoon end early evening of Saturday January 24th. This has been a successful supper for a few years – serving up a hot and spicy specialty of DBCC chef Bruce Plummer. The Antique Car Tunes can likely have a jam session too with some of the regulars at Dore Bay. We will get a headcount at the meeting.

Speaking of meeting (and food) our January meeting will be held starting 7:00 p.m. Wednesday the 7th at the Shady Nook Hall. We discussed making this a pot luck affair with snacks for after the meeting also taking advantage of their coffee urn and to patronize the bar. At this meeting, we will need make a change to the bylaws to properly address the new “honorary member” status for our folks who have reached the age of 80 with suitable tenure in the club, as already bestowed on Ernie and Diane Murdoch.

I wish also to express our thanks to Barclay O’Reilly for graciously agreeing to cancel the Christmas dinner we had planned at Merrybells. He was also a good friend of Cal and was the first to recognize the need to forego the event in light of Cal’s passing.

To conclude, there have been chats over the past month and I am pleased to say that your executive is prepared to carry on through the second year of our mandate. We are committed to managing for another successful year of tours and shows and camaraderie with our vintage vehicles. We trust that you too are looking forward to an exciting 2009.

Dave Lemkay