RECENT EVENTS:
PITTSBURGH TRI-STATE REGIONAL
AT SEVEN SPRINGS RESORT
Pennies For Patients - Poker Run
By Bob Cirilli
May 18, 2008 started out pouring down rain but that doesn’t stop people on a mission. At 7:30 AM I left the house to pick up the balloon markers then headed to the starting point. Volunteers from St. Barnabas staff and local friends put up a tent and set up a table with supplies, coffee and donuts and more. All we needed were poker run players.
Through some significant downpours a few brave souls arrived, paid their donation and started off on the run. Despite the bad weather members of NCRS, the Pittsburgh Thunderbird Club, the North Hills Antique Auto Club, the Portholers and many others had participants.
After running the route we all ended up at the Narcisi Winery were you would have never known it was raining earlier in the day. All in all, around twenty cars showed up and had a great time talking cars and drinking wine. Oh yes we were introduced to a terrific caterer that made some terrific dishes including egg plant sandwiches. John Barnett (the weatherman) road the poker run on his BMW and the lead donor came with a company check for $500.00 which really set the pace.
A very ugly day turned out to be great fun as usually happens when a group of car people get together. I heard a lot of very positive comments and promises to return next year. This didn’t set a record but the hearts and pocket books of the NCRS showed again we don’t just talk the talk.
SWAP MEET 2008
By Bill Gilbert
This year’s auto parts swap meet was held at Tom Henry Chevrolet, in Bakerstown, Pa. on Mar. 9, 2008. This was the clubs 13th annual swap meet. This is a great opportunity for our chapter members to get rid of some unneeded parts and turn them into money. We actually had 9 chapter members and 13 other vendors scheduled to sell at the swap. Several of our members shared a vendor space, which is free. That’s a good way to do it if you don’t have a lot to sell. Also, you’ll have a buddy to talk corvettes with all day.
This year we ran into bad weather and bad weather forecasts. This forced 6 vendors not to show up, and our count through the gate was way down. But, after speaking to several vendors, apparently they were happy with their sales for the day and they will be back next year.
A great deal of thanks goes to Tom Henry for providing us with a nice venue and warm hospitality, and also tables, chairs, a coffee machine, and much more. As chairman of the event, I would like to thank the guys who helped me on Saturday and the many chapter members who gave up their Sunday to help run the meet. And, a special thanks to the ladies in food service, Patty Gilbert, Judy Geary, Linda Neffield, Madie Henderson, and Bridgette Kitch. Your help was appreciated and the homemade cookies were delicious.
We hope to see more of you at the meet next year.
2008 Pittsburgh Chapter NCRS Restoration Seminar
By Jim Fontana
On Sunday February 10th our Pittsburgh Chapter held it`s annual Restoration Seminar. Kenny Ross Chevrolet in Irwin sponsored the event, as 34 members and guests braved the cold weather for an informative day.
The day started promptly at 10AM with the mandatory coffee and donuts. Our first presenter of the day was Gary Lamolinara of Great Dane Powder Coating in Latrobe. Gary`s business centers around powder coating and he truly is an expert. He was able to explain the process at length and aided his talk with some visual examples. The chapter members asked many questions and much knowledge was acquired pertaining to the process.
Our second speaker was Andy Vargo, owner of Custom Rods and Restoration in Irwin. Andy brought his expert painter Dave to aid in a presentation of some of the latest preparation and painting techniques in the Corvette hobby. The shop specializes in Corvettes and has done work already for some of our members. They operate a full restoration facility catering to the fussy enthusiast. We were pleased to learn they study their NCRS manuals and are very willing to create that original appearance to meet your judging needs. Dave fielded many questions from those in attendance, and convinced us he should be on our list when shopping for a painter.
After some brief lunch at noon we resumed the afternoon with Ron Wilson from the MAC chapter. Ron is a true craftsman with regard to axle rebuilds. The presentation was centered on solid axles; however he managed to tie in differences for all of the other judged generations of Corvettes. A rebuild was performed for us and we were easily able to digest the process from start to finish. Ron also provided informative handouts and a slide projection screen so all could see. Many thanks to Ron for making the trip from Maryland, as well as his MAC chapter for all the fine support they offer us.
The finale was offered by Nick Rosa, owner of Nick Rosa Trailer Sales in Latrobe. When it comes to trailers, you name it and Nick has it! Nick`s presentation dealt with effective and safe towing. He covered tow vehicle requirements, Gross Vehicle Weight Rating for vehicle as well as trailer, and many ideas to make the job simple and safe. Nick is also a distributor for Lucas Oil Products. He handles many top quality Lucas oils, additives, and stabilizers. You can see Nick at our June Regional, as he is a proud sponsor who will have his trailers and Lucas oil products on display. One final note: If you need to rent a car hauler for the day or week, Nick is one of the few people in our area that can provide it. Remember to support our sponsors!
The Restoration Seminar was the first event of our 2008 calendar and Corvette year. Thanks to all who attended and enjoyed a great venue filled with knowledge and camaraderie. Your club needs you!! We are already looking for ideas and speakers for next year’s seminar. With your help and participation we can make it another success!
18th Annual Membership Banquet 12/1/07
Here are some pictures from the banquet for your enjoyment.
Fall Judging School at Denis Mitchell’s garage 10/28/07:
Fall Road Tour to the Antique Music Museum Franklin, PA 10/14/07
The fall road tour was great this year. We had fantastic weather, and good participation. The tour started from three points around Pittsburgh and consolidated on Rt 8 in Butler. We had 11 corvettes and two other vehicles and 25 members to enjoy the fall foliage, a great brunch at the Cross Creek Resort, and a tour of the DeBence Antique Music World. The museum houses the collection of calliopes, carousel band organs, nickelodeons, etc dating from the early 1800’s to today. Several units in this collection are desired by the Smithsonian museum, due to their high quality and rarity. After a great tour of the museum we motored home our separate paths and all arrived safely. All in all, it was a great day with great company. Some pictures are included below.
Summer Road tour to Lancaster 8/4/07
By: Jimmy Fontana
On Saturday August 4, 2007 the weather conditions were perfect for a summer road tour to Lancaster. The day started out at Bob Evans Restaurant in Greensburg with breakfast. George and Pat Whipkey, John and Nancy Jeffries, Don and Judy Geary, Tom Franczyk, and last but not least my dad and I showed up at Eight O’clock. The Corvette was washed and gassed and we were ready for some fun!
Our first stop was at Shanksville to visit the Flight 93 memorial. When we arrived, the site was not crowded yet, so we could get a parking spot within reasonable walking distance. We listened to a lady speak about what happened that horrible day, read some of the messages on the wall, and witnessed the crash site in a distant field. After about fifteen minutes we were back on our happy trail.
Our next stop was the Coffee Pot in Bedford. The pot was built in the 1920’s as a luncheonette. It had recently been moved across the street and restored in 2003. The ‘pot’ is exactly what it is called, a giant coffee pot that you could walk into and enjoy a nice cup of coffee. When we visited the pot it was an exhibit that you could look into and walk around the outside.
Bedford Springs Hotel was our next stop. This place was beautiful! It was big enough to house a thousand Corvettes! As an old hotel that took $110,000,000 to restore, it looked like it belonged in Hollywood. We admired the beautiful landscaping for a few minutes, and then we took a look inside. We were short on time and toured the lobby, however there was a lot more to look at. For example, history of the old building, pictures, and of course the gorgeous interior. Several of our Presidents had used it as a retreat. Soon were then off to winding roads and one hundred mile an hour hills through the picturesque mountains. We stopped to grab a bite to eat at Applebee’s before we visited the National Watch and Clock Museum in Columbia.
This museum was filled with countless numbers of clocks and watches. Many dated back to the seventeenth and eighteenth Century. Each clock or watch had a caption to go with it that explained what it was, how it was made, where it came from, and how old it is . The amount of money invested in these clocks is mind blowing. By the time we were done visiting the museum it was time to eat again. Before we went to the restaurant we stopped to snap a picture of the cars beside the Susquehanna River Bridge.
George and his wonderful road tour skills found us a small restaurant in town called the Harp and Fiddle. After a delicious meal, we located the Hampton Inn in York where we stayed for the night. Accommodations were comfortable and breakfast was provided.
Sunday was a little warmer more humid day. We were off to the “shoehouse” located in Hellam. Known for custom box building, the business was unfortunately closed for tours when we arrived. The Strasburg railroad was our next stop. Our group of nine split up when we got there because half had already been to the railroad and rode the train. Tom, my dad and I had went on the train ride while the others got a bite to eat and waited for the museum to open. The ride went through the Amish countryside and the conductor pointed out interesting landmarks. When we got back, the museum was just about to open so we rounded up the rest of the gang and headed over to the train museum. When we got inside, it was packed with nicely restored trains from the Pennsylvania Railroad. Like the clock museum, each engine or car had been finely restored and had script that explained it`s past. Each engine appeared to be ‘numbers matching’!! After we had a chance to look at most of the trains, it was time to start on our way back home. John and Nancy had to leave early, but the remainder of us went to Ed`s Steak House in Bedford to enjoy the final meal of our trip. We then jumped on the turnpike to crank the Corvettes up for a final run home.
Special thanks to George Whipkey for a great, well planned, and thought out road tour. As a Junior member, George held my interest the entire trip! If you missed it, you missed a great one!
Pittsburgh Tri-State Picnic - 9/16/07
By: Don Geary
The day dawned bright and cool as we prepared for the annual picnic. This year we again held the picnic at Cedar Creek County Park just off I70 in Rostraver Township, Westmoreland County. We arrived at 11 AM and several members were already there setting up the table cloths and making coffee, and organizing stuff. We hung the Chapter banners and we were ready to eat, drink (soda) and be merry.
Thirty nine members had signed up for the picnic and only 2 couples couldn’t attend so we had a good variety of cars and plenty of food even without the caterer. Lunch was catered by Lora V’s and the food was good and filling. We had cars from 1955 to 2007, so it made quite an impressive showing as the pictures indicate.
Our thanks goes out to Paul DiSanto and John DeGregory for organizing and setting up the event and to George Whipkey for recommending the caterer. We all had a great time and it was good seeing some familiar faces that we haven’t seen for a while.
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