P.O.Box 896
Troy, MI 48099-0896
I. Introduction by Dave
Smith:
I
know it has been a while since I put out a more formal newsletter for the Club
and I apologize for this fact. Unfortunately, once this summer hit, time
became very tight for me with all of the activities that our short summer
brings for us here in Michigan. There seems to be something going on every
night and every weekend for sure. Because of my delay, Marc’s article about
Autorama may seem a bit stale given it is now July, but this is my fault and
not Marc’s fault as he submitted this article quite a while ago now.
On a very sad note, this year, we have lost two Club members, and it hurts. We
lost founding member Mark Tuck to cancer and we just recently lost Hank Rule
to a car accident where he was killed in his Mopar muscle car. Hank was a
fairly new member that I did not know very well, but I do know that he was
very active and had an extremely promising future here with the Club, but that
was not to be. If something can be learned from Hank’s passing it is that we
must always remember to be extra cautious in our cars. Just because you are
out having fun or driving in your cool muscle car does not mean you are immune
from the perils of driving a 35 to 40 year old car with ancient safety
restraints and other ancient safety technologies. Hank will be missed by
everyone in the Club, by his many close friends and by his loving family. All
of our hearts extend out to his family in this time of grieving.
What can be said about losing Mark Tuck? He was such a colorful character and
he was EVERYWHERE. Mark had such a sharp sense of humor and always made sure
we all kept in line, and he will be missed forever. Mark is buried in the
Roselawn Cemetery very near where he parked his car at the Woodward Dream
Cruise, so if you are down there, you can be rest assured that he is there
with you, both physically and spiritually. This year’s Woodward Dream Cruise
activities are being dedicated to Mark Tuck as this was his favorite event.
Mark was a friend of mine and a great friend of so many active members of this
club that it is really different not having him around anymore. We will never
forget his memory though.
II. The Woodward Dream Cruise
A. Comerica Bank Parking:
Thanks again to the efforts of Harold Sullivan, free parking will again be
available to Club members at the Comerica Bank parking lot, located on the
southbound (or west) side of Woodward Avenue, just north of 14 Mile Road.
North Oakland Mopar Muscle has again been given express permission by Comerica
Bank for the exclusive use of this parking lot. This branch will again be
closed on Saturday (this is what we have been told anyway and this is what
they did last year) and this will free up the parking spaces available in the
rear of the lot and under the drive-through window area.
The Bank will NOT be providing security guards this year so we have to secure
the lot ourselves staring about Friday night at 5:00 p.m. so that no
unauthorized parking occurs that night or very early Saturday morning. We will
again have Porta-Johns on site for your convenience. Woody Wadsworth will be
there as always (THANKS WOODY) to help secure the lot, but he could use some
help with this starting Friday night. If you would like to help please call
Woody at (586) 243-6344. In addition, we need people to help Woody clean up
the parking lot after the cruise is over that night and again on Sunday
morning.
If you want to park at the Bank, Woody recommends that interested members
arrive with their classic car very early Saturday morning to ensure a good
parking spot close to Woodward Avenue. If you arrive after this time, there
may be room for your car, but in a less advantageous position. Parking will be
supplied to Club members only, on a first-come first-serve basis. When you
arrive in the morning, Woody will give you a "parking pass" so that you can
come and go from the Bank throughout the day to actually cruise Woodward
Avenue.
We are going to fill the side street just north of the Comerica parking lot
before parking in the Bank's lot itself, and those members who are first to
arrive will fill this street and place a lawn chair in the bank parking lot so
that they get first pick of the bank spots. Therefore, you will be rotated
from the street to a sweet spot in the bank when we have enough members there
in the morning. Last year, we had extra parking spaces that were not filled by
NOMM members, so please check the Comerica location first before you attempt
to park somewhere else. Please contact Woody Wadsworth for all other issues
relating to parking at Comerica Bank during the Woodward Dream Cruise.
B. Comerica Bank Food:
The Club is again going to grill with Mike Mietkowski, Lee Smith and myself
handling most of the grilling. Debbie and Bev will be organizing the dishes to
pass and they have submitted instructions about the dishes to pass which is
posted below. Mike has again rented the giant stainless grill, and the main
course will be lean ground sirloin burgers, sweet Italian Sausage (with
sauteed onions and green peppers to put on them) and specially made "lean and
mean" hotdogs. The Club will provide all of the condiments and buns for the
above meats, but the side dishes are up to you to bring (see paragraph below
from Bev and Debbie)! As you know we are not going to have a picnic this year,
so lets turn this event into a picnic.
You must RSVP by either calling or preferably emailing Sam Bonanno to let us
know how many people will be in your party (Club members and family only). You
do not have to be parked at the Bank to eat at the Bank, but if you are eating
at the Bank, you must abide by the "dish to pass" instructions below.
Obviously if we had a bunch of folks from the Cemetery and/or 13 Mile Road
locations come up "empty handed" to the Bank to eat, we would quickly run out
of side dishes and that would not be fair to the people at the Bank who
brought side dishes.
Please note that the Club will most likely provide some water, but no other
beverages will be provided, so BYOB (bring your own beverages). Beer drinking
is discouraged, but if you have to have a beer, you must conceal it carefully.
I may try to bring some emergency water supplies for the very needy (and for
the Corporate Bank guests), but not for Club members because of the difficulty
of purchasing and keeping cold enough pop to quench everyone’s thirst. This
task can be handled much easier on an individual basis as it is much easier
for you to bring your favorite six pack of pop than for me to guess what
everyone wants and then to lug it to the event (and keep it cold). Sam can be
reached at
sbonanno@sbcglobal.net
or you can call him at (586) 739-2972, but I really prefer that you email him
if you can.
C.
Comerica Dishes to Pass:
NOMM Woodward Dream Cruise
Potluck Picnic:
For those joining us for lunch at the 14 Mile & Woodward Comerica Bank site,
the following are suggestions for dishes to pass (think "finger foods &
munchies"). Please contact Bev or Debbie with your contribution (so we don’t
have too many of one thing).
1. Appetizers:
chicken wings, cheese & crackers, meat & cheese cubes, ham roll-ups, chips,
pretzels, salsa dips, etc. We will need about 10 different items.
2. Vegetables: veggie
"trays" with raw vegetables. We will need about 5 trays.
3. Fruits: fruit
trays" with cut up fruits &/or small fruits such as peaches, plums, apples,
etc. We will need about 3-5 trays.
4. Side Dishes; such as baked beans, Italian pasta salads, taco salads, etc.
We will need about 2 of each dish.
5. Dessert: cookies,
carrot cake, apple cake, pies, small sheet cakes, etc. We will need about 10
different items.
General information:
1. Each tray or dish should serve approximately 10-15 people
2. If you can supply a folding table (2’x5’ approximately), it would be
appreciated
3. Lunch will be served around 1 p.m.
Remember: we each need to bring at least 1 bag of ice, which will keep your
own food cold & beverages of your choice.
D. Parking at the Cemetery:
Thanks again to the legacy of Mark Tuck and to the current efforts of big Mike
Pollock and officer Mike Garnett, we will have parking at the Cemetery which
extends about 510 feet and is located on the west side of Woodward Avenue and
runs north from about the bus stop. For the exact location please look for
some NOMM signage. We have been kindly given approximately 45 to 50 spots this
year at the Cemetery by the City of Berkley. Please contact Mike Pollock if
you want to park at the Cemetery as the available parking is quite a bit less
this year, and therefore, it will fill up quickly. You can contact Mike
Pollock by emailing him at
planetmooney@gmail.com
or by calling him (only if you do not have a computer) at 248-879-2996.
Starting at 1:00 pm on Friday afternoon, we need to start policing the area to
secure our parking rights as the general public can get a bit rowdy up there.
Mike has had some volunteers for this task but can always use some more people
to assist him. For your convenience, there will be two porta-johns at the
Cemetery for your use. As it stands right now, there will be no food service
at the Cemetery, so if you want the Club to feed you, you must come up to the
Comerica Bank, and you will have to bring a dish to pass because we would run
out of side dishes if too many empty handed folks from the Cemetery come up to
the Bank to eat. There is absolutely no alcohol of any kind allowed at the
Cemetery, and this policy will be strictly enforced and will surely cause you
to get ejected from this location.
E. The Official DaimlerChrysler Display:
Last, but certainly not least, Joe Trotta is again organizing the official
DaimlerChrysler Corporate display at the Northwood Shopping Center parking lot
located on the corner of 13 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue. The Silver Bullet
will be present again along with some members who have already made
arrangements to be present at this location. If you have any questions about
his location, or if you would like to participate in this location next year,
please contact Joe Trotta. Again, for the members located here, they can eat
at the Bank but they will have to bring a dish to pass as I mentioned earlier
in this Newsletter.
III. Car Show/Swap Meet
Information from Joe Trotta:
Well, another Car Show and Swap Meet has passed. As you know, this was our
alternative date as we got snowed out in April this year. First and foremost,
on behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I’d like to personally thank
everyone who helped make this another great event, including JoAnne Hoover for
everything she does at the show. Without all of your help, it would have never
been possible. We grossed approximately $8,000.00. We had approximately 150
show cars and sold approximately 150 swap spaces, both of which are a new
record, but our admissions gate (walk-ins) was a bit down most likely due to
summer vacations and other family commitments.
We will shoot for the last Sunday in April again next year, with a similar
July rain-out date if necessary. I still think it is a good idea to have the
primary date in April because we have always had much larger walk-in
attendance for this early date than we do for the date in July. Thanks again.
IV. 2005 Autorama by Marc
Milosevich:
I
would like to take this opportunity to say that we again had a great display
at the 2005 Detroit Autorama. We received only two awards this year. With the
level of competition, that changes each year, no one should be disappointed if
they did not place. I thought the display was exceptional with six great
Chargers. It was also a pleasant surprise to see so many Club members that
came by and visited with us. I would like to thank the Club members that
helped with the setup and dismantling of the display. There was also plenty of
help from the participants in the display. Special thanks goes out to Tom
Jiles, Jack VanWingerden and Woody Wadsworth. Without these three guys,
Autorama would not happen.
We are soon going to review our plans and intentions for next year's Autorama.
Looks like we are going to have an all cross-ram display, which may include
one or two display engines. I will keep everyone posted with progress for next
year. Thanks again to everyone for another fantastic show ! !
V. A Note of Thanks from
JoAnne Hoover:
I'd like to thank the guys who came over to me the morning of the show and
asked if I needed any help. They know who they were. Thanks to them! Also, I
would like to thank Claire McNair and Bonnie Krystopowicz, Joe Povilaitis, and
Theresa Wilson for the help they gave me at the show. A thank-you to our two
new 50-50 people; Evita Ede and Deb Ede. I could not have done this without
their help. Not only were they very helpful, but a lot of fun to be around. I
really like that. I hope I didn't leave anyone out. JoAnne Hoover
VI. A Note from Sam Bonanno about Club Merchandise:
If you are interested in purchasing club merchandise before the Dream Cruise,
please go to our web site, discussion page, members only area and select “Club
Merchandise”. Please note that I have moved and the address at the web site is
my old one. My new address is 5587 Pine Aires Drive, Sterling Heights, MI
48314. Please send you order and payment to my new Address. Tee Shirts, Sweat
Shirts, Hats, and Can Coolers will be available at the Dream Cruise. I will be
at the DaimlerChrysler Display at 13 mile and Woodward so stopped by and get
yours. We are currently out of Antenna Flags but we will try and have some
available at the Dream Cruise.
VII. Final Thoughts From
Dave:
I
would also like to thank everyone who helped out at our swap meet. Everyone
did a fantastic job and everyone knows who helped and who did not. I would
like to single out JoAnne and Al Hoover who every year handle the admittance
gate and who help organize the 50-50. These two do such a great job and have
done this for so many years now that I have no idea what I would do without
them. My hat is off to JoAnne and Al, again. Thanks. I would also like to
single out Robin Beyer who helped take care of the car show admissions gate
and Ted Mazurek who organized the car show judging. There was help from many
others, and I am not forgetting this fact, but the list would be very long and
I would feel badly if I left anyone out, so it suffices just to say THANKS to
everyone who participated and who helped us during our most important event of
the year.
Do not forget that we have our last date this year at Milan Dragway on
Saturday, September 24, 2005. Our last event was way under-attended by our
members and it cost us dearly (about 800.00 bucks out of our own pocket).
Everyone assumed that the weather was too suspect to travel to Milan, but as
it turned out the weather was fine over there, and subsequently, we ended up
with very few participants.
Club merchandise can be purchased from Sam Bonanno who does such a fine job
with this task and with helping me out on so many other things. Thanks Sam.
Please contact Sam if you want something or to request a list of our available
Club merchandise. See you all at the Woodward Dream Cruise and be safe.
Dave Smith