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May, 2006 |
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Hello again everyone! It’s been way too long since our last newsletter and the new season is already here. Hopefully, you’ve all had a chance to wake up your car(s) and get them ready for the fun to come. It’s going to be a good year with lots of events to attend….
This year’s Autorama marked the first organized Michigan Mopar Muscle display. To say the show was a tremendous success for the club would be a major understatement. The display was phenomenal. I was struck by the attention to detail, the signs, the TV cabinet and most importantly, the way our members represented our club. If there was ever an example on how to be friendly and open to all, it was at our display. The greatest part is, it came naturally to everyone there!
We had a total of twelve cars in the display for our first year. One new member was on his own (he joined just before Autorama) and another in the CEMA Display.
Judy Dowbenko - 1970 Challenger R/T Conv.
Lori & Mark Gerich - 1970 AAR 'Cuda
Myles Green - 1969 Super Bee
Jon Johnson - 1971 HEMI Roadrunner
Sue & Larry Lempicki - 1972 Challenger Rallye (Mr. Norm!)
Adele & Dave Miller - 1971 HEMI 'Cuda Conv.
Denise Myers - 1971 Challenger
Adele & Dave Ross - 1970 Challenger R/T
Terry Traynor - 1970 Superbird
Brian Veit - 1967 Charger
Roseanne & Garth VanCura - 1971 440-6 'Cuda
Laural & Mark Williamson - 1968 HEMI Roadrunner
& Separately:
Alan Kalter - '55 Chrysler C300 (Private Display)
Marc Rozman – 1969 Dodge Charger R/T SE (CEMA Display)
Laural & Mark Williamson’s ’68 Hemi Roadrunner in its debut appearance! Also, Roseanne & Garth VanCura’s 1971 ‘Cuda and Adele & Dave Ross’ 1970 Challenger R/T.
Of course, we had some award winners at the show. If you’ve ever been to the Autorama, you know what the competition is like. The show floor is packed with immaculate, high dollar cars. The folks below should feel very proud to have been recognized in such a prestigious event. Congratulations to:
Jon Johnson - 1971 HEMI Roadrunner - 1st Place 71-72 Restored
Alan Kalter - 1955 Chrysler C300 – 2nd Place Mild Hardtop
Terry Traynor - 1970 Superbird - 2nd Place Altered Restored 67 & Later
Roseanne & Garth VanCura - 1971 440-6 'Cuda - 2nd Place 71-72 Restored
Alan Kalter’s 1955 Chrysler C300
Jon Johnson’s 1971 Hemi Roadrunner
Special mention goes to Donna and Ken Koenig for their help during set-up, teardown, printing the flyers and everything in between. The club would also like to give warm thanks to Barb Marshall (now a member) who printed our banners - for FREE! Brian Veit for designing the info plaques and flyers and building the TV cabinet (and various other things)! Warren Myers for designing the display and coordinating everything with the Autorama officials. He did an outstanding job. Our display was 1st class and it couldn't have been pulled off without him! Lastly, thanks to the families of the participants. This event took a large investment of time and resources that couldn’t have happened without them. The team effort really paid off because Michigan Mopar Muscle won 2nd place for Best Club Display!
See full photo coverage on the web site: www.michiganmoparmuscle.com
Everyone involved should be as proud of their efforts as we are of them!
On April 2nd, we help our annual renewal party at Hector and Jimmy’s in Downtown Milford. This was our first event at this restaurant and it all went pretty well. We had several new members show up for their first introduction to our club (I hope we didn’t scare them off)! For the most part, we only covered what we have planned for the year and what’s coming up, most of which is covered below…
Some events you may want to plan for in the next couple months…
-May 29th the Classic Legends Car Club in Brighton is having its 16th Annual Memorial Day Car Show at Brighton High School. This is usually a big event with lots of nice cars and fun for the whole family. They even have a club participation award… HINT!
-The Chrysler Employee Motorsports Association (CEMA) is having their show on June 10th this year at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills. Since the show is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Charger, turnout is expected to be HUGE. Our good friends at CEMA have already told us that drive up registration will most likely be sold out, so please pre-register if you want to join the 35-40 of us who already have.
-The same day as CEMA, Southern Motors has invited all of us to their open house to celebrate the Grand Opening of their new showroom. They are located @ 6605 Dixie Highway (just North of Sashabaw Rd.). They will have free pizza and refreshments from 10:00AM to 4:00PM. It would be a great way to finish the day and it’s close to the W.P. Chrysler Museum.
-On Father’s Day, June 18th, the EyesOn Design Show will be held at the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores. This show is really more of a design exhibition that showcases particular vehicles. Participation is by invitation only. This event should be particularly interesting because we have members that have been invited to display their cars: Roseanne and Garth VanCura (’71 ‘Cuda), Jackie & Stephen Hough (’69 Super Bee) and Adrienne & Bob Stewart (’71 Super Bee). Spectators are more than welcome and proceeds will benefit the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology.
-July 4th, we will try to once again have a party at Cresent Lake. Leeroy will host as usual. Detail will be available soon.
-The Woodward Dream Cruise will be interesting this year. I recently learned that the City of Berkley has decided to sell more parking spots along the cemetery. This leaves our club and 2 other clubs (Cruisers for Christ & Michigan Hot Rod) without a place to park. North Oakland Mopar Muscle will retain their original area at the south end of the cemetery. Berkley might sell to us in blocks, but we have not gotten final word from them yet. We are currently in the process of seeking alternatives in Pontiac or Birmingham. We’ll keep you posted on what happens.
-Our Mopars at the Hills Show date has been moved to August 26th (the week after the Dream Cruise) to allow us more time for advertising & promotion. We need volunteers to help with logistics, gate admissions, registrations, etc. If you can help, please contact Donna for the sign-up form.
Keep an eye on your e-mail for last minute gatherings. Sometimes we get invited to special events and the best way to keep everyone informed is through e-mail.
Member Spotlight
This newsletter, we wanted to introduce you to Jo Ann & Chris McCullum. The couple from Ypsilanti has been in our club since 2004. Given the distance they live from most of our club activities, you wouldn’t expect to see them much. Not so. They consistently make the drive (in their Roadrunner) to most club functions! They are the nicest people you could ever want to meet and are a truly classy addition to our club. Here is their story in their words:
“When I was 17 (it was a very good year), on my way to school I spotted (2) 1973 Roadrunners, both yellow w/ black stripe, both owned by the same family. My heart began to beat faster and all I could think of was that I've got to get one of those cars. Ever since then, I would see the car of my dreams (as if the car itself knew I would make a good owner). After owning a ‘73 Satellite, and a ‘74 Roadrunner, at the age of 21, I bought the ‘73 Roadrunner I currently own. Since then Mopar has been in my blood. In 92, I meet a special young lady who is now my wife, Jo Ann. I knew there was something special about her. I found out among many things that she was a Mopar child. Well, I'll just let her tell her story…”
“Hello everyone, my name is Jo Ann. Yes, it is true I am a Mopar child. My father worked at Chrysler since I was a young child. He loved to work on cars, and taught me many things about them. The best car we had when I was young was a Javelin. The car is no longer in our family, but my dad still asks me if I remember the Javelin. The only problem growing up a Mopar girl is that no other kind of car excites me. So if I can't have a Mopar then there is no car.”
“Presently Chris and I have a 1973 Roadrunner and a 1971 Dodge Charger SE. The Roadrunner is heavily modified: 440-6 w/ Indy heads, built 727, 3.91 Detroit locker 8 3/4 rear. The Charger is an original 440 car with every option including the sunroof and A45 front & rear spoilers. We are currently restoring it. Chris is a remodeling contractor, and I am a homemaker, and we have a chocolate lab, which is basically our child.”
Jo Ann & Chris at our Mopars at the Hills Show
The McCullum’s 1973 Roadrunner
Their ’71 Charger SE.
Please check the membership roster that was e-mailed recently for accuracy. If there is anything to correct, contact me ASAP. Also, please notify me if you move or get a new phone number or buy a new car so I can update the roster. Lastly, if you haven’t been getting e-mail from us, you must let us know and check your spam filter (especially hotmail and netzero accounts). We don’t want anybody left out of the loop.
If you want to have pictures of yourself and / or your car on the web site, all you have to do is contact Donna Koenig (ChargerNut@MichiganMoparMuscle.com) with pictures and info. She’ll put them up as soon as she can.
Please be sure to visit www.michiganmoparmuscle.com for events, information, and photos. As always, special thanks to Donna Koenig for keeping the web site running and up to date!
Polo shirts will soon be made available through the web-site. If you’ve been wanting a club shirt you can wear to work or the golf course, these will be perfect. The club logo is embroidered on the left breast and there are LOTS of colors to choose from. Details will be sent to everyone when all the specifics are done.
We still have t-shirts and hats available to anyone who needs one. They can be ordered here: http://www.michiganmoparmuscle.com/Html/Merchandise.htm
For those of you who enjoy trying to keep up with “what’s Leeroy driving this week”… I have some important news for you. It appears our beloved President has found his dream car and he swears he will never sell it. Yep, you heard right… Leeroy will not sell this car! The ride of his dreams is a 1969 AMC S/C Rambler. This is such earth-shattering news that I felt it only right to share this beauty with you. Check it out…
Now let the betting begin!
May 29, 2006 – Classic Legends Car Club 16th Annual Memorial Day Car Show
@ Brighton High School – 7878 Brighton Road
June 3, 2006 – Classic cars for Cancer Auto Show to benefit Breast Cancer 3 Day
257 Ladd Rd, Walled Lake, MI - Contact Brian (248) 347-6647
June 8, 2006 – Cruise in at Walter P. Chrysler Museum. Details coming…
June 10, 2006 - 17th CEMA Car Show celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Dodge
Charger on the grounds of the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills
Visit www.cemaclub.org for info.
June 10, 2006 – Open House @ Southern Motors, 6605 Dixie Highway (N. of Sashabaw)
June 18, 2006 – EyesOn Design @ The Edsel & Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe
Shores, MI Visit www.eyeson.org for info.
June 22-24, 2006 – 31st Annual St. Ignace Car Show, Cruise, and Swap Meet
Visit www.nostalgia-prod.com for info
June 24, 2006 – 7th Annual Downriver Cruise. Visit www.cruisindownriver.com for info.
June 26, 2006 – Orchard Lake Cruise 11:00AM – 6:00PM – Details coming for club
Parking, Visit www.orchardlakeroadcruise.com for info
June 29, 2006 – Cruise in at Walter P. Chrysler Museum. Details coming
July7-9, 2006 – Carlisle All-Chrysler Nationals in Carlisle, PA
Visit http://www.carsatcarlisle.com/schedule/chrysler/index.asp for info.
July 22, 2006 – 18th Annual Mopars at the Red Barns in Hickory Corners, MI
Visit www.gilmorecarmuseum.org for info.
July 29, 2006 – Telegraph Cruise. Visit www.cruzintelegraph.com for info.
August 5, 2006 – Helluvacruise Cruise to Hell, MI Visit www.helluvacruise.com for info.
August 6, 2006 – Clinton Township Gratiot Cruise – Club parking details pending
Visit www.clintontownshipgratiotcruise.com for info
August 6, 2006 – 28th Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance on Campus of Oakland Univ.
Visit www.meadowbrookconcours.org for info.
August 11-13, 2006 – Mopar Nationals at National Trails Raceway, Columbus, OH
Visit www.moparnats.net for info.
August 19, 2006 – 12th Annual Woodward Dream Cruise. Club parking details pending.
Visit www.woodwarddreamcruise.com for info.
August 19-20, 2006 – Moparfest 2006 in New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada
Visit www.moparfest.com for info.
August 26, 2006 – 3rd Annual Mopars at the Hills show at the Waterford Raceway
Visit www.michiganmoparmuscle.com for info!
September 8-10, 2006 11 – Country Street Machines’ Frankenmuth Auto Fest,
Frankenmuth, MI Visit www.frankenmuthautofest.com for info.
September 17, 2006 – Milford Car Show in Historic Downtown Milford
October 1, 2006 – Independence Oaks County Park Fall Classic Car Show in Clarkston