2024 Trophy Winners Sue & Randy Mays














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July 12th
Venue: Indian Fields Tavern
9220 John Tyler Memorial Hwy
Charles City, VA 23030
Arrival time: 11:00am
Presentation: 11:15am Unique presentation by Bill in the parking lot.
(You won't want to miss this.)
Seating: 11:30am
Food: Order from the menu
RSVP by: Wednesday, July 2
RSVP to: Steven Wigley
August 16th
Ford’s Garage
11275 W. Broad Street Short Pump
Hosted by Linda Twilley & Len Alexander
More info coming soon...
June AACA Car Show @ St. Joseph's Villa
New Retro Thophy
George Lake & Fred Schmoyer
The Original Miles Driven Trophy
for the Classics
Retro Trophy Winners
miles
2024 Sue & Randy Mays 796
Footnote: President's Message page is a "throw-back" to the original T-Bird Times newsletter.
MILES DRIVEN AWARD
Trophy Award History
The idea for a ”most miles driven” trophy began back in 2006. Then VCTC President, Fred Schmoyer thought it would be fun to have a friendly competition to promote driving of our classics. Our trophy was designed and crafted by club members George Lake and Fred Schmoyer.
Mileage is tracked for Classic Tbirds driven to club events simply by noting the mileage from member’s home to the club meeting location using Google Maps. The noted mileage is doubled to create a round-trip total and then tabulated. The club member who travels the most miles for the year has their name placed on the trophy and is awarded The Trophy for a year.
In 2023 CTCI membership voted to include the "Modern Classic" Retro-Birds. In accordance, VCTC also includes Retro-Bird ownership. (VCTC has always welcomed Retro-Bird owners into the club.) In the latter months of 2023, VCTC membership voted to include a 'Miles Driven' competition for those driving Retros. George Lake and Fred Schmoyer were then 'commissioned' to build a new Trophy to recognize the 'Most Miles Driven' winner of the Retro Division.
The new trophy was exhibited at the November VCTC meeting. Mileage tabulation began in January, with a winner to be declared for the year 2024.
CURRENT TROPHY HOLDERS
Some of you may be thinking about hosting a club event but are hesitant because you haven’t done it before or have concerns about organizing it. If that’s the case, no worries…it’s relatively easy to plan, there are no hard-and-fast requirements, and other club members will answer questions, provide advice, or help you plan. There are a few considerations to make things go smoothly and create the environment for an enjoyable social experience for club members.
Usually, plan for guests to arrive by 11:30 with things kicking off at 12:00. It’s best if there is a dedicated/designated parking area for those driving classic and retro TBirds. If meeting at a restaurant, the business management can often help identify and reserve a suitable area. When weather cooperates, we can have 10 or more classics at the event. Hosts should plan to arrive a bit early to confirm plans with the restaurant and direct parking.
For planning, usually 20-40 members attend our monthly events. The host will be required to provide the basic details such as who, what, where, when, and RSVP information to the club secretary for posting to the club web site. The club secretary will then post and send event notice to all members. This notification needs to be posted as soon as details are available. Ideally, the meeting would be held in a room large enough to seat everyone comfortably. If in a restaurant, it’s best (though not required) if the area is separated in some way from other customers to facilitate group discussion and business.
Since the pandemic some venues have started charging a room or service fee. In this case, VCTC will provide hosts with up to $150.00 to offset the cost of these room/service fees. These funds cannot be used for alcoholic beverages.
Options for lunch can vary depending on the venue. Regardless of choice, hosts should talk to restaurant management to inform them of the overall plan and coordinate necessary details. Ordering and paying individually from the standard menu is one option. If going this route, it’s best to coordinate with restaurant management to make ordering and serving go smoothly without excessive delay. Selecting menu items in advance or catering a buffet line is another possibility. Another option depending on the venue is to determine/provide the main course and have attendees contribute to the meal by bringing a dish to share. Generally, try to keep costs for lunch about $25 per person. Meeting hosts can collect lunch fees from guests as they arrive or guests can pay checks individually after lunch, depending on which option was used.
At the meeting site, you can expect the club President to discuss the plan and manage timing to briefly conduct VCTC business and make any pertinent announcements prior to serving lunch. This business generally takes less than 15 minutes. When complete, lunch is served and expect the rest of the day to go smoothly as the servers do their thing and attendees can continue mixing, meeting and eating.
As an after-lunch option, consider if there are additional activities available at or near the meeting location which can be visited following lunch. While not required, this can provide opportunities for attendees to visit places they otherwise would not have known about. Previous examples include wineries, car/tractor museums, botanical gardens, and various historic sites. These can be set up as group activities or merely offered as information for those who might want to check it out.
Please consider if you have a great restaurant or unique idea for hosting an upcoming event. We are always looking for new places we haven’t visited before.
TIPS FOR HOSTING AN EVENT
** Tips for Hosting **
See Below President's Message
Classic Thunderbird Club International Chapter #36
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
RECENT PHOTOS
PHOTOS
ARCHIVED PHOTOS
PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
TREASURER
Stan Hostetler
Patsy Gregory
Eric Best
SECRETARY
ACTIVITIES
CHAPLAINS
Bill Brown
Linda Twilley
Brenda Morrison / Carrie Hillman
EVENTS CALENDAR
The Davidson's April 2009
The Most Tbirds at a Club Event 20 Classics & 4 Retros
Thunderbird Appreciation Day 2019
Chesterfield
November 2020
www.vaclassictbirdclub.com
Photo taken at Graves Mt. Lodge Syria, VA 2008
CLUB EVENTS
OTHER EVENTS
Note: Click on photos to enlarge and see more.
PAST AWARD WINNERS
2007 Alice & Russ Dolbear
2008 Alice & Russ Dolbear
2009 Linda & Bill Brown
2010 Linda & Bill Brown
2011 Peg & Gene Marianetti
2012 Sue & Steve Patterson
2013 Nancy & Fred Schmoyer
2014 Carrie & Lynn Hillman
2015 Nancy & Fred Schmoyer
2016 Linda & Bill Brown
2017 Peg & Gene Marianetti
2018 Paula & Eric Best
2019 Lee & Stan Hostetler
2020 Defered - pandemic2021 Linda & Bill Brown 510
2022 Lee & Stan Hostetler 786
2023 Lee & Stan Hostetler 748
2024 Paula & Eric Best 761
Dedicated to the enjoyment, restoration, and preservation of the Classic Thunderbirds
All 'two-seater' Ford Thunderbirds
miles
1252
1050
2064
1222
1346
1276
1116
1068
946
1300
1030
1112
1126
Bill Brown & Stan Hostetler
Bill is a multiple winner (4 times)
and has the highest mileage total!
If you are interested in hosting a monthly club meeting, contact Activities Coordinator, Linda Twilley
President’s Message June 2025
I know that Summer has arrived when our club gathers and participates in the Richmond Region AACA Car Show at St. Joseph’s Villa. The RR-AACA always has a great car show and they always change things up a bit to keep it ‘fresh’. This year’s show featured “Rolling Sculptures”; those cars made in the 30s and 40s with “bold expressive forms and aesthetic innovation”. * Although our club is endeared to the Classic lines and form that says ‘Thunderbird’, these other cars are impressive and admirable. I guess we can’t always be the center of attention.
VCTC had a modest showing of Tbirds on the show field that still attracted lots of admirers. It was partly cloudy, hot and humid. There were open spaces that were reserved for more ‘Birds, but I think the threat of afternoon showers/storms kept some at home. We had 9 members in attendance. Although the numbers were a bit small, I think all in attendance had an enjoyable time. We were also glad to see past-members Donna & Jon Hatfield showing a great-looking ’36 Packard that was one of the feature cars.
We had 5 Classics driven by Carl Claus, Bill & Linda Brown, Alan Judy, Eric Best, and myself. Patsy Gregory drove her Retro and George Siecko his ’62 Tbird. There was also a really nice ’65 Tbird driven by a potential future club member. The award winners were Eric- 1st Place, Bill & Linda- 2nd Place, and Carl- 3rd Place. Patsy brought home 1st Place in the Late model category. Congrats to all the winners!
Next month our monthly event will be July 12th at Indian Fields Tavern in Charles City, hosted by the Wigleys. More information will be sent out via email and posted on the website.
There is still time to register to attend the CTCI Joint Convention in Grapevine, TX on September 9-13. This is the first time the convention will be held in conjunction with the Vintage Thunderbird Club International.
That’s it for now. Get your Thunderbirds out and enjoy Summer cruising and car shows!
Remember: “Take care of your Tbirds… and each other!”
Stan Hostetler
SAVE THE FOLLOWING DATES!
"Trophy Love"
Nancy Schmoyer
George Lake
2024 Trophy Winners Paula & Eric
** Please note **
3 Items on the "Classifieds" page under "More" Tab
1st Award Winner
Russ Dolbear & Fred Schmoyer
Tribute Photo Album of Russ Dolbear 1950 - 2023
Please send all correspondence to:
VCTC officer's emails will be forwarded to the designated individual