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.

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.

PRESIDENT          

VICE PRESIDENT   

TREASURER 

Stan Hostetler

Patsy Gregory

Eric Best

SECRETARY

ACTIVITIES 

CHAPLAINS

Bill Brown

Linda Twilley

Brenda Morrison / Carrie Hillman

The Davidson's  April 2009

The Most Tbirds at a Club Event  20 Classics & 4 Retros

Thunderbird Appreciation Day 2019

Chesterfield

November 2020

Photo taken at Graves Mt. Lodge  Syria, VA  2008

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

"Trophy Love"

Nancy Schmoyer

George Lake

2024 Trophy Winners Paula & Eric

1st Award Winner

Russ Dolbear & Fred Schmoyer

Tribute Photo Album of Russ Dolbear    1950 - 2023

Please send all correspondence to:

TbirdInfo@vaclassictbirdclub.com

VCTC officer's emails will be forwarded to the designated individual