Retro Trophy Winners

                                                                 miles 

2024 Sue & Randy Mays                          796

2025 Sue & Randy Mays                          802

Randy Mays & Eric Best

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February 21st 

Riptide's Seafood Restaurant

11212 Iron Bridge Rd.

Chester, Va  23831

Hosted by Ronnie & Peggy Helms and Patsy Gregory

We will be ordering off the Menu. Separate checks and gratuity will be included. Check out menu at www.riptidesseafood.com. Dessert will be provided. Arrive @ 11:30 a.m

Please RSVP by February 16th to confirm you will be attending to
Patsy Gregory or Peggy Helms.

March 21st 

The Fat Tuna

1433 Richmond Rd.

Williamsburg, Va 

Hosted by George Siecko

More info to come...

June 13th

AACA Car Show

St. Joseph's Villa

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

Carl Claus

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

2025     Paula & Eric Best                     992

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                                                                                        January 2026

      Happy New Year everyone!

      What a great way to start off the year with a great gathering of Tbird friends in Mechanicsville at Patsy’s home.  There were 35 members present to enjoy a Christmas encore and to admire Christmas trees of all sizes and in every room of her house, including the bathroom and the garage. There was no lack of Christmas Spirit in the first weekend of January.  Patsy provided three types of soups, a variety of sandwiches and many delicious desserts.  I think everyone had plenty to eat.  Thanks Patsy!

      Saturday started out cold (sub-freezing) with a forecast of possible rain by mid-day, so the Classics remained home. (Fooled again! The roads were clear and dry.)  We were happy to see that 6 Retros brought their owners to the luncheon.  We had a good crowd that included some faces that we hadn’t seen for a while. I think it is always better to be able to mingle and share time with our Tbird Brethren in someone’s home as opposed to in a restaurant. Thanks again Patsy for sharing the Christmas Spirit with us in your beautiful home.

      There was a bit of business as the winners of the ‘Most Miles Driven’ trophies were presented to Eric Best in the Classic category and to Randy Mays in the Retro category. The trophy presentation was done by outgoing Secretary Bill Brown in his last official duty.  Thanks Bill, for your willingness to go beyond expectations to make VCTC such a fun club for all members to enjoy.  Don’t go far Bill, your extensive Tbird knowledge will be revisited in the years to come, and we will ‘bend your ear’ on occasion.

      As of this writing, there is nothing scheduled for our February meeting. While socializing before and after lunch, I did have conversations with a few members and talked about some of our previous meeting locations, and we could possibly make a return visit.  It is a little more challenging to plan something this time of year with weather uncertainty, but I’m confident something can and will be arranged.  Keep an eye on your email in-box for future updates.

      My New Year’s resolution: Drive the Tbird MORE!

      I wish Health, Happiness, and Prosperity to all in the coming New Year.

      Remember:  “Take care of your Tbirds… and each other!”

      Stan Hostetler

2025 Trophy Winners 

"Trophy Love"

Nancy Schmoyer

George Lake

New Retro Thophy

George Lake & Fred Schmoyer

The Original Miles Driven Trophy 

for the Classics

1st Award Winner

Russ Dolbear & Fred Schmoyer

Tribute Photo Album of Russ Dolbear    1950 - 2023

Please send all correspondence to:

Vaclassictbirdclub@gmail.com

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