I cannot believe it: the year is coming to a close. It has been a great year for the Carolinas Chapter and an enjoyable one for all those that participated in our events.
In September we had a successful fall judging event at Wilkesboro. Unfortunately, the planned road tour was cancelled because of the threat of rain. There were nine cars entered—five for Flight judging, one Bowtie display, and four Sportsman. The meet was capped off by the annual membership meeting and election of officers for 2019. Your new officers are Chairman – Bob Kinstrey, Vice Chairman – Chip Drennan, Judging Chairman – Fred Jenkins, Treasurer – Louis Kolb, and Secretary – Steve Heck.
Later in September several members of the chapter were present at the Altoona Regional; see more about that inside this issue.
In October the club had a major presence at the Bloomington Gold and Queen City charity show at Rick Hendrick’s facility in Charlotte. Club members had cars displayed and judged, participated as Bloomington judges, and overall had fun.
November 10 will be a social at Paul Meyers’ to show off his barn find and give the club members who attend an opportunity to see an unrestored 1962 Corvette first hand.
The annual Christmas Party, Saturday, December 1,will be at Janet and Harold Kennedy’s farm in Gray Court, SC. This year the club will be providing the food. During the afternoon, we are going to have a short road tour to fulfill the last requirement for Top Flight Chapter, so everyone drive your Corvettes to the party and participate in a leisurely drive around Gray Court. This is also our children’s charity event, so please bring an unwrapped toy.
The February 2019 judging event is to be held in Wake Forest, NC, at Capital Chevrolet’s new dealership. The Hampton Inn will be the host hotel with a discounted rate. This is an opportunity for all those members who reside in eastern North Carolina to have an event close by. It is also an opportunity to re-engage in club activities if you haven’t participated lately, and if needed, have a car judged before the convention.
The club is in the process of planning events throughout 2019. Of course The Really Big Event is the National Convention in Greenville, July 14-18. We are looking at a picnic in August; current thinking is in the Winston-Salem area. The fall event will again be held in Wilkesboro, Sept 27 and 28.
The chapter is in need of places to hold technical sessions and topics for judging schools as well as ideas for social events. So if you have any suggestions please pass them onto the BOD.
Plans for the National Convention are progressing. A meeting was held October 24 with the national officers to review plans. They were impressed with our planning. The crucial thing that will make or break the event is people. WE NEED VOLUNTEERS! If your schedule allows, please plan on arriving on Saturday, July 13, so you can help with the final arrangements. If you can arrive early, please let me know. Even if you cannot stay the entire week, there are many jobs that are short term, especially the weekend of July 12-13.
I would like to thank Bob and Sarah Puls for their contributions as officers during 2018. Bob and Sarah are planning to move to Florida to be closer to help an aging parent. Thank you for your help and I hope to see you both at future club events; you won’t be that far away.
I also thank everyone who participated in this year’s events and look forward to seeing you at 2019 events. Your participation is what makes this club great.