July 2003, Volume 6, Issue 6

General Meeting - July 1st, 2003
The meeting was called to order by President Theo Bechtel at 7:13pm.

Guests:
Prentiss Floyd drives a black 2001 WS6 Trans Am. This is the gentleman our Club met on their way to Moaning Caverns last month. He was looking for that 'other club' he thought to be in the same vicinity. This is the guy that Leo lovingly calls P-Ditty.

Our other guests were Jaime Perez and his wife Carmen. He drives a black 1998 Trans Am. He saw our gathering at Levitz, checked out our Web Site, decided to check us out personally and joined the Club.

Welcome to all of you!

Frank made the motion to accept the minutes as printed in the Trans Script, Dennis seconded, motion carried.

Treasurer's report was given by J.O!

Old Business: Past Events;

Keith said he had received enough money last month for our Club to join the Towe Ford Museum. On behalf of the Club he did go down and we are now members. This gives our members free admission to the museum when we go there. Just show your membership card. Only exception is holidays or if they are having a special event and then there will be a charge. Some time in the future we will be able to display our cars if we want to. It is right by the front door and room for six or seven. Only draw back is the fact that they must stay there for a month?

Drag Night:
Terry was thrown off the track. She has a convertible and ran a 13.70 which the judges say is too fast. She says she tried real hard to watch her speed, she even turned on the air conditioner to no avail. Anything faster than a 13.2999 in a convertible requires a roll bar for safety reasons. But that's okay, Dennis got kicked off the track for an oil leak. At least it's all in the family. One of the hot cars at the track belongs to our member, Rick Newman, from Stockton. He has a 2001 black TA and ran a 12.98 which equals 107 mph.

For the new members and guests, Dave explained the Top Gun award that is presented at the Christmas Dinner for the highest ranking during the Firebird / Trans Am races.

This also includes the Mopar vs. Pontiac night and is based on the fastest ET. The Mopar vs. Pontiac is set for July 23rd at the Sacramento Race Way. This will be the last drags of the season for the Club.

They do have a dress code if you are going to drive: no shorts or tank tops. You may have a T-shirt but you must have long pants and shoes. If you want to wear shorts, bring a pair of sweats or something you can put over them while you are driving. The track set up is: The staging line feeds into nine lanes feeding into the racing lanes.

May 24th & 25th - "Hellgate Excursion" in Grant Pass, Oregon.

June 5th - "Nifty 50's Cool June Classic Car Display."

June 13th - "Crawdad Festival."

June 14th - "Fulton Car Fest."

June 22nd - "Bowling / Ice Cream Social."
These events were covered very well by Leo in the June issue of the Trans Script.

June 28th - Roaring Camp:
We had four Trans Ams, a mini van, GMC truck, a Ford Explorer, and a "very slow up the hill" green, 4 gerbil, Chevy S10. There just ain't no way an S10 is going to keep up with a Trans Am but someone needs to keep the club's speed legal!

We were a little late getting up to Roaring Camp but we all made it in time for dinner. The direct way to the river is straight down, about a mile. However, to get to that mile, you have to drive about six miles down a very steep and narrow road in a truck with side boards - seating is on both sides and a long bench seat in the middle.

That wouldn't have been so bad except for one thing !!! Our driver must have been about 85 years old and didn't seem to handle the gears and the brakes too well. But we did arrive safe and around at the bottom and had a very good time. Some just sat around and enjoyed the scenery and some took to gold panning. The Brown boys did pretty good. They found at least one nugget that was supposed to be worth about $50 according to the locals. We had a very nice "camp out" dinner of steaks, country fried potatoes, salad and rolls.

It was much easier coming up back up the hill. We moved a bit faster. However, we almost lost Tony, Ted Klein and Leo. They were sitting on the three positions across the back of the truck. Every time the driver would give it a little more gas or try to shift into a higher gear, they all slid backwards. It's a good thing there was a chain across the back of the truck or they would have been walking. The trip up and down was quite an adventure, especially for those who happened to be sitting on the side that drops off down the hill.

J.J. really came prepared for this 'out door adventure'. He was all dressed in a camouflage outfit with the net over his face and his back pack. Going back up the hill, one of the Brown boys lost an earring backing and we really needed a flashlight. Sooooo, out of J.J.'s back pack came: bottled water, survival knife, an all-in-one pliers set, night vision goggles, freeze dried food packs and a flash light. Ted said J.J. could have fallen off the truck and still lived up there for a month. He really came prepared.

New Business:

July 5th - Jim Boy's Taco Car Show in Rocklin:
No particular time or place to meet, just show up and have fun.

July 18th, 19th & 20th: Trans A Rama:
There will be a caravan from the Rocklin Park Hotel to Jasper's on Friday evening. Car show at Reliable Pontiac on Saturday, a dinner on Saturday night and brunch on Sunday. Raffles will be held at all events.

July 23rd - Pontiac vs. Mopar night at the drags:
If you want to drive, be there by 5pm.

July 26th - Gilroy Garlic Festival:
Meet at K-Mart parking lot at 8:00 am. Sunrise and Coloma in Rancho Cordova.

August events will be discussed at the August meeting. There will be a Trans A Rama committee meeting on July 13th at Jerry's Paints, on the corner of Fulton and Edison at 2pm.

It was suggested that we send flowers or a plant to C.C. She is back in the hospital with an infection.

With no further business, Frank moved to adjourn. The motion carried.

Respectfully submitted, Irene Raff, Secretary.

The Starting Line.
Why is our club still around after almost twenty-five years? Our club is one of a few remaining original chapters of the Trans Am Club of America, created by Pontiac back in the late seventies! As a member of this club, I have had the chance to observe and participate in what makes this club different! It can only be attributed to one thing...the people!

I know that some of you are probably getting tired of me writing about the same thing every month but it is just because I can't say enough good things about all of you! Most clubs only last a few years before egos and personal feelings start getting in the way of what is best for the club. A few years ago our club almost fell victim to this also but through the efforts of the remaining people, which included the original charter members of our club, it was like the firebird, reborn from the ashes! And in my opinion, better than it had been before because we tried to correct what had been done wrong.

The people that I feel are among the biggest assets to our club are the Raffs! J.O. and Irene both selflessly dedicate their time and energy to this club and I sincerely doubt that this club would have lasted as long as it has without them!

J.O. for example, with the exception of two years, has been the club treasurer! This year when we needed a new transcript editor, it was the Raffs that stepped up to bat! It is the Raffs that organize the raffles at Trans A Rama. They are also responsible for having kept track of all the entries and mailing out confirmation letters. It was J.O., who at the first Trans A Rama in Reno that I attended, spent the day cooking while members of the club got to sit around and enjoy the car show! It was at this point that I realized that this was a man that I wanted to get to know better so I spent the day trying to help him, although I probably just got in his way!

I have never seen J.O. or Irene show any kind of ego trip about all they do for the club and this is the kind of selflessness that it takes to keep a club going strong! And so to all of you, I would like to say, if you have not yet had the pleasure to meet J.O. and Irene, please take a moment to say hi and thank you! I am sure they would enjoy knowing that we appreciate all of their effort!

Until next month, TED BECHTEL, President
(Unsolicited Testimonial - Editor ).