May 2005, Volume 8, Issue 5


General Meeting - May 3, 2005

The meeting was called to order at 7:15 pm by Sgt. At Arms, J.J. Apilado and President Keith Thorson was introduced.

Guests:
John James, a Docent at the Towe Auto Museum since 1998, Jane McCurry, representing the NORCAL GTO Club and Loren Allen, owner of a 2002 Firebird were present and introduced themselves.


Old Business:
Leo reported or referred reports on the past events.

Cool April Nights, 4/6/05:
Terry reported for Cool April Nights, April 6-9. She and Dennis attended an event of approximately 2,000 cars. People were watching the Cruise on Friday night although it was raining. Saturday was beautiful but the grass was wet and other areas were muddy but it was a great show.


Movie / Bowling, 4/10/05:
Unattended.


Budweiser / Jelly Belly Trip, 4/23/05:
Julie reported that was good fun and a neat experience, especially since she got carded at Budweiser. The Vacaville Outlets and the horseback ride were Fun. Kevin reported that he enjoyed his first run, especially the dancing robots. He learned that candy takes longer to make than beer. He and Laurah received the Honorary Brew Master Award. It seems that Leo was tardy for the trip because he was conducting some business with a CHP officer (?).

Towe Auto Museum:
Keith reported on the retrieval of our cars from the museum on April 30th. He drove 4 of the 6 cars out. The items from the display case have not yet been distributed to their owners. John James, representing the Towe Museum, thanked the Club for participating. He briefed us on the availability for the Towe for events such as parties, group meetings, dinners, displays. The Towe would like the Club to sponsor a Club Wall Banner or Poster (Digital Logo and Posters) are available from Steve Young. The laminated poster would cost $98.00 plus a $100.00 donation to the Towe. We were invited to make use of the Flyer Table).

New Business:
Jane McCurry invited the Club to participate in an all Pontiac Show that the NORCAL GTO Club will be hosting August 9, 2005. A dash plaque and T-Shirt will be included in the goodie bag. Leo is aware of the event.

California Burger Show & Shine, 5/14/05:
Keith reported that Outback Steakhouse is sponsoring a $45.00 prize. California Burger provided a 10% discount last year and is expected to do so again. The show is planned as a Club get-together but flyers will be distributed for other Firebirds. There will be raffle prizes. Members are requested to bring a raffle prize.

Upcoming Events:
Leo reported that the events are in the Trans Script, however:

Santa Cruz Beach / Boardwalk, 5/07/05:
Rides are $15.00, Beach is available, parking is $10.00 all day. Leo will call and a sign-up was passed around.

Jimboy's / California Burger, 5/14/05:

Thunder in Depot Park, 5/24/05:

Jimboy's, 6/11/05:

Towe Auto Museum Car Show, 6/18/05:
Judges needed.

Hellgate Excursion, Grants Pass, Oregon, 6/25-26/05:
Corvettes invited, Reservations needed ASAP.

Jimboy's, 7/09/05:

Rivercats, 7/16/05:
Dinner at Moody's in Woodland, Game tickets $16.00 / $12.00. Leo needs to know ASAP.

Garlic Festival 7/30/05:

Discussion on Wednesday Night Drags-Ted Klein advises that the drags are now generic, no specific makes or models.

Dave Gershon reported on the ACCC. The conference is next week with 4 days to talk to legislators. Road side SMOG testing is planned. 1973 and older vehicles will not be exempt. They are working on SMOG annual testing for vehicles 15 years old and oldeR.
Keith discussed jackets. Only J.J. has reserved and paid for a jacket, Make checks to TACA GSC for $55.00. He will have a medium sized jacket to try on at the California Burger show.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:42 PM.

Respectfully submitted - Irene Raff - Secretary.

Welcome New Members.

KEVIN FANADY; 2001 Black WS6 Trans Am,
Joined April 2005

STACEY MCBRIDE BENZIG; 2001 Black WS6 Special Edition Trans Am,
Joined April 2005

JOHN BONNER & RACHEL GERSHANOFF; 1977 White Trans Am,
Joined May 2005

PAST EVENTS by Leo Brown: Bud Jelly-Outlet.

What do these things all have in common? I'll tell you. A lot of funnnn. If you didn't make it, you missed out. We first started out by meeting at Sunrise on April 23, 2005 at 8:00 to leave at 8:30. Julie and Whinney got there first. Shortly after, a night in black shinning armor comes rolling up. It was none other than… Anyway, (suspense is good for the soul) our newest member, Kevin and his damsel in distress (well, not yet, but soon to be) Laurah (that's right, with an "H") pull up in their black T/A and looked around. "My fair lady, are we at the right place and is this the time correct?" Kevin asks. She responded, "Well, yea!" "Where are the rest of the pheasants; I mean birds?" Kevin asks. Laura with an "H" responded "They are probably being plucked; I mean stuck in between the sheets." Okay, for those of you who don't get it, their sheets were holding them hostage in bed. The rest is for interpretation. Back to the story, JJ shows up in his pewter color Vette and Keith decided to pull an O.J. and show up in a Ford Bronco.

It is now 8:35 and everyone has a perplexed look on their faces. A moment of silence went by and all of a sudden they all looked at each other and said in one voice: "Leo, oh Leo, where for art thou o Leo?". "You who will leadeth us through the valley of beer and jellybeans, we will fear no evil". "You who will leadeth us through the outlet malls, we will hold back no expense". It was now 8:45 and guess who comes Rollin in. Yes, it was I. Yes, I was late. Yes, I was detained. And "no", you don't need to know why.

We all got on the road and managed to keep a good speed although, Jj was having difficulty keeping up. We met Dante and Frankie at the Jelly Belly Factory. We had a lot of fun. They had all kinds of goodies like caramel apples, fudge, chocolates and of course, jellybeans. The tour was really good and our tour guide was very nice. We all had to wear these funky hats that made us look like fast food workers. What was funny was our tour guide announced to everyone to make sure they were wearing their hats because we were in a clean area. I looked around and everyone had their hats on (yes, even I) except one person. You would think this individual would get a clue (Laura with an H). Anyway, as we continued the tour, we saw many pictures of people and places made of jellybeans. It was really cool and the process of making jellybeans is very long. As we continued the tour, our tour guide stopped for a second and headed toward me. I was thinking, did she see me toss my gum over the partition onto the jellybeans? Don't laugh, it could have been a finger. She tapped Laura with an "h" on the shoulder and told her she needed to put her hat on. You talk about a picture is worth a thousand words, I could imagine what names she was calling our tour guide and I guarantee you it wasn't the name she was given at birth…. This is when Kevin really shined as a Knight and allowed Laura with an "h" to take (maybe snatch is a better word) his baseball hat to wear. Kevin showed his true colors and placed the funky jelly belly hat on his head and asked if I would like it super sized. After seeing the dancing robots, we decided to eat lunch at In-N-Out.

Lunch is done and now time for dessert. We headed to the Bud-wise-er factory for their tour. Of course, we had to take the scenic route and as we approached the entrance gate, Kevin decided to open it up. Me being in front of him had no choice but to do the same. We flew right by the entrance and had to flip a be-atch to get back on track. We, for whatever reason ended up in the tasting room. I thought that was the whole tour. The people there wanted some volunteers to taste some beer. Kevin, Laura with an "h" and Dante volunteered. They got the opportunity to taste fresh beer vs. two-week-old beer. It was not a pretty site. They did this in front of a crowd of people. After the tasting, the three of them received a certificate from Budweiser naming them honorary brew misters. I promise I will not serve anymore of that beer I have in a keg from two years ago. After having a few beers, I looked around and pondered. Where did Jj, Keith and kids and Julie go. I guess they went on the tour. Dante, Frankie and I stayed at the table because we thought we were at the tour (?).

Next stop is the Outlet stores. You talk about excited people, everybody was having a good time. We went in and out of stores. Some people (I won't mention names) wanted to have some piercing done. I won't even talk about where. After a long day, we headed back to our respective places saying good byes in the sunset.

Leo Brown.

PAST EVENTS by Leo Brown: Santa Cruz Beach-Boardwalk.

It was a Saturday morning around 8:00 on the 7th of May. Who is it at the K-Mart parking lot waiting eagerly to start the day? No other than Kevin in his black Trans Am. As I rush to the meeting place, Kevin calls me at 8:00 just to make sure he is at the right place. I shortly arrived after making a pit stop for gas and quickly joined him. Now there were two. We decided to go to K-Mart because I needed some batteries and Kevin needed a new cord for his radar detector. I wonder what he was planning. About 15 minutes later, Terry comes rolling in with Sara in a bright, red convertible Trans Am. Things are looking good. A whole three cars! During the wait, I realized I didn't get my change back from my fill-up, not to mention all the gas I spilled. A whole 52cents.

I decided to give Julie a call because she did sign up for the trip. When I reached her, she too was caught between the sheets like the rest of you. Yes you! While the five of us were braving the early morning sunshine, you all were tucked nice and neat in between those sheets. What? No will power. Are you telling me your sheets are more important than a club event? Well, I hope the dust mites bite and bite you good. Oh, where was I. Oh yes, back to the story. Julie, despite waking up late, made a valiant effort in showing up with Whinny in her yellow collector's addition Trans Am. Well, maybe not quite so yellow due to all the dirt that was on it. A whole four cars lined up and ready to roar. Jim Prinzivalli decided to meet us on the way. We made several stops. First stop was for a potty break (Terry). Then we met Jim and his kids at Mickey Dees (that's McDonalds for all you out of date folks who were too lazy to get out of bed to go on this fantastic run.) Due to the fact that Dante was in the vicinity, we picked him up at the hotel in San Jose where he was staying. We all then headed to the Boardwalk.

When we got there, Julie had some friends that stayed in the area and had access to some tickets. I really thought Julie was my friend, but the truth comes out. Her friends were able to get some free tickets (two to be exact) not including the two free tickets they had for her and Whinny. Julie decided to gave the tickets to Sarah and Abby. Well, I guess that's okay seems how I really wasn't there for the rides. We all went our separate ways and did our own thing. Kevin, Dante, Frankie and I hung out together, but that was short lived. Kevin and I decided to play haki sack with the natives. Don't ask. Julie, Terry, Jim and kids got lost and we didn't see them again. They were probably having fun on the rides. We did see Jim later. At that point, he was ready to go. Kevin and I hung out for the duration, and then went home as well. Viva Santa Cruz. What happened in Santa Cruz definitely stayed in Santa Cruz. You should have been there.

Leo Brown.

PAST EVENTS by J.O Raff: California Burger Firebird Show.

It was a hot and sunny afternoon on May 14th when eight (8), eventually nine (9) stalwart and proud Trans Am / Firebird owners arrived at California Burger to show their cars and enjoy each other's company for a few hours. Present were Keith Thorson & friend, Leo Brown, J.O. & Irene Raff, Kevin Fanady & Laurah, Robert Olsen, Nicole Rajkowski & Christy, Dennis Trimble, John Bonner & Rachel Gershanoff (new members) and eventually, Gary Vollstedt. Adequate food and soft drinks were available at California Burger (for some at 10% off) and as soon as the cars were lined up and Irene was ready, I started selling raffle tickets. I believe that at one time or another, everyone attending that bought tickets, won something or other, ranging from at least some tea towels to five (5) parts and service certificates from California General Tire valued at $25.00 each. Wasn't it Laurah that cleaned up? However, she did buy a bunch of tickets! Judging of the entrys was done by California Burger employees and Leo Brown won the Outback Steakhouse Peoples Choice Award of $45.00 by one miserable vote over J.O. & Irene and I believe it was only because of his (no insult intended) shameless tampering with the tiebreaker judges! Well whatever…… Finally, totally spent from the heat and Leo's incessant haranguing, (also no insult intended) we gathered our belongings and split. Sponsors were: California Burger, Outback Steakhouse, California General Tire, Diecast City and Morlas Building and Electric.

This article is from a senior citizen's fading memory so please advise of corrections or omissions at the next Club meeting!

J.O. Raff.

TACA, GSC Meeting Place and Time.
Our meeting place is at:
CARROWS RESTAURANT
4601 N. Watt Ave.,
North Highlands, CA 95660

Please have all food ordered before 6:45 PM.

Birthdays.

Rachel Gershanoff, May 6th
Julie Haddix, May 16th
Miren Klein, May 29th
Dave Lane, May 29th
Ted Bechtel, June 4th
Robert Olsen, June 7th
Keith Thorson, June 8th
J.O. Raff, June 29th

Upcoming Events.

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP - 5/03/05
7:00 PM, CARROW'S Restaurant.
4601 N. Watt Ave.
North Highlands, CA 95660.


SANTA CRUZ BEACH/BOARDWALK - 5/06/05
Meet at K-Mart parking lot at 8:00 A.M.
Depart at 8:30 A.M.


JIMBOY'S CAR SHOW - 5/14/05
4:00 - 9:00 P.M.
3636 Taylor Rd, Loomis.


CALIFORNIA BURGER - 5/21/05
Tentative.


THUNDER IN DEPOT PARK - 5/28/05
Meet at Levitz parking lot at 7:00 A.M.
Depart at 7:30 A.M.


GENERAL MEMBERSHIP - 6/07/05
7:00 PM, CARROW'S Restaurant.
4601 N. Watt Ave.
North Highlands, CA 95660.


JIMBOY'S CAR SHOW - 6/11/05
4:00 - 9:00 P.M.
3636 Taylor Rd, Loomis.


TOWE AUTO MUSEUM CAR SHOW - 6/18/05
Meet at Levitz parking lot at 7:00 A.M.
Depart at 7:30 A.M.


HELLGATE EXCURSION (OVERNIGHTER) - 6/25-26/05 (tentative)
Meet at Levitz parking lot at 8:00 A.M.
Depart at 8:30 A.M.


GENERAL MEMBERSHIP - 7/05/05
7:00 PM, CARROW'S Restaurant.
4601 N. Watt Ave.
North Highlands, CA 95660.


JIMBOY'S CAR SHOW - 7/09/05
4:00 - 9:00 P.M.
3636 Taylor Rd, Loomis.


RIVERCATS VS COLORADO/ LUDY'S BBQ - 7/16/05
Meet at K-Mart parking lot at 2:30 P.M.
Depart at 3:00 P.M.



GILROY GARLIC FESTIVAL - 7/30/05
Meet at Levitz parking lot at 8:00 A.M.
Depart at 8:30 A.M.



GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING - 8/02/05
7:00 PM, CARROW'S Restaurant.
4601 N. Watt Ave.
North Highlands, CA 95660.



ROARING CAMP GOLD PANNING / DINNER - 8/13/05
Tentative.
TBA.



NAPA VALLEY WINE RUN - 8/27/05
Meet at Levitz parking lot at 8:00 A.M.
Depart at 8:30 A.M.



HANGTOWN CAR SHOW - 9/03/05
Meet at K-Mart parking lot at 7:00 A.M.
Depart at 7:30 A.M.


GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING - 9/06/05
7:00 PM, CARROW'S Restaurant.
4601 N. Watt Ave.
North Highlands, CA 95660.


JIMBOY'S CAR SHOW - 9/10/05
4:00 - 9:00 P.M.
3636 Taylor Rd, Loomis.


COPS AND RODDERS - 9/24/05
Meet at Levitz parking lot at 6:30 A.M.
Depart at 6:45 A.M.


P.O.C.I. - 10/02/05
Friday, Sept. 30 to Sunday, Oct. 2.
On your own.


GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING - 10/04/05
7:00 PM, CARROW'S Restaurant.
4601 N. Watt Ave.
North Highlands, CA 95660.


VACAVILLE PONTIAC CAR SHOW - 10/08/05
Meet at K-Mart parking lot at 7:30 A.M.
Depart at 8:00 A.M.


APPLE HILL RUN - 10/22/05
Meet at K-Mart parking lot at 9:00 A.M.
Depart at 9:30 A.M.


GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING - 11/01/05
7:00 PM, CARROW'S Restaurant.
4601 N. Watt Ave.
North Highlands, CA 95660.


VETERAN'S DAY PARADE - 11/12/05
Meet at Levitz parking lot at 7:30 A.M.
Depart at 8:00 A.M.


SAN FRANCISCO/ FISHERMAN'S WHARF, WAX MUSEUM, ALCATRAZ, TEDDY BEAR FACTORY - 11/26/05
Meet at K-Mart parking lot at 8:00 A.M.
Depart at 8:30 A.M.


CHRISTMAS PARTY AT THE RADISSON HOTEL - 12/10/05
5:30 P.M with no host bar.
Dinner is at 6:30 P.M.