CLUB MEETING ONCE A MONTH

Our Club meetings are held on the 3rd Saturday of the month at 1 PM, with only a few exceptions. We always meet at a restaurant where we’ll have a meal and the business part of the meeting will take place after we finish eating. Generally a meeting will last until approximately 2:30-3:00 PM at which time everybody goes his/her own way. That could mean we can depart for a short cruise in the area or maybe just looking at the cars in the parking lot if the weather permits.

The menu selection is published in the newsletter approximately a week and a half prior to the meeting. You can make your selection known 2 ways: 1) a designated caller will call you prior to the preceding Thursday and will ask for your choice/s or 2) you can call or email the vice president before the end of Wednesday prior to the meeting and make your choice known. The restaurants need a good idea how many people are going to attend for seating space as well as for food preparations. The only thing we ask is if you commit to attending the meeting and you’ve made your menu selection and then you have to cancel, you need to call the vice president so he/she can have the restaurant adjust the food order. We will be charged for each meal ordered so we need to be aware if this situation.

CLUB NEWSLETTER

The contents of the newsletter usually includes minutes from the last meeting, notice of the next meeting location and menu selections, articles of interest that are picked up from other newsletters or submitted by our own members, a club calendar, members’ email addresses, wrap-up articles on completed events, information on upcoming events, members’ birthdays and anniversaries, technical articles, and other miscellaneous items. The editor/s publish the club newsletter and it’s mailed to all members approximately a week and a half prior to the next meeting so each member has time to determine if they’re going to attend the next meeting and what their menu selection will be.

Spring Cruise

Generally held in late May, this is arranged as a Saturday or Sunday event. Early in the year, a member will volunteer to organize this event and it usually goes like this: a) meet at a general location in or near the Twin City area anywhere from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM, 2) cruise to a site of interest such as a museum, a park, or just about anything, 3) stop for lunch which can be at a restaurant or picnic and then 4) depart for home. This is the 1st event of the year and most of the time the 1st outing with the classic cars after sitting all winter in storage. But members are anxious to get the season going and are more than willing to take part in the event.

Summer Events

There are numerous other events during the summer that keeps the club active. They include car shows that members of our club may be involved in and ask other T-Bird members if they would like to display their car. Some of these may include the Willmar Car show in Willmar, MN. and Dam Days in Morristown, MN.  All in all, these are great times, not only seeing different cars at different shows but meeting new people that have the same interest.

Jesse James Day Car Show

This annual event takes place on the first Saturday after Labor Day and is held in Northfield, MN. Our club has been attending this show for at least the past 5 years or so and there’s plenty of activities at this event. Northfield always has the re-enactment of the famous bank robbery which is quite informative and fun to watch. The downtown area has many food booths and craft booths set up for your enjoyment. This area is in easy walking distance from the car show area, maybe 4 to 5 blocks at the most.

Our club always meets at the McStop, the McDonalds restaurant off of Exit 81 on I-35 just south of the Twin City area. Generally we leave this location at 8:30 AM and take some back roads to Northfield, only about a 10-12 mile drive. We check our cars in at 9 AM and proceed to a given area for the TBirds. Then the rest of the day is open to each individual to do as they wish. There’s no restrictions on the year of the car that can enter this show which makes it nice for clubs like ours. The trophy awards are announced around the 3:30 to 4 PM time frame.

Fall Cruise

This essentially is a touring event, held either the 1st or 2nd Saturday in October, to view the fall colors. Again, like most of the other club events, a member will volunteer his/her time to arrange this event that usually starts at a designated meeting location about mid-morning. The leader or organizer will have a planned cruise mapped out as well as any stops or points of interest he/she has scheduled for the group. These outings can be just about any thing the organizer thinks would interest the club members attending. The meal can be a potluck picnic, a catered picnic, or a pre-arranged meal at a restaurant. Special stops can be any points of interest and a few of the past stops included museums, antique shops, shopping areas and tourist attractions, parks, boat rides, etc. Like all of our club driving events, the Thunderbirds are the preferred vehicle but sometimes they need repair and then they’re not available for an event. Therefore, we encourage everyone to attend with or without their T-Birds. Drive a family car or truck but join the group and take part in this fun event.

This is one of the better-attended events of the entire season. It’s probably a number of reasons but it is signaling the end of the classic car season and maybe the last chance to drive your favorite car. Within a month or so, most of these cars will have been stored for the winter and won’t be out and about till the following April or May. So why not one last cruise with the old classic and join the rest of the club members in a fun outing.

Christmas party

Held every year on the first Sunday of December, this has become the most attended Club event by far. A member or a couple will volunteer to organize the event that includes a buffet style meal put on by the restaurant.  A meeting is usually conducted by the president that basically thanks the volunteers who made everything happen during the past year. Every 2 years elections are conducted for the officers that will lead the Club for the next couple of years. This is the last Club event until the January meeting approximately a month and a half later.