2019 4th of July Parade and Lunch
July 4th Parade Old Town Newhall:
Our club is proud to have once again participated in the Santa Clarita, 4th of July parade, which was followed by lunch at Margarita’s Mexican Grill!
In celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, some two-hundred-forty-three years ago, a group of our members braved the early morning hours to gather in Old Town Newhall to await the parade staging.
Fifteen Corvettes were dressed out this year in red, white, and blue, and adorned with flags, streamers, and bunting to show off their pride in both the America spirit, and the heritage behind America’s sports car.
Finally, after a lot of hurry-up-and-wait, the magic hour rolled around, and the parade began its journey though the twenty-some thousand good folks who had gathered along the Newhall parade route in anticipation of this year’s event.
For nearly an hour and half, the parade goers watched an array of community clubs, floats, and groups, including mounted units, color guards, waving politicians, firetrucks, motorcycles, and antique cars, but as usual, when a flotilla of Corvettes cruise by, the crowd is moved to an extra round of cheers and applause! So much so, that following the event, mother nature even applauded with her own 6.4 trembler, to shake things up little.
Special thanks to Jimmy Webster for a job well done organizing this event for our club. As is usually the case, Corvette piloting and navigation can work up an appetite, so at the conclusion of the parade, the crew gathered at Margarita’s Mexican Grill for a well-deserved lunch, beverage, and parade discussion.
But the fun wasn’t over yet! On Monday, the official parade winners were announced, and once again, the SCVCC was honored with the first-place win in the Car and Motorcycle category! A big congratulations to all those members who participated in this year’s event and brought home the first-place award- again!
For more pictures follow the link to Shutterfly.com.
Following the short drivers’ meeting, we began the short drive to Sylmar, where we gathered again in the lower level of the Nethercutt Museum to find ourselves folded-in with several other car clubs, an Elk’s lodge, and a number of civilians who were all there for the tour.
Once we were well-nourished, we held our customary drivers meeting, and immediately after that the cars rumbled to life. Following the usual radio check, we lined up for the trip that would take us several hours south on the 15 freeway to our first destination, Old Town Temecula.
After lunch a we took a short stroll along Main Street where, wouldn’t you know it, we found an ice cream shop! After everyone was well stocked on sweets and treats, we headed back to our cars for the next leg of our journey, our hotel near Alpine, California.
After a quick stop to give our cars a fresh drink of T-Rex juice, we ascended up into the clouds along Hwy 79, through Cuyamaca Rancho State Park for the short, yet amazingly beautiful, thirty-five-mile trip to the little town of Julian.
Once in Julian, we found it to be a charming, turn of the century gold mining town from the 1800s. Normally a busy southern California destination, it was not very crowded. Of course, it was the middle of the week, and in the off-season, and with the drizzle and unexpectedly cold wind, the weather felt like a scene right out of the movie, Ice Station Zebra. Maybe I exaggerate a little on that point, but it was darn chilly. 
But still undaunted, we braved the elements to make our way on foot along Main Street where many of the shops had their wood stoves going, so the warmth of the fires was very welcoming.
Lunch was at the Miner’s Dinner, a 50’s themed café located in one of the town’s many historic buildings, this one dating back 1886 when it was first opened as a general store. The food was good, plentiful, and included an old-fashioned soda fountain. They did not take Vons cards.
But in the end, we all had a piece of the pie – some had their pie at the restaurant, while others had at this place or that one, but none of the pie lovers went away pieless. Some of us even got pie to take home – yum!
Anyway, back at the Viejas Resort, we had some time to relax and unwind before dinner at the highly touted, Grove Steakhouse located inside the casino. But wait, what’s this? Closed on Tuesdays? Okay, who does that? This a major resort, and they close their marque steakhouse on the very evening that we planned to dine there. Honestly, who does that? The other restaurants don’t close. The steakhouses in Vegas don’t close. So why this one? The audacity of these people.
On our third and final morning, the clouds and rain had set in as we met for a pre-trip breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast most caravanned home together, while a few used the opportunity to stop and see friends, or take a short side trip. Regardless of the route home, it was a great end to a fun, enjoyable, and well-planned trip.
They greeted us with baskets of warm bread-sticks, bowls of Italian dressed salad, and wine that ran freely.
Well, maybe not so much the wine, but the rest of it was plentiful. It was a great Taste of the Town.
One of the most popular aspects of the Olive Garden are the combination plates made up of pasta and other Italian favorites, and this night they did not disappoint. Other popular entrées included the chicken and shrimp carbonara, meat lasagna, fettuccine Alfredo, and the wide variety of frittatas—there was something for every Italian food lover. Some of the members even took advantage of the $5.00 take home entrees, for meals the next day!
Please join us next month at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews, located at 27063 McBean Parkway, in the Prominade Shopping Center. mark your calendars, and we’ll see you there!![019 KHTS Santa Clarita Home and Garden Show Home And [...]](https://scvcc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/019-KHTS-Santa-Clarita-Home-and-Garden-Show-Home-And-...-1160x665.png "019 KHTS Santa Clarita Home and Garden Show Home And [...]")
As always, George Thomas and his crew did a great job accommodating us, and if anyone went away hungry, then it was pretty much their own fault.
The staff was great and as we were directed into the lot, the impressive line of Vettes immediately began to draw the attention of onlookers, as it did throughout the day.
Armed with lawn chairs and coolers, we spent the afternoon relaxing at the park and roaming through the large variety of community booths and vendors that were on display, including those from the Emergency Expo and the Arts and Crafts Fair.
For those that wanted a little something to nosh on, we enjoyed more food and treats from the wide array of food trucks that were in attendance.
When thirty of us arrived in eighteen cars, the front lot of the dealership was ready for us, as their usual inventory of cars and trucks had been relocated to the K-Mart lot as part of their annual tent sale. Of course, the friendly dealership staff were there to help us park, and throughout the afternoon they proved to be gracious hosts.
A substantial influx of Corvettes from the Redline and Ventura Corvette Clubs were already onsite, and after we got parked, the front lot of the dealership contained at total of forty-two visiting Corvettes! There was also a half dozen more really shiny ones that still had that new car smell, window stickers, and big orange discount tags hanging from the mirrors. It was a worthy line-up indeed. The event was a great opportunity to not only support the dealership, but to meet our friends from the other clubs as well.
We were presented with an excellent lunch from the very popular, Laird’s BBQ, who we will see again in June at our annual picnic. The spread provided for us included sausage, tri-tip, and grilled chicken, along with all the fixin’s, including some spicy beans and potato salad. 
After lunch, John Macik, of Santa Paula Chevrolet, offered some words of appreciation for our support throughout the year, and to further emphasize the point—as if the great lunch wasn’t enough—he held a raffle for a number of prizes that included, free oil changes, alignments, and air conditioning services.
The amazing spring weather made for a perfect evening of conversation, laughs, and biscuits n’ butter!
The members’ dinner choices ran the menu from freshly battered southern fried chicken strips, to the crispy Caesar salad, and many of the house favorites such as the fried chicken and gravy, smoked beef brisket, and baby back ribs, all of which included the full complement of side dishes and beverages.
The friendly wait staff worked hard to set up for our group, and they helped make our meal enjoyable with friendly and efficient service.
After dinner, the evening was just too beautiful to call it a night, so a small but dedicated team set out on a reconnaissance mission to Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, where the mission was deemed successful.
The trip up was great, and as usual it required some experienced coordination between Mark Ware in the lead car and the tail gunners, Tom and Elke Couples, to keep everyone in formation as we made our way through some coastal traffic along the Ventura and Santa Barbara stretch of the 101. But once we cleared the traffic it was time to set the cruise control and enjoy the ride.
The museum, for those that have never there, is an amazing private petroliana collection of gas pumps, signs, and racing related memorabilia, much of it from the central California region. It is also home the Dry Lakes Racing Hall of Fame.
The museum was gracious enough to let us park inside, where we spent the next couple of hours getting a private tour by our hostess, Misty, the daughter of the owners, Mark and Vicki Mendenhall. She was not only very knowledgeable about the collections on display, but she shared many family memories related to growing up around the museum that was originally started by her grandfather, a Buellton gas station owner, and himself a land speed record holder.
After our visit to the museum, we took the short drive to Morrell’s Farm Fresh Dining where twenty-seven of us descended on the restaurant for brunch. Parking had been pre-arranged in front of the restaurant, and our tables were ready and waiting.
The relaxed brunch was excellent and offered a wide range of menu choices from traditional breakfast items to locally selected specialties – either way, we could not go wrong.
After brunch some of the group headed off to the casino to try their luck, which I understand went well, while others went shopping in Solvang, and a few of us caravanned home along the Chumash route through Ojai, bringing a close to another great run.