From the Driver’s Seat – July 2019
July has come and now has gone. What a month it was. Our new club year began with the announcement of the new 2019 – 2020 board members, Vice President Jim Webster, Quartermaster Judy Turkheimer, and in the Webmaster/Communications slot, Steve Turkheimer. Thanks go out to them for joining the board as we continue our 41st year as a club.
At our July general meeting, we marked what was surely a milestone in the area of membership when our Membership Chair Judy Woodings inducted not one or two or three, but TEN new regular members into the club in a mass ceremony. This was the moment some had been patiently waiting for up to two years. Be sure to congratulate Al and Jill Boley, Peter and Carrie Di Orio, Steve Romine, Jimmy Simpson, Bob and Sharon Spierer and Jimmy and Robyn Webster when you see them. There are some additional openings as well that will be filled at the August meeting, so be sure to attend to find out who will be moving onto the regular roster.
Just the following day was July 4th and the Santa Clarita 4th of July Parade in Old Town Newhall, with our club entry headed up by Jimmy Webster. The morning and the day itself were thankfully cool with June Gloom still hanging out into July. Our positioning in the third division gave us a shorter wait time than in years past and before you knew it, we were rolling down the streets of Newhall, enjoying the crowd as much as they enjoyed our Corvettes. We continued on to Margarita’s Mexican Restaurant for a delightful post-parade lunch and then on to other holiday plans as the parade judges voted our club as the 1st place winners in our class. Well done once again SCVCC!
July was just beginning though. Taste of the Town is always a great social time for members, but this month was even more exciting with the unveiling of the 2020 mid-engine Stingray by GM in Tustin coinciding with our event. We gathered on July 18th as planned at Route 66 Classic Grill with many more in attendance to view the live streaming of the Corvette unveiling on Mark Ware’s special semi-high-tech hook-up. While all Corvettes are timeless, the new design had several members pretty excited with plans to check the latest model out in person and maybe even order one. Who will be the first? We should all recall Fred Seeley buying the first C7 and then Mike McCloskey right after him with the first convertible model. The new model frenzy will be fun to watch. Personally though, I’m awfully happy with the Corvettes in my stable now!
Surprises are fun for us all and the surprise breakfast run to the Summerland Beach Café and then on to a docent led tour of the historic Santa Barbara Courthouse was a great end to our first month of the 2019 – 2020 club year. Thanks to the Activities crew for planning a great day for us. But wait, just when you thought July was done, some of our members have squeezed in a VIP visit to the Peterson Automotive Museum for the Zora Duntov Tribute Weekend for the West Coast Unveiling of the C8. See you at the August meeting where our attendees will surely have something to say about the new Corvette at Car Talk.
Mike