Story: Mike Woodings
Photos: Janene McDonald and Mike Woodings
Fall has arrived and backyard functions are once again great ideas with the sizzling temperatures a thing of the past until next year. October offered not one, but two opportunities for our club people to get together in the open-air surroundings to enjoy food and games and just plain fun.
Don and Connie Ceo opened their home to the club on October 13th for the third edition of Lasagna Night and social get together. Corvette people from near and far rolled in beginning at 4 PM and found their way to the Ceo’s splendid back yard to sample the refreshments and marvel at Don’s newly upgraded Corvette Bar.
There are some terrific cooks in our club as we all know from our potluck activities. The spread had plenty of main course entrees to compliment the lasagna and of course, there was no shortage of desserts either.
As the day transitioned into evening, the focus of the affair changed as well with many digging into their pockets and purses for some loose change to try their chances at the card tables.
Just a week later on October 20th, Ed and Deana Shaver put out the welcome mat for club members to enjoy an equally fun afternoon, and into evening get together, in their equally inviting yard and patio. More potluck offerings and plenty of desserts were available with the inevitable Acey-Deucy and Bunco games that were on hand to make or break the players.
Once again, there was an abundance of socializing and time to relax in another open-air get together.
Some say we “drive and eat”, but what we really do best is enjoy spending time with each other. Corvettes are wonderful, but not the only thing we have in common.
Many thanks to the Ceos and the Shavers for their hospitality and preparation for TWO weekend events this month. With the change of seasons upon us, we might miss the back-yard venues for a while, but we all hope they’ll be back!
SCVCC Annual Christmas Party
Saturday, December 8 from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Sand Canyon Country Club
27734 Sand Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91387
Invites through Evite have gone out. Check your email.
Cocktails at 600 PM Dinner at 7:00 PM
Live Entertainment & Dancing
Yes, it’s ths same location as last year!
Dinner is a buffet of Chicken Picata & Tri-Tip. There is no charge for members. Associate members are $45 per person. Guests are $65 per person. No host bar.
Payment for guests, associates and non-members will be accepted at theClub Meeting, on November 1st. Make checks payable to “SCVCC”.
Checks may also be mailed directly to:
Deana Shaver
27841 Sand Canyon Road
Canyon Country, California 91387
All payment for guests must be received by December 1st, however seating is limited, so get your reservation in as soon as possible.
Remember to bring a bag or two for the Food Pantry!
Taste-of-the-Town 6PM
For this month’s social gathering, we are headed to Yamato Restaurant – JAPANESE steak house. TEPPAN-YAKI | KAITEN SUSHI | BAR (a bar is always good). Casual Japanese teppanyaki cooking right in our back yard. No turkey on the menu here. 6 PM is meal time.
Another summer has reached its final days and once again our club has received an invitation to join together in a celebration of sorts at the McCloskey place for another Labor Day weekend BBQ, Brats & Volleyball get together.
It is amazing how fast time passes as it seems almost like yesterday when we gathered for our last BBQ there, but it’s been TWO years. In 2017, we made a quick change to the Shaver estate due to “Clutch’s” motorcycle mishap in the back country. Thankfully, both he and the Harley are fine today.
Clutch was back, and so were we when we gathered on September 2nd for the latest and greatest Labor Day event. Our gracious host and hostess (Dorothy) made us all feel welcome and at home as we descended on them.
Clutch was truly in his element at the grill doing his thing with the brats and hot links as we visited with each other in the shade with our favorite beverages and snacks.
In past days, we marveled at Mike’s many Corvettes in his equally many garages.
This year though, the Corvette count is much fewer, but we had a chance to check out his latest project, his 1954 Corvette in the very early stages of restoration.
The potluck tables were once again crowded with way more than we could consume and nobody went without. Our people do know how to cook.
The get together as always was more than eating and hanging out.
There was volleyball to be played. While the skill level was so-so, the teams were evenly matched and the enthusiasm was high. The spectators enjoyed the games as much as the players.
Horseshoes were available too and a few of us tried out skills in the court as well. You may think horseshoes is a game for old people, but all of that walking back and forth is work and there was some talk of fatigue and soreness afterward.
So, there you have it. The end of summer BBQ, Brats and Volleyball event has come and gone once again. It is an event we all look forward to. Right up there with Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s on our calendar.
We all appreciate the generosity of Mike and Dorothy McCloskey hosting the event.
Many thanks once again to them and maybe we will be back to see the progress on the 1954 restoration.
Hot August Nights are not enough to keep our club away when it’s Taste-of-the-Town evening here in the Santa Clarita Valley. It’s too hot to heat up the house with cooking and too hot even to fire up the grill outside.
We have been living off salads for too many days straight, so when the email arrives from our Activities Committee by way of our Communications Guy saying we are going to Mama’s Table for some “home cooking” for TOT, I say “let’s go”! Apparently that was the response most had as well with another great turn-out of hungry Corvette people.
As I arrived, there were plenty of Vettes filling the lot and apparently lots who opted to drive the ferrous vehicle as well since out club people filled the restaurant even before the 6 PM start time.
Mama’s Kitchen is located at 23340 Cinema Drive, where Freshworks was previously. The owners ran a successful restaurant in Washington for 9 years and decided to sell and start new in SoCal. They are kind and enthusiastic and happy to serve. This is literally a mom and pop operation where they even make their own pies. His wife bakes the pies and helps with the cooking. I’m sure most of us will be going back to Mama’s Table again, maybe in a few weeks, maybe in a few months, but we’ll definitely be back.
The restaurant has a large menu with plenty of choices for every taste. It’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with breakfast being extremely popular with the homemade jams that are available. It has been compared to the Black Bear Diner with a local atmosphere and with plenty of room for a large group.
September will take us to for our next TOT at Saddle Ranch Chop House, so if you’re not heading to Prescott, dust off your cowboy attire and mark your calendar for a great time of visiting and bull riding at another fine event put together by our Activities Committee.
Come join us at Don and Connie Ceo’s as they open their home to us for the 3rd annual lasagna night. Connie will be serving multiple types of lasagna. Contact Janene for sign-up of your side dish or dessert. Don’t miss the highlight of their backyard, the Bar! It’s Don’s creation, a masterpiece for mixology creations. More info to come, stay tuned.
Camp McCloskey Beer & Brats labor Day fun day, Volleyball, horseshoes, & lots of food…this is a potluck. Arrive at 4 PM, no early arrivals please!! See sign-up sheet as this event is limited to 40 people. The signup is closed, however there is a wait list forming. If you signed up and decide not to go, please notify a member of the activities team to cancel. This way a member of the wait list can be moved up.
Summer is here, and with it, those HOT days that we experience this time of year. HOT days are toasty in the middle of the day but generally our mornings and evenings are gorgeous. July 19th was one of those typical days weather-wise and it was the third Thursday of the month, so you know what that means…no cooking at our house tonight! It’s time to join Corvette friends for an evening of socializing amd exploring another menu for something delicious that won’t blow the calorie and carb counts off the chart.
Taste-of-the-Town for July had us gathering at the Cheesecake Factory in the Valencia Mall for our monthly social. The location dictates the focus on the meeting is more food and cameraderie, not Corvettes since we all park where we can find a spot and most choose to drive the metal car instead of the fiberglass one to keep the Vette for nice!
It was another great turn-out with 40 in attendance. We are all on equal footing at the Cheesecake factory where everyone gathers and we are all seated together. Even when I arrive on-time, I don’t feel like I’m late!
Cheesecake Factory started out way over the hill in the 310 area in 1978 as a small salad-and-sandwich restaurant in Beverly Hills that sold 10 varieties of cheesecakes on a one-page menu. Next came a second restaurant in Marina del Rey and a third, larger location in Redondo Beach. It took quite a while for the 192 restaurant chain to make it to Awesometown, but we are glad it is here. You know right from the start that you aren’t at In-N-Out when they hand you a three pound menu with over 250 items listed. The choices are many but there is something for everybody!
August will take us to Mama’s Kitchen for our next TOT, so mark your calendar for a great time of visiting and bring your Corvette too for another fine event put together by our Activities Committee.
Story: Mike Woodings
Photos: Mike Woodings, Judy Woodings and Dwight McDonald
Since we all seem to believe everything that is found on the internet, my research has to be pretty close to fact. A Google search for the FIRST Corvette club revealed no specific information. However, the Corvette Club of America had its first club meeting on July 17, 1956 at Rosenthal Chevrolet in Arlington, Virginia. While it is likely that some club activity existed before this date, this first recorded meeting has become the official birth date.
Our own Santa Clarita Valley Corvette Club’s website states our club was established in 1978 by a small group of Corvette owners locally to bring together enthusiasts from all walks of live to share in the adventures experienced in Corvette ownership. Like the Corvette itself, our club continues to evolve, improve, and change. For love of country, love of the Corvette, and bonding friendship, all Corvette owners are encouraged to become part of our outstanding club as we celebrate our 40th Anniversary.
Therefore, while we aren’t the newest Corvette Club in America, we are known by many (at least 100) to be one of the best of the nearly 400 clubs in the country.
Our first annual club picnic in 2017 was a great event and the new tradition was off to a terrific start. With 2018 being our club’s big 40th anniversary year, our board decided this year’s summer celebration should be included with the appreciation picnic. So from there, the planning was under way to make this year’s event even better than our first, if that was possible.
Picnic day arrived early for our Activities Committee and staff as they claimed our spot at Steckel Park and went about the set-up activity, making sure every detail matched Mark Ware’s extensive preparation spreadsheet.
Meanwhile, scores of members gathered at the designated assembly area in the Walmart lot for headcount and sign-in, eager to get the day rolling. It was an amazing sight seeing 30 awesome Corvettes heading west on CA 126 on unusually open roadway toward our destination.
Our caravan was not only witnessed by locals and passersby but was monitored by a high-flying drone flown by Pilot Mark at over two miles out as we approached the park.
Once we arrived and parked in our reserved “Corvette Corral” we caravaners all recognized the splendid set-up that was done and waiting for us. Two covered pavilions decorated to the hilt, game areas laid out and equipped with all types of picnic games and a band ready to rock us through the afternoon.
John and Sandra Macik of Santa Paula Chevrolet joined us for the event as Vette people enjoying time with other enthusiasts. It was a good opportunity to get to know John and Sandra in this casual surrounding. The Maciks previously introduced us to the BBQ served by Laird’s Butcher Shop in Santa Paula and our planners called upon their cooking skills to once again serve us an excellent picnic BBQ meal. Great call by all involved in putting together our grub and beverages!
But wait, there was more. Our band, “Drop Zone”, rocked. SCVCC’s own Chet Morse even joined the band with a great blues number! I can attest to the great selection of tunes by the band and was posed this question by member “M.C.”, “this is from your era, right?” How could I not appreciate the Rolling Stones song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”? All of us in our earlier days heard that Stones song and probably only wished we or owned a Corvette then, but looking at the parking lot, we have certainly all gotten a lot of “what we want”!
The games, raffles and even dancing all went to making our picnic a fun event.
To climax the gathering, our president Dwight McDonald spoke to us all about the significance of this, our club’s 40th anniversary. Several of our past club presidents were in attendance for our anniversary celebration as well. John Noble, Sara Seeley, Fred Seeley, Jeff Hernandez and Greg Attl all spoke and expressed their well wishes for the future of the club.
All in all, the picnic was fun, delicious and a success. We all convey our thanks and appreciation to our Activities people and their set-up crew for putting it all together and a pat on the back to all of us as well, since without each of us there would be no club. Job well done!