MS Gulf Coast Corvette Club

June 2005 Newsletter

OFFICERS FOR 2005

GULF COAST CORVETTES

PO Box 841

BILOXI, MS  39533 

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Thanks for the great attendance at the May meeting.  We will have a special meeting on the 7^th of June in order to get everyone ready for Vettes by the Shore.   

Let’s welcome new members:  Mary Moran, Margaret Moran, and Marty Zavatchan.  Any member who does not have a membership card, please email Carl Hamilton at hamil66@cableone.net or call 228-424-4064.   

I hope everyone enjoyed the Extravetteganza in New Orleans two weeks ago.  It was a great show I hear.  I was out of town, but will certainly be at the next one. 

Save the wave! 

                            Robert Kline                     

 CRUISIN’ THE COAST

11 MAY 2005

MINUTES 

+  Registration

Ø      2106 (+41).   

Ø       29 states represented

+  Signage requests coming due

+  Volunteer Party

Ø      Either outside by the pool or inside (Imperial Palace Casino)

+  T-Shirt order still due by 14 July

+  Swap Meet

Ø      241 spaces let (up about 40%)

Ø      64 vendors

 +  There is a goal of no on-site registration.

+  Your $50 registration fee has value.   Thus, you will need to present your confirmation card to enter the Long Beach Kickoff Parade, the VA Cruises, and the Biloxi Block Party. 

+  Your Cruisin The Coast Window Sticker will be available after you turn in your window placard with all of the stamps.  Drop off your placard at Rice Pavilion on Saturday to get your window sticker. 

                                                                                                JOE FLEMING                                 

Mississippi Gulf Coast Corvette Club

Minutes of Club Meeting  Tuesday, 17 May 2005

     Our President opened the meeting by welcoming everyone for attending.  We had a really good turnout – 41 members – which is really great.  Robert then asked Carl Hamilton to give the members a run down on our Club trip to the C5/C6 Birthday Bash at the National Corvette Museum.  Carl explained the intricacies of the new ZO6 and spoke very highly of the Corvette Chief Engineer, Dave Hill.  Carl stated that he had never seen anyone that was as excited about “his baby” as was Dave Hill.  The folks were reminded that there are a few pictures of the new ZO6 on the Club web site.

     Robert then filled in the folks about his and Jim Corder’s trip to the NCM for the ZR1 gathering.  There were a lot of cars that attended and the classes that Robert and Jim attended were very interesting and informative.  The only bad side of the trip was the weather.  Evidently, some severe weather passed through Bowling Green on Friday.  There was quite a bit of hail and several Vettes were damaged.

     The Suber’s then gave a report on their trip to New Orleans for the ExtraVetteGanza.  It evidently was a great show and quite a bit of money was raised to help Mike Leeds with his medical expenses.

     Everyone is reminded that the Club has voted to support the Edgewater Mall Cruise-in on the first Saturday of each month.  A reminder will go out in advance of each Cruise-in to remind folks to attend.  There is a Cruise-in at other venues during the month, but the Edgewater Mall is the one we voted to support.

     Big Jim Alverson still has several Club name tags that need to be picked up by those who ordered one, but haven’t retrieved it as yet.  Also, Jim said he would be glad to order name tags for any new members who wish to have one.

     Joe Fleming will bring a form to the June meeting, for those of us who will work the Cruisin’ the Coast, so that we can put in our order for the Staff T-Shirts.  Joe also gave a brief rundown from the last meeting.  The minutes of that meeting will be forwarded along with these minutes.

     The Dothan to Panama City Run will be held this weekend.

     Darrell Suber gave a report on preparations for Vettes by the Shore.  We have 81 pre-registered cars, and 70 sponsor trophies.  We could use more.  All major Sponsor money has been collected, with the exception of Wal Mart, which is iffy again this year.  The NCM will provide some items for the silent auction.  We could use some more auction items to make up baskets.  We will be holding a “trophy put together party” at Carl’s shop next Thursday, May 26, starting around 6:00/6:30 PM.  Bring your portable drills and screwdriver bits if you have them.  Volunteers are needed to work the show Friday and Saturday.  Also, Ralph Adams and Felix Famularo will be in charge of the judging and will need help as well.  It was decided that Club officers will not have their cars judged.  No decision was made as to whether or not we will judge our Club members cars separately or not at all.  Members are asked to wear our Club shirts on Saturday.  Robert’s ’78 Vette will be used by the NCRS for their judging school.  We were reminded that each car will receive only one arm band.  Additional bands will cost $4 each.

 With that, the meeting was adjourned.

 Ed Nunenmacher

    MSGCCC Secretary 

C5/C6 Birthday Bash

National Corvette Museum

April 22-24, 2005

 Several members of the MSGCCC made the trip to Bowling Green, Kentucky to attend the C5/C6 Birthday Bash.  Those who made the trip were: Robert Kline and his son, Justin; Carl and Hope Hamilton, Cordell and Phyllis Steelman, Rain and Susan Jaudon, Ed Nunenmacher, Jada Harrison, V. L. Clark & Dan Shmidt (a coworker of V. L and a Corvette enthusiast), and Warner White (a former Marine and present Air Force Officer undergoing training at Keesler AFB).  Leaving from Ocean Springs Thursday at 2:00 PM, the group caravanned up I-65 to Bowling Green.  An 11:00 PM excursion through downtown Nashville was an interesting experience.  We settled into the Bowling Green, KY Microtel Motel around midnight with no housing problems.

 On Friday the group joined a tour of the Corvette Assembly Plant, which is always an interesting and enlightening experience.  There was a lot of drooling going on watching all the C6s (coupes and convertibles) going through the assembly process.  Later that day, we got our first shot at seeing the new 2006 ZO6.  What a car!!!  The presentation by Dave Hill, Corvette Chief Engineer, was very interesting and informative.  The engineering and manufacturing advances introduced in the new ZO6 are absolutely unbelievable.  Dave Hill had a skeleton of the chassis in order to illustrate some of the advanced techniques being introduced.  To say that the new ZO6 is the epitome of a performance automobile would not be paying proper justice to a really great sports car.  It is absolutely amazing!!  Note: Mr. Carl Hamilton stated that the ZO6 “made his blood boil.”  Is this the next Vette for the Hamilton family?

 On Saturday, some of the folks toured the museum, others did some sightseeing, but all of us met for lunch at Mariah’s Restaurant in downtown Bowling Green.  Mariah’s has a lot of atmosphere and really good food.  I think everyone enjoyed lunch immensely.  Saturday night we all went to the Birthday Bash Banquet and had a good time eating, talking, and watching the auction.  The only bummer on Saturday was the weather – it was cold and nasty.

 The group left early Sunday for our return trip to Mississippi.  Rain received what could be referred to as an “Alabama Sunday Freebie”. (Not to be confused with “Sundae”)  Rain and Susan were the caravan leaders in their recently acquired black, 2000 C5 Coupe.  Following one of our stops, Rain started out at the rear of the group.  In an effort to get up front, Rain exceeded the posted speed limit just at the crest of a hill.  On the other side of the road (I-65 north), we met an Alabama State Trooper who immediately turned on his blue lights.  However, soon after, he turned them off and continued northward.  We all assumed that he gave Rain a warning “gift.”  Just goes to show that good things can happen sometimes, especially with a Vette and a friendly State Trooper.

 Ed Nunenmacher