November 2024 LOW-DOWN
from COWTOWN - ONLINE |
Racing, Showing and Cruising around Fort Worth since 1974
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The President's Pit Stop |
Randy Baker - President
Howdy Cowtown,
As we drive into November, I want to take a
moment and reflect on the fantastic journey we have been on this year
and share some upcoming events.
We have some fun times ahead as we head into
the holiday season. We have a work session ahead at the Tarrant Food
Bank in November. Not only is this a fun and rewarding event but helps
us build camaraderie within our club. Get with Cathy Baker to sign
up.
A social is
planned for November 2nd at the Currey’s Hanger. Yes, we will all be
“Hangin at the Hanger” watching planes go by as we eat and showing off
our cars.
Don’t Forget our Christmas Party coming up in
December. Get with Mary Pittman and get your name on the list for this
Holiday Event that helps us wrap up 2024 and while recognizing
individuals making Cowtown Vettes truly special.
By the time you are reading this, we will have
had our Annual Cowtown Vettes Car Show. Let me take time to recognize
Kim West for her organizational skills and drive to make this another
huge success for our club and community. Also, hats off to all of
the Car Show Volunteers who put in the planning and hard work to make
this an event we can all be
proud of !
Yes, 2024 has been a busy year but we’re
already working hard to plan exciting new events for 2025. Get
ready to get involved and help us move our club forward into the next 50
years.
Thanks again for your passion and support for
Cowtown Vettes. Wishing you all a wonderful November.
Randy Baker
Cowtown
Vettes President
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Social News |
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Mary Pittman
- VP - Socials - Historian
LowDown Article
November 2024
I am totally unsure where this year has
gone to....seem like only yesterday we were planning for the CTV 50th
anniversary and now the year is almost gone. This month will mark
the last of our combo social and cruise events. Thank you to all of
you who came out for these Drive & Dine events as well as our stand alone
socials.
November
On November 2, we will be trekking out to
Hicks Airfield to the Currey’s hanger for Hangin’ at the Hanger.
Robert Geyer will be leading a cruise out to the airfield for those who
would like to do that or you can just meet us at the hanger for lunch at
the Wing It Cafe at 1:30pm for those that live in the area or choose not
to cruise. After lunch we will move back to the hanger to see what
Larry has going on there right now and enjoy some dessert. Be sure
to bring your lawn chairs and the beverage of your choice for an afternoon
of visiting. Robert will be sending out cruise info prior to the
event.
December
Our final
social event for the year will be the annual Christmas party and awards
banquet which will be held on Saturday afternoon, December 7 at 12 noon at
Los Vaqueros in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Currently it is unknown
whether or not they will be in their new location or not, but I will keep
you updated on that. Reservations and payment are due by the
November membership meeting. The cost of the event is $40 person
and there will also be a cash bar available at the event. Come out
and enjoy lunch, celebrate our award winner and have one last hurrah for
Cowtown’s “first 50 years”. Also, don’t forget to bring an unwrapped
toy for “Toys for Tots”.
Mary
Pittman
marypittman@hotmail.com
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LowDown Article - Historian
November 2024
I have been the historian for Cowtown
Vettes since 2014. When the historian position was created back in the day
there were no computers, digital photos, social media, etc. Club
members met together each year or so and collectively put together a
scrapbook of sorts. The bulk of these book are not archivable and are
subject to deterioration. That being said they are still in decent
condition and enjoyable to look at. The last scrapbook was created
in 2014 for the 40th anniversary and the plan it to create one for 2024 to
commemorate the 50th anniversary. Going forward we will rely on our
very comprehensive digital archives for both our written and photographic
histories.
In addition to scrapbooks, we have a fairly
comprehensive collection of LowDowns from the inception of the club and
trophies, etc. mostly from 2000 to the current year. This is
contained in 8 storage boxes and 2 large plastic totes. We have been
fortunate that Sylvia & Larry Hoaldridge offered space to store these
items at their home. These are still at the Hoaldridge home for the time
being, but I am in search of another storage location. Ideally
indoors (heated & cooled) would preserve the life of these items longer,
but they have also “lived” in garage space. If anyone has an area
where these can be stored it would be greatly appreciated.
Mary Pittman, Historian
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Secretary |
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Vicki Currey - Secretary - Timing
Chair |
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It is time
to elect our 2025 CTV Officers!
The timeline for these elections is as follows:
October 2nd
Membership meeting – take nominations for NCCC Governor and
elect. Nominations can be sent to
vfrostcurrey@live.com by
noon October 2nd,
if you are unable to attend the meeting. Nominations for all other
officers will be taken at the meeting.
October – all nominees will be contacted by email from
vfrostcurrey@live.com
for confirmation of willingness to serve.
November 6th
Membership meeting – a preliminary ballot will be presented to all with
any additional nominations taken from the floor.
By
November 20th,
ballots will be mailed to home addresses. All ballots are due by
Wednesday, December 4th
Membership meeting by 7:45 pm. Please follow all the instructions at the
top of the ballot in correctly returning it.
Ballots will be counted, and the new 2025
officers will be announced. In case of a tie, a runoff will be held prior
to end of the membership meeting.
Please consider taking an active role
in Cowtown Vettes in 2025.
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CTV Secretary
Just a reminder, the Membership and Board minutes are located in the
Members Only section.
If you have any questions about the minutes, please
feel free to contact me.
Timing Chair
If you are interested in learning timing for CTV’s autocrosses,
come spend
some time in the trailer and join in the excitement!
Vicki Currey
vfrostcurrey@live.com
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Treasurer - Digital/Social
Media - Sponsorship |
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Doug McMahan - Treasurer - Social/Digital Media - Sponsorship
Digital / Social Media Article
If you have not rec’d your 50 th Anniversary
Cowtown Vettes commemorative Deck of Playing Cards, please attend the next
Membership Meeting and see me. Each primary member /
household receives one deck of cards. I’ll bring a few
decks on the next cruise as well. If you’d like an extra
set (or two), see me as well, we did purchase extra decks of cards- these
are $5 per deck.
We will have the Events, Socials and such in the
next Slideshow @ Fred’s on November 6. . The slideshow will continue to
include some Corvette Trivia along with various other Corvette
happenings around the country. Larry (our webmaster) does post a
lower-resolution version online, on the CTV Website. Please provide any
submissions for the slideshow to me no later than Sunday evening of
the Membership Meeting week.
If you have been working on or updating your
Corvette with new items …or if you have taken a trip in your Corvette and
have some photos to share with membership, please send those to me and
I’ll include them in the monthly slideshow. Cowtown’s
Microsoft O365 account allows us to use OneDrive, which makes
it much easier for you to provide high-resolution photos from events for the
web and/or monthly slideshow. If you would like to share photos, please
take them in high-resolution; if not, they can’t be used on
the big screen since they would show grainy / blurry. These are needed
by noon, the Monday before the Membership Meeting. If you have questions,
please contact me and I’ll provide you with more information and the
OneDrive link to share your photos – basically use the highest
resolution option you can set on your camera or smartphone .
When you receive a CTV-ALL eMail blast, we would
request that you please only reply to the
originator when you are replying to a CTV-ALL email. When you opt
to reply, simply select Reply on the email, then remove
the CTV-All entry and replace it with the email address of the
originator. If you are sending CTV-ALL emails, please include your email
address in the body of the email so you have that address handy.
If you change your email or home address, Corvette, or
other info – please drop an email to
CTV-Membership@groups.io.
If you are not receiving CTV-ALL emails, please get
with me so we can either add you or figure out why you aren’t receiving
them.
More information on email distribution lists and the
acceptable use of them
can be found on our
website.
Facebook – if you are on Facebook and not a “friend” of
Cowtown Vettes, members cannot include you in tags at events; these tags
show your non-club member friends all the fun we are having. Who knows,
maybe some of you are in the witness protection program and
don’t want to be tagged J If you are
posting, be sure to tag Cowtown Vettes so it appears on our Facebook
news feed.
Doug McMahan
Digital / Social Media Chairperson
socialmedia@cowtownvettes.org
CTV Treasurer
As a friendly reminder, our Monthly Treasurer Reports
are located on the Member’s Only page on our website. If you have any
questions about the reports, please feel free to reach out to me.
Additionally, all the Budgets and P&Ls for events and
socials are on the Member’s Only page as well.
Doug McMahan
CTV Treasurer
treasurer@cowtownvettes.org
CTV Sponsorship
For our 50 th Anniversary, Cowtown could benefit and would
like to partner with some good club sponsors (at any level); see below. Do
you own or work somewhere that might be interested in becoming a sponsor?
…if so, help promote them to become a
Cowtown Vettes Sponsor? There are multiple levels depending on the
depth of sponsorship desired. Do you have a candidate or any thoughts for a
club sponsor? With club sponsors we can fund the financial needs of our
club, but we also have opportunities for funding an event or socials; or
event to print the Low-Down, etc. Not all sponsor levels have to be
automotive related, so talk to us and share what you might be interested in
sponsoring.
Note: We have a freshly painted Club Trailer
– Certain Club Sponsors Levels will have their logo added to our club
trailer, adding visibility beyond the flyer and our website.
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We always have copies of Cowtown’s
Sponsor
Program at the Membership Meetings – see me. They are also available
on our website, on the Sponsor page. If you need some in between meetings,
contact either me or the Sponsorship Committee
CTV-SC@groups.io
We continue tweaking the Member Guide that will help
everyone to understand and promote Cowtown to potential sponsors. This guide
will only be posted on the CTV Member’s Only website page –
not to be distributed to non-CTV Individuals.
If you have questions or need clarifications, please
reach out.
Doug McMahan
Sponsorship Chairperson
macsvettes@gmail.com
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Board
Members |
Raley Smith |
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Glenda McMahan
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Kim West
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William Nolan
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Cliff
Holden
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Officers and Chairpersons NEEDED
Cowtown Vettes needs some good candidates and
nominations for the 51st Year of the club; and that time is just
around the corner. Please consider stepping up to take on a role in Cowtown.
Officer Nominations take please for Governor @
the September Membership Meeting. Other Officer nominations take place at
the October Meeting via write-in nomination forms. At the November Meeting,
nominations are taken from the floor. There are certain requirements for
some of the offices, which can be found in our Bylaws.
Chairpersons are volunteers, which are equally
important, however, they do not require criteria like an Officer position.
We would ask that you find something which you have expertise in or that
interests you and step up. A couple of examples are the Social / Digital
Media Chairperson – do you have an interest in promoting our club events
and sharing the fun we have on cruises & socials, on Facebook? We also
need a Sponsor Chairperson that likes to reach out to businesses to
find us some partners.
To find out more about any of these positions, go
to our club website and select the Officer or Chairperson position you are
considering – then click on the title. That will bring up a description to
help you understand what they have entailed in the past.
Additionally, we have members that have served in
these roles previously and they would be willing to share experiences and
details around their time serving in that role.
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Membership
Chair |
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Ann
Walker - Membership Chair |
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NEW MEMBERS
LINDA BENWARE (RENEWING MEMBER)
PAUL AND C.J. FINCH
ROBYN HOWARD
JIM & BRENDA JOHNSON
STEVEN & DEBORAH STEAGALL
PaulFinch
Robyn Howard
Steven & Deborah Steagall
VISITORS
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NOVEMBER
BIRTHDAYS:
NOVEMBER 1 – DEBORAH JACKSON
NOVEMBER 3 – JERRY LINDSEY
NOVENBER 6 – PAULA WINTER
NOVEMBER 7 – ROBBIE SCHNEIDER
NOVEMBER 8 – CAROL HUNTEN
NOVEMBER 11 – GAYLE CHERRY
NOVEMBER 12 – JIM FORSYTHE
NOVEMBER 14 – KEVIN ANTHONY
NOVEMBER 16 – TERI WILLIAMS
NOVEMBER 17 – JOHN DICK
NOVEMBER 20 – KAYE SCHAAPVELD
NOVEMBER 21 – JIM JOHNSON
NOVEMBER 25 – KIM LITTLE
NOVEMBER 26 – LEE ANN PARKER
NOVEMBER 27 – NANCY WELLS
NOVEMBER 30 –
JIM JOHNSON
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NOVEMBER ANNIVERSARIES:
NOVEMBER 5 – DAVID & BECKY CLARK
NOVEMBER 8 – RICK & DIANE WHITCOMB
NOVEMBER 17 – JIM & DONNA FORSYTHE
NOVEMBER 25 – ROYCE & LINDA LUMMUS
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Cowtown Cruiser |
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Robert Geyer - Cruiser/Equipment Chair
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Hello cruisers,
Cooler weather is finally beginning to arrive. And with that
cruising season will soon come to a close. I have one last cruise
planned to Larry and Vicki's hanger for 'lunch and hanging out'.
This will happen on November 2nd, so be watching for my
informational emails for time and place, etc.
Remember those participating in the Cruiser Points program and the '
what I saw along the way ' photo contest ends on November 6th. You
will need to present both your points log and photos to me at our
November club meeting. You don't need to be in the Cruiser program
to submit photos for 'what I saw along the way'. I will display the
photos at November's meeting for membership voting. Still time for
that last photo, but don't delay!!!
I want to thank all those that participated in my cruises. It has
been my pleasure to lead you guys down some paths less traveled and
to destinations you might not otherwise have visited.
As always your input and suggestions for future cruises are most
welcome. And if you would like to join me as co-chair, I welcome
that too.
That's all for this year and I'll be planning for next year to be
better than ever.
Your Cruiser Chairperson
Robert Geyer
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Charities |
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Cathy Baker - Charities |
Hello
everyone –
As I stated in last month’s article,
the last quarter of the year, in my opinion, gets really busy.
Along with commitments we have for CTV
participation in upcoming events, it’s also the holiday season where we
celebrate with family and friends.
For
November, I have us planned as the CTV club to participate in a
“workday” at Tarrant Area Food Bank on November 14th
from 1:00-4:00pm in Quality Control.
I
have committed our club to at least 15 people. I will have a
sign-up sheet at our Membership Meeting on November 6th.
If
you are not able to attend that meeting and would still like to
participate, send an email to me at
cathybaker3@gmail.com
and I will include you on the list. After we complete our tasks at TAFB
– let’s plan to go out and have some good food and conversations as we
have done in the past.
Then again in December we have the Cook
Children’s Hospital Christmas Event (details to be announced) as well as
our Toys for Tots collection during our Holiday Christmas party planned
by Mary Pittman at Los Vaqueros on December 7th.
More to follow ….
Cathy Baker
CTV Charity Chairman
cathybaker3@gmail.com
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Webmaster |
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Larry Currey - Webmaster
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2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Makes Historic
Top Speed Run |
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Chevrolet sent a small team, including Corvette ZR1 lead development
engineer Chris Barber and General Motors President Mark Reuss to ATP
Automotive Testing grounds in Papenburg, Germany. Their goal was to push
the ZR1 to its limits, but as GM tells it, the team figured out... the
ZR1’s limits were higher than previously estimated. |
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As for the straightaway blast past 230 mph? “The car feels stable so
that it doesn’t present as that big of an event,” Barber said. The ZR1
that set the speed record was 100-percent factory stock, with
production-spec engine software, the standard aero package, and
stock-fitment Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires on aluminum wheels. “It just
feels like you’re going pretty fast on the highway,” says Barber. “Which
is crazy to say, but that’s how good the car was.”
That approachability proved to be an asset for Reuss. The GM
president, along with GM senior vice president Ken
Morris, had just landed in Germany. The two executives, both
seasoned race-car drivers, ran practice laps at 150 mph, getting a feel
for the car and the track. A short warm-up was all they needed. “They
were both ready to go,” Barber said. “They had confidence, like,
let’s do this.”
The next day, Reuss hit 233 mph on two runs in opposite directions,
setting a top speed that even the Corvette lead development engineer
wasn’t expecting.
The key element of this package is the massive downforce, reaching 1,200
pounds, helping the car stick to the track even at extreme speeds.
With a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 engine, the ZR1 delivers an impressive
1,064 horsepower and accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds,
a
true engineering feat that pushes the limits of what a Corvette can do.
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The ZTK package puts a strong emphasis on
aerodynamics and control. It
includes an aggressive high-downforce rear wing, front dive planes,
and a high hood with a Gurney flap, all crafted from woven carbon
fiber.
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These components not only give the ZR1 a fiercer look but also
enhance its performance by providing unmatched stability at high
speeds.
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On-Line / LowDown Feature
Article |
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Adding Lambo Doors to your Corvette:
Easier entry and exit...DIY
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First thing to do is tape up car with blue painters tape... to prevent any
scratches to paint while working and removing doors |
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There are several kits on line you can purchase
ranging from $1200-1500. Read the reviews and make sure they are for
your model. Follow dirrections carefully...very important.
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I found that my engine stand was the right height to place my door on... while
I unbolted it from the car... and I could roll it out of the way. |
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Once you have bolted in the new door mounts to the car ...you are ready
to reattach the door and check gaps. It took around 4 tries to get the
correct gaps.
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You will need a helper re-attaching the doors. |
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That's about it...took two workers and about 5 hours to complete the
project |
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Larry
Currey / On-Line LOW DOWN Editor |
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larrycurrey@yahoo.com
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National Corvette Museum |
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James Little - NCM Ambassador |
jlittledude@gmail.com
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About The Museum |
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At the National Corvette Museum, you’ll experience the legacy of
America’s Sports Car, the Chevrolet Corvette.
Discover a rich
history that spans over seven decades, showcasing the evolution of
design, engineering, and the Corvette spirit.
Engage in
interactive exhibits, experience the thrill of racing through virtual
simulators, participate in educational workshops, and view rare
memorabilia.
The Museum is a celebration of innovation, speed,
and the enduring appeal of the Corvette, offering an unforgettable
journey for enthusiasts and families alike, igniting a passion in each
guest.
To visit the NCM website...
Click National
Corvette Museum |
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Car Show Chair |
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Kim West - Car Show Chair |
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2024 Car Show is now in the
record books. The weather was perfect with yellow and purple as the
color of the day. We had 96 cars registered. The day started with a
great setup team and then there was a steady stream of cars to be
parked. Next came a moving National Anthem with all standing at
attention, hands over hearts, and everyone quieted. Then the show
became full of life till tear down. The car show team/committee and
workers are the BEST!!! This is a year long endeavor with lots of
meeting, emails, behind the scenes homework, and hard work the day
of.
Thank you all for your hard work:
Cliff Holder
Raley Smith
Donna Forsythe
Jim Forsythe
Cathy Baker
Jackie Holden
Randy Baker
Michael & Belinda Biggers
Debbie Lindsey
Larry & Vicki Currey
Jerry Lindsey
James & Kim Little
Bill Buehler
Mike Messerli
Doug McMahan
John Moulton
Mike Lindner
Larry Schaapveld
Tony Sokoloski
James Swaringen
Robert Guyer
Jack & Paula Winter
Jane Buehler
Steve Parker
Thank you to Hulen Mall and Macy’s. I received
lots of good feedback on the new location.
Congratulations to all the Class Winners and
Class Award Winners.
Best of Show Early is a white 1961 C2 owned by
Chris Welsh.
Best of Show Late is a yellow 2016 C7 Wide Body
owned by Doug Harper.
Best Engine went to Barry Ruth with a 1963 C2
red Convertible.
Best Interior went to Randy Hudzik with a 2005
Daytona Sunset Orange convertible.
Best Paint went to Robert Gentry with a gray
1970 C3 convertible.
I want to thank the judges who judged the Best
Engine, Interior, and Paint, Mike Kaiser, Fred Rosette, and Jerry
Lindsey. Jerry headed this sub-committee up and was a huge help. I
thought it would be a great idea to ask past members to judge since
this is CTV’s 50th anniversary. In fact, Fred was the
original car show chairman, and as I remember, created the show as
it remains today.
There are a few 2024 t-shirts available and on
sale for $15.oo (most sizes except for no medium or XL). Donna will
bring to the meeting. Get them while you can.
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NCCC Chair |
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Larry Schaapveld - NCCC Events |
treesandquail@skywi.com
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NEEDED: NCCC Event
Chairperson(s)
Cowtown Vettes
annual income, typically ~83%
comes from NCCC Events,
the remainder from the Annual
Corvette Show. Each year,
Cowtown typically holds an Autocross
in the Spring, along with a
Corvette Scramble
(has been at Fat Daddy’s) and another
Autocross
in the Fall.
Cowtown Vettes
is looking for someone to head up the
NCCC Event Chairperson
for 2025, when Larry
Schaapveld steps down. This could even be a couple of members if
one member wanted to chair the Autocross events (like the TCC events
this year) and the other the Scramble type events (car show, funkhana,
rallyes). Keep in mind that this chairperson does NOT have to be a racer
or competitor to be great at this, we have had previous chairpersons
that were not, and they did an awesome job. Do you have organizational
or planning skills? If so, you have most of the skills needed to
be successful. There are numerous knowledgeable members that will always
pitch in and help you any way they can.
We invite you to
get involved and help Cowtown with these revenue generating events and
consider this chairperson position. If you are interested and/or have
questions about this chairperson, contact
Larry Schaapveld,
Doug
or
Glenda McMahan,
or other members that have been around a while.
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NCCC Governor |
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Norman Walker - NCCC Govenor
NCCC EVENTS |
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Now up to 152 members
strong
Membership renewals are underway. Please
renew by the first week in November to avoid a late fee ($10.00).
The SW Region is once again busy! Last
weekend was the Oklahoma City event at Drumright. This weekend,
September 28 and 29 is the SW Region fundraiser in Killeen. October 12
and 13 will be the Cen-Tex event at McLane Stadium in Waco.
Regionally, in the top 10 are:
Currently, in the ladies’ Top 10 are: Number
1 - Lee Ann Parker, Number 9 - Cathy Anthony and Number 10 - Kim Little.
In the men’s Top 10 are: Number 2 - Larry Schaapveld, Number 4 – James
Little and Number 6 – Red Greenfeder. As a club, Cowtown is currently at
Number 1, with 2 more event weekends to go
Nationally, we have no individuals in the top
15.
Cowtown is currently 10th
Nationally.
Ann and I attended the National Governor
Meeting in St. Louis earlier this month. I sat in on the RCD meeting,
where many competition rule changes and clarifications were discussed
and voted on. If interested, the minutes of that meeting can be found
online. One thing that we thought would be mentioned in the general
meeting, but was not, was an increase in dues. Maybe next meeting…
Save the wave!
Norman Walker
CTV NCCC Governor
For Southwest
Region Events for our Club Members to participate in...
click on
this link
NCCC Southwest Region Schedule (ncccswregion.org) |
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CTV Market Place |
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Donna Forsythe - CTV Logo Merchandise
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Hello and welcome to the Logo Merchandise store. There are lots of
great things for sale with the Cowtown logo on them: Caps.Visors,
Sweatshirts, Long Sleeve T-shirts, Short Sleeve T-shirts, Men’s &
Women’s Long Sleeve Denim Shirts, Polo shirts Name Tags (Please note
that on all shirt orders, 2XL and up sizes are slightly higher) If
you want your name added to your shirt, Or a Cowtown logo or a certain
year Corvette added to your shirt. We also have stickers, patches
and koozies So stop by the Logo table before and after the meeting to
place your order. You’ll get your order by the next meeting. Donna
Forsythe CTV Logo Mechandise
dforsythe817@gmail.com
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THE END | |
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