On September 15, 2007 The North Shore Corvette Club launched its new website. The website has a bold new look and has been completely overhauled. " We wanted to make the navigation easier and provide fresh content to its pages," says webmaster Forrest Kulwin. Some of the changes you will find are a brand new picture gallery and a club news and notes page. In addition, a guestbook has been added and also an all new links page. In the works, a members only page and much more. "Feedback will always be welcome because the website belongs to the entire club," Kulwin said. "We hope everyone enjoys the website and visits often," he added.
Another memorable Funfest
It was picture perfect weather on Friday September 21, 2007 when 17 Club Corvettes met up at the Hinsdale Oasis on I294 and headed down to Effingham, Illinois for the annual Corvette Funfest at Mid America Motorworks. The Illinois State Troopers were out in force heading northbound but it was smooth sailing for us southbounders all the way down. With a brief stop in Rantoul, Illinois for lunch and fuel for those who needed it we were back on the road and cruised in to the Mid America Campus around 3:00 p.m. Our special club parking area was reserved for us and we had our club tent set up in no time. It was pretty hot and windy that day but no one minded. Once we got situated, it was clear to everyone that things were a bit different this year.
Our host had shaken things up a bit this year. The entire show had been re-configured and the entire layout changed into what resembled more like a state fair. Everything had been moved onto the north side of the main building. Even the "My Garage" Museum now famous among Corvette enthusiasts. Some of the best cars were placed under a big tent which was pretty neat as you could now see both sides of many of the cars. The concert venue too had been moved and a giant berm was built around the perimeter to create an outdoor theatre type feel.
After we all surved the new set up, it was off to the hotels for check-in. That night we all regrouped for an awesome dinner at a new restaurant. The Firefly Grill had reserved a special room for 40 members and guests and we enjoyed their excellent food and service. The dining area overlooked a quaint pond complete with fish. They enjoyed the scraps of bread fed to them by Eric Kirchner too. After dessert, some retired to the restaurant deck and pulled up a chair to the cozy firepit with a beverage. Saturday the sun was shining again and the show was in full swing. 16 more cars had joind the group in the club parking area for a total of 33 Corvettes. The highlight for the NSCC was the all new game show presented on the small stage. We were invited along with three other Corvette clubs to play the game "Club Feud" (a version of the tv show Family Feud) In single round elimination competition, the NSCC dominated and won the championship. In the speed round we were giving an opportunity to win up front parking at next years event. Tom Arvidson and Forrest Kulwin played masterfully and next year, we will be in the front row. In addition, the final speed round gave us reserved seating for the special concert Saturday night featuring Three Dog Night. We won that too! Everyone enjoyed the concert from reserved seating. Mid America even provided the chairs. The next day was Sunday and another perfect day. Some folks headed for home early and others made one last pass at the show looking at cars or trying to get that one more item they forgot to buy. All in all it was a great weekend and thanks to all of the participants. I hope you had a good time. We sure did.
Forrest Kulwin
August Membership Meeting Held at Performance Restorations
The August membership meeting was held on the 15th at Performance Restorations of Mundelein, Illinois. Our good friend and club member Brent Jarvis owns the shop where he has hosted us once a year for the past few. It was fun to see the current projects that the shop is working on. Brent spoke about the "Corvette Summer" replica car they are currently working on. Members got to see first hand the car up close and personal. There were some neat giveaways such as hats and shirts. We had a great turn out of over 50 people. All of whom got to help wish Tom and Barb Arvidson a happy 25th anniversary that they had just celebrated. Everyone had cake as they enjoyed the cars and talked with the staff at Performance. Thanks for having us Brent! More Photos
Annual Picnic at New Venue
This year the club's annual family picnic was held at Twin Lakes Recreation Area in Palatine, Illinois. The event which took place on Setember 15th was our first time at this venue. The weather was beautiful but a bit cooler than expected. Nevertheless, on a bright sunny day with great food and all of your Corvette buddies what more could you ask for. Congratulations to Debbie and Dave Settle, Sharon and Matt Hinman and all of the other helpers for another great event.
Jerry Mulick Takes Museum Delivery on 2008 Z06
On July 12, 2007 Jerry Mulick took delivery of his new 2008 Victory Red Z06. What made this delivery special was that it was actually in Bowling Green, Kentucky at the National Corvette Museum. Fellow club members Tom White, Ken Such and Forrest Kulwin accompanied Jerry on the trip. Ken and Forrest got to drive home the same day. Jerry and Tom drove the Z06 back the next day on Friday the 13th. (No incidents were reported.) More Photos
The North Shore Corvette Club had 30 cars registered for the "Fall Classic" Chevy Vettefest held over November 17th and 18th in Rosemont, Illinois at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. Many of the participants were showing their cars for the first time. It was a fun filled weekend with a ton of neat Corvettes and other classic Chevys to look at. The next Chevy Vettefest will be held April 5th and 6th once again in Rosemont.
Vettefest Scores Winners Galore !
Congratulations to all of the 2007 Fall Chevy Vettefest Participants
With a record 30 cars registered, the North Shore Corvette Club took the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center by storm this past weekend. The weather cooperated on Friday for moving the cars in, but it was raining and cold Sunday after the awards ceremony and moving out time. Thank you to all who participated and all those who came out to support the club. Special thanks go to Jerry Mulick for chairing the event and to Debbie Settle our Membership Chairman who worked our membership table so tirelessly over the two day event.
Jerry Mulick 2008 Z06-Gold Spinner, Jerry Mulick & Terry Myers 1963 Z06-Triple Crown Tom White 2006 Z06- Gold Spinner Dave Marros 1998 Coupe- Gold Bow Tie Ken Such 2002 Coupe- Gold Bow Tie Jim Benton 1996 Coupe- Gold Bow Tie Jim Pydo 1965 Convertible- Gold Bow Tie Les Rubin 2002 Covertible- Gold Spinner Don & Maragret Spires 1998 Convertible- Gold Bow Tie Matt Hinman 2002 Z06- Gold Bow Tie Frank Punzio 1999 Coupe- Gold Bow Tie Tom Arvidson 1989 Convertible- Gold Bow Tie Courtney Pazdra 2001 Convertible- Gold Bow Tie Al Pasternak 2000 Convertible- Gold Bow Tie Paul Plotnick 1978 Coupe- Gold Bow Tie Anna Petras 2005 Convertible- Gold Bow Tie Jim Spellman 2008 Convertible- Gold Bow Tie Steve Josenkoski 1999 Convertible- Gold Bow Tie Bob Kerfin 2005 Coupe- Gold Bow Tie Larry Agrest 2004 Coupe- Gold Spinner Harold Hasselman 1965 Bel Air- Gold Bow Tie Herb Nelson 1963 Corvair Convertible- Gold Spinner John Strewe 1967 Coupe- Gold Bow Tie Dan Przislicki 1982 Collector Edition- Gold SpinnerRobert Mikrut 1970 Chevelle- Gold Spinner Fred Kruger 1969 Coupe- Gold Bow Tie Ray Geiger 1967 Red Convertible- Gold Spinner Ray Geiger 1967 Blue Convertible- Gold Spinner John Brayton 1936 Sedan- Silver Spinner
Mark your calendars for April 5th and 6th 2008 when once again the Spring edition of Chevy Vettefest takes place in Rosemont, Illinois. We hope to have another record turn out.
Mini Golf Event Proves to be Challenging in More Ways Than One
It was an evening of challenges.
Ironically the first challenge was simply finding a parking spot.After laughing about who was actually parked the furthest away (Rich won, he had to park in Kenosha (just kidding!)), we got down to business.What color wrist band did we want?Who am I going to partner with?And most importantly, where the heck is that next hole???Black lights, obstacles, uneven holds and ripples in the carpet made for a tough course.Several people got holes in one; some of us couldn’t sink that ball no matter how we aimed.But that is the fun of mini golf!!
After successfully completing all challenges in the first 18 holes, we just knew we had to have one more ‘hole’.It was decided that for the 19th hole, we all meet up again at the Claim Jumper restaurant.Of course this posed a whole new set of challenges:Which dessert should I get?Do I play nice and share it with someone?Sure, it’s all in fun.
Congratulations to Eric Kircher for the low score of the night, 43.
Submitted by Rich and Cyndi Finstad
August membership meeting returns to Performance Restorations
On Wednesday, August 20th at 7:30 p.m. we will once again return to Performance Restorations for our monthly membership meeting. Owner and club member Brent Jarvis will host once again providing an inside look at his shop. There will be a demonstration on how to set up different weight distribution for your car. Look forward to seeing you there for it!
NSCC Car Show beats the weather for another successful event
With severe weather coming in by 6:00 a.m. , things did not look very good for getting the car show in. Soon though, the clouds blew out over Lake Michigan and sunny skies prevailed. Close to 80 cars stuck it out and helped to make the Bow Tie Extravaganza 2008 another success. A portion of the gate proceeds went to help fund The United Way of Lake County this year. Entertainment by DJ "39 and Holding" was superb as usual and this year we had brand new trophies. Thank you to Barb Harms who chaired the event and to all of the club members who helped in so many ways.
NSCC Annual Membership Recognition and Awards Banquet in the Books
The Annual Membership Recognition and Awards Banquet was held on Saturday, January, 19 2008 at The Cotillion Banquet Hall in Palatine, Illinois. Cyndi and Rich Finstad were the hosts for this excellent event. Ken Such was voted 2007 Member of the Year while Barb Arvidson won Best Female Diver of the Year and Matt Hinman took the honors for Male Driver of the Year. The evening was filled with music and dancing with live entertainment provided by The 45's. A 60's rock and roll band. No NSCC banquet would be complete without a raffle either and this one was no exception. With nearly 100 attendees this was a great success and Congrats to Cyndi Finstad for a job well done.
Bowling Party Rocks!
On Saturday, February 9, 2008 the NSCC held its 22nd annual Bowling Party. Thanks to Matt Hinman and Debbie Settle for another awesome event. The party featured bowling games which involved gimmick style shots at the pins while bowling in teams which alternated shots between partners. After the firt game we all took a break for some pizza. The second game followed with "normal bowling" and the third and final game went back to the gimmick style of play. Sharon Hinman made a cameo appearance with a giant bag of Valentines Day candy to sweeten things up. At the end of the night all members who participated in the grab bag game opened up their mystery packages. We are all looking forward to next year already.
Indian Summer Cruise Wraps up Another Great Year
It was a wonderful fall day that started out chilly and warmed up as the sun came out and highlighted all the beautiful colors. 22 Corvettes with 35 people started in Mundelein and traveled by rolling back roads to East Troy, WI. Thanks to Wilbur & Pam Buckle for taking the center and keeping the caravan together. Another big thank you goes to Pat & Vicki Joyce who rescued the Lowry’s with their jumper cables…club spirit and assistance wins again. In East Troy, the first order of business was lunch at Gus’s Drive-In. They were ready for the crowd and served great burgers, broasted chicken and lots of other “health food” in record time. From there it was on to the ElectricRailroadMuseum where we looked at all the memorabilia and boarded the electric trolley car. (Ask Al Ohm about the train whistle). A short trolley ride took us to The Elegant Farmer for some quick shopping for their cheese, sausages, gourmet foods and pastries! The pie in a bag is their signature item and they had the biggest muffins we ever saw. Many of us went home with bags of goodies. After we returned to East Troy by trolley, a stop at the old fashioned ice cream parlor next to the depot topped off the day. There were many delicious concoctions served by the soda jerks in a great antique setting. Another day with good friends…good food…good fun…pretty cars! Thanks for traveling with us. Lee & Sue Thorson and Ed & Barb Harms
It was one of our best Halloween parties ever.But then, I probably say that a lot.We did, however, have a great turnout with over 50 people.Costumes ranged from decks of cards to showgirls.Elvis to Tina Turner.Even corvettes joined the theme with Ken Such’s car winning ‘dead bodies buried in Vegas’ theme.Best male costume went to Al Pasternak with his rendition of a pimp (we all want to know why Al would have ever had that red suit) and Katherine Benson won best female as a pink pelican.Best couple went to Terry and Kathy Myers as Caesar and Cleopatra. It amazes me the creativeness of our members.We weren’t even done eating when the karaoke started.Joel started with his famous Elvis renditions and then the requests to sing started pouring in.A few drinks might have taken away everyone’s nerves, but once they started there was no stopping ‘em.We sang until close to midnight (and that was only because the place was closing).From the looks of the crowd, I think everyone had a really good time.The wheels are already turning for next year.
Submitted by Eileen Pazdra
NSCC Annual Food Drive Collects for Libertyville Food Pantry
The North Shore Corvette Club continued its annual support of the Libertyville Food Pantry by collecting non-perishable food items and other non-food items such as paper goods at the December membership meeting. Nearly 1000 items were collected this year along with some cash donations. Thank you all for supporting such a worthy cause.
35th Annual Membership Recognition and Awards Banquet takes the cake!
The guests entered the banquet hall wearing their finest.The gentlemen were stately and the women were flashy; it was the perfect atmosphere to begin a special evening.As the guests mingled with each other, raffle tickets were purchased.There were many prizes to wish for this year including an iPod, radar detector, digital camera, Garmin GPS, and the grand prize; a 42? flat screen TV.
After Dave Kyllo gave another of his tongue-in-cheek invocations it was time to eat.The Cotillion provided us with another gastronomic delight.They always do a great job in serving our event.
During dinner, the awards ceremonies began: Rick Craig was recognized as "Best Male Driver".
Barb Harms was recognized as the "Best Female Driver".
Jim Benton was awarded "Member of The Year".
Not long afterwards it was time for dancing.The band this year, The 45?s, played their hearts out.They had the dance floor full all night with one hit after another.Many sang along with the band, just to be sure they got all the words right! J
Before you knew it, the last raffle prize was claimed, the band played their last song and The Cotillion staff was looking to go home.The evening was a smashing success!!
In all there were 93 attendees to the banquet, next year why don't you come too?
Submitted By Cindi Finstad
Think Spring Event A Huge Success
"Thinking Spring" wasn't hard to do... We had 64 people and 6 Corvettes come to the party to celebrate a beautiful, sunny day in the 50’s…what better way to “Think Spring”. There was lots of conversation, laughter and activity to fill the evening as people sported their spring outfits, leis and hats. An enthusiastic group watched the heated NASCAR Bud Shootout race. The pool table was busy all night with lots of gals showing off their shooting skills…lots of competition this year…look out guys! There was an abundance of food with 10 appetizers, 10 side dishes and 9 desserts enjoyed by all…thanks to all the great cooks for your help. The NSCC Corvette cookies in red, blue, black, orange and yellow were a great hit…thanks Jim and Terry. Special thanks to Jim Benton for hauling the NSCC chairs again this year and to the great cleanup crew who worked so hard to put everything back in order. Ed and Barb Harms
C5/C6 Birthday Bash Reveals New Corvette Lineup
Five o' clock in the morning and Ken Such was pulling in my driveway. I debated calling him the night before to tell him that I would not be going. You see, I was the event chairman but I had a horrible cold and knew that I had a 7+ hour car ride ahead of me. Not to mention that I would have been exposing my good buddy Ken to my germs couped up in a confined Corvette cockpit. (say that 10 times fast) I felt like crap but soldiered on so I would not disappoint the participants. I climbed into the passenger seat with my box of Puffs tissues and strapped in for the ride to Cracker Barrel. That would be our meeting place for the long caravan to Bowling Green, Kentucky where the C5/C6 Birthday Bash was being held. Each year the National Corvette Museum holds the event to mark the release of both the 5th and 6th generations of the Corvette.
We arrived a bit late at Cracker Barrel but so did most of the others. As we had breakfast and talked about the weekend, the others arrived and we were on the road soon after. It wasn't long before one of our caravan cars became disabled. Bob and Anna Petras took a direct hit to their right front tire. Yes, it was a monster pothole. They could not continue and told us to go on ahead while they looked for a tire. Our next stop would not be until deep in Indiana where we would make a rest stop and check back with them. After that it was on to Seymour, Indiana for lunch at Steak and Shake. I ran into Wal-Mart for some cold medicine and knew I was fading fast. We had a few more hours to ride to the museum and then the group dinner that night. We talked to Bob Kerfin and he was heading east from Effingham, IL where he picked up his friend and would meet us in Bowling Green. Meanwhile, Bob and Anna secured a new front tire and were back on the road.
We pulled into Bowling Green around 3:30 p.m. and looked around the museum and picked up our credentials for the weekend event. WOW! they really did a lot of building and made the museum twice as big as it was. A new conference center, cafe and atrium with a brand new Corvette store and a Corvette library. Beautiful to say the least! Everyone agreed. I needed to get to a bed and it looked like I was going down for the count. We arrived at the hotel and checked in. I told Ken to call me a half an hour before dinner to see if I was alive. The call came right on schedule but as I feared, I could not get out of bed. I told Ken to give my regards to all and play host in my absence. The group had a great dinner at Montana Grill (a perennial favorite).
The next morning came early and when Ken called to see how I was, I could only barely cough out a "go ahead without me" I missed the entire day and stayed in bed drinking orange juice and trying to rest. By the end of the day, I felt well enough to go to dinner with the group so we all went to Longhorn Steak House. I got myself a shot of whiskey and had a nice dinner. It was the first time I saw anyone since Thursday afternoon. We all retired for the night and looked forward to the main events on Saturday.
Saturday morning was nice. In fact, the weather everyday was perfect. Ken and I went over to Waffle House while the others went to various different places or ate in the hotel lobby. The museum was bustling with activity but not as crowded as in previous years. The unveiling of the new 2010 Corvettes was presented in the new brick circle in back of the museum. There we saw GM executives roll out the new Grand Sport and GT1 editions. Torch Red will make its comeback as a color in 2010 as well. Later the auction brought thousands of dollars to the museum building campaign and the ice cream at the cafe hit the spot late in the day. The last activity for the day and the weekend was the Banquet. Although attendance was about half of what it normally is, the food was delicious and Phil Murray, Ken Such and I sat with some nice guys from Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. The band played oldies and we stayed til the very end. Looking forward to next year already!
-Forrest Kulwin
Trip to "The Brickyard" Picture Perfect but Room For More
It was 80 degrees and sunny, a near perfect day to drop the top and drive to Indy. That is exactly what I and 5 other NSCC members did.We were met at Indy by one more NSCC member.In just over 2 hours, with no speeding tickets, we were in line waiting for our turn to get on the famed 2 ½ mile long Indianapolis Motor Speedway.We temporarily “joined” a Corvette club from Indiana to get on the track faster.While the speed on track may not have been great, I did hit 60 twice. Just being on a track that has been there for 100 years, with all that history was a thrill. After our hot lap and finding a place to park our Corvettes, we had to eat.After a lunch of corn dogs and beer, we made our way over to gasoline alley.That is where we took in the sights, sounds and smells of IRL race cars.A 650 HP Honda engine running on 100 % ethanol sounds and smells sweet. There were even a few drivers standing around willing to sign almost anything put in front of them.Wandering over to pit lane, we viewed past Indy 500 winning cars.How did they race on such skinny tires?As usual, Chevy had a large display on the grounds.We saw everything from a 100k ZR1, a Z06 and a few regular Corvettes to a Camaro or 2.Did I mention the 2010 Camaro is the pace car for this year’s 500 miler?A trip to Indy would not be complete without a stop at the museum and the purchase of a centennial polo shirt and pin.(There are a few race cars to eyeball there too)We had a fine time at the Indy Community day. I hope more of us will go next year.
-Eric Kirchner
Milwaukee Mile fun for all, while helping a worthy cause
Drive the Milwaukee Mile… A clear, sunny day, 70o, 29 gorgeous cars, 38 enthusiastic people, and Spring fever…a picture perfect combination for a fun driving event. The group gathered at the WI Welcome Center and caravanned north to the legendary Milwaukee Mile Oval in West Allis. After turning in our generous food donations and unloading our cars of unnecessary items, we took off for our track laps. Although we had a pace and follow vehicle, they let us get some speed going so we felt some G force around the turns…most reported speeds of 65-75 although a few got it up along the straightaway. The only regret for most was not signing up for more laps before the event and some went back out for a second run. We enjoyed seeing the many different cars, trucks and hot rods in the show, ate lots of burgers, brats and hot dogs, and shared conversation about cars and all the car-related events of the past and planned for the future. Watching other vehicles drive the mile including motorcycles, dump trucks, 18 wheelers and stock cars was most interesting. At the end of the day awards were given out with our very own Paul Plotnick being recognized for his beautiful 1978 white show car with one of the five unique trophies. Way to go, Paul! Good Friends…Great Cars…A Race Track…Perfect Weather… What a way to spend a Sunday in May! Thanks for joining us.
Enjoy!Ed and Barb Harms
Fathers' Day Charity Car Show; a Huge Success
What a day! Sunny, 80’s, 125 fabulous cars, trucks and street rods, 6 vendors, 77 trophies, 36 raffle prizes, 121 door prizes, a DJ, food galore, and hundreds of car enthusiasts! A combination that was sure to win!
We were very proud to pay tribute to our many Veterans at the show this year and look forward to the picnic at the VA Medical Center in North Chicago on Sunday, August 30. In addition, generous contributions were made to the Libertyville Township Food Pantry.
The registration and parking workers were kept really busy as cars poured in until 11:00 to compete in 25 classes of Corvettes, Chevys and Street Rods. There were vehicles as old as a 1932 Street Rod to a brand new 2010 Infernal Orange Camaro owned by Sam Ciolino, and everything in between.
The People’s Choice went to a 1969 White Camaro owned by Gregory Lehman and the Dealer’s Choice was Terry Black’s 2008 Black ZO6. Congratulations!
The DJ, Scottie, from 39 and Holding, kept everything moving with great music, announcing endless prize winners and giving away $242 from the 50/50 pot. Country Dogs from Grayslake did a wonderful job of filling the crowd with sausages and burgers, chips and beverages.
NSCC members are very fortunate to have the support of our sponsor, Jim Spellman of Libertyville Chevrolet again this year. Jim not only provided the facilities, he also paid for the trophies, t-shirts, show flyers and posters and, in addition, donated 4 raffle prizes. Eric Defort was wonderful, opening up at 6:00 am and lending assistance to the event all day Sunday. Thank you.
A huge thank you to the car show committee members, many of whom met for months planning the event and working on their own area of responsibility. Steve Ahlgrim, Tom Arvidson, Jim Benton, Pam & Wilbur Buckle, Jeannie Domerchie, Skip Gallagher, Donna Harding, Ed Harms, Matt Hinman, Eric Kirchner, Forrest Kulwin, Joe Lowry, Wayne Nelson, Paul Plotnick, and Ken Such. Many of these folks donated untold hours, talent and hard work to the success of the show.
Last but not least, thank you to the 67 club members who willingly and cheerfully volunteered their time during the event. Many worked more than one job and multiple shifts. It was a sea of bright blue t-shirts among the fabulous cars keeping everything hopping and running smoothly.
-Barb Harms, Car Show Chairman
Bloomington Gold Found In St. Charles
Every year since 1973 one of the most influential Corvette events takes place right here in Illinois, it has descended upon the greens and fairways of the golf club at beautiful Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Illinois since 2002. This year was no exception. On June 25th -28th Corvettes took over the grounds at the resort and came from all over the country and even from outside the United States to partake in the festivities. Bloomington Gold has become the benchmark for judged originality of Corvettes. No question the show has made its mark on the automotive world.
The North Shore Corvette Club made its mark this year as well. With 20 cars caravanning from Ritzy's Restaurant in Rolling Meadows. After a deliciously filling group breakfast, it was off to the show. In years past, we have presented this outing as a multiple day event with a two day minimum and special club parking, a pin and a price tag of $60.00. Our best year since we started that was 11 cars in the "Gold Club" parking. This year , we decided to do the event as a one day outing from morning until night. The results were awesome! We originally had 30 people sign up and 20 cars showed up to the restaurant to caravan. Once we got there, everybody paid just $20.00 to get in and we all parked together as a group on the golf course. We ran into at least 10 more NSCC folks who either arrived earlier that day or later than our group. Saturday is the day of action at Bloomington Gold.
This years event was warm and dry all day almost until we got home that night. This year they presented the Grand Finale of "The Special Collection" and moved the Mecum auction inside the main building while most of the vendors were moved to a new super-sized tent complete with air conditioning. The food vendors were pretty much the same as in years past but always friendly with great quality. There are always lots of parts vendors and Corvette specialty item vendors too.
The best part of the show was the "Gold Tour". A 40 mile road tour that loops through Kane County with hundreds and hundreds of fellow Corvette drivers. An awesome spectacle to be a part of or just to spectate. The sheriff's department cleared the way for most of the journey through the quiet rural roads (with the exception of the roaring engines pushing out maximum horsepower wherever a straightaway would allow) . As the dark clouds were rolling in we pulled back in to our starting point at the Kane County Judicial Center where we all bid each other farewell and agreed on what a great time we all had. Some of us finished the day by dining together at the Buffalo restaurant in Buffalo Grove. We drove home that night in the rain from the restaurant but had a fantastic day filled with great weather lots of Corvettes, friends, and fun driving. I can't wait for next year! Come join us!
-Forrest Kulwin
2009 Independence Day Parades, Wet and Dry
July 4th – Two Parades, One Day
The day dawned and all eyes were on The Weather Channel – Would it rain on our parades?It doesn’t matter; the Vettes can handle a little rain.
Two by two they started to come into the pre-staging area.Soon we had 29 cars to form our caravan to the Arlington Heights Parade.They had a new starting area for us, but after a little rearranging there was room for all of us.
There are many entries in the Arlington Heights Parade but we kept hearing “Where are the corvettes?”, “We can’t leave until we see them all!”With lights flashing, horns tooting and engines revving (in neutral of course) we put on a display worthy of our name.The crowds loved it!
After the Arlington parade, most of us made a quick dash to McDonald’s where a quick pit stop was made for lunch then it was on to the next parade.
We were late checking in for the Mt. Prospect parade, but the parade officials were very accommodating to our delay.They made sure we were able to slide into the parade in our designated position.By this time it was drizzling but the streets were still lined with eager parade watchers.“Ooh look at the corvettes!”, “That’s my favorite color!”, “I love your car!” was heard the whole length of the parade.They made us feel special.Well honestly, who doesn’t like looking at corvettes, even in the rain?
Rich and I want to thank all the participants.Without your continued support, this event just wouldn’t be the same.Let’s make it a date again next year.
-Cyndi Finstad
Veterans Car Show Draws Over 200 Cars
On July 18th , the NSCC participated in another great "Veterans Car Show" in North Chicago, IL. 30 cars and their owners met at the Full Moon Restaurant in the morning for breakfast and some conversation. We then drove a short way to the VA campus to get parked and registered. The total vehicle count this year was 211. 57 of those were courtesy of the North Shore Corvette Club-49 club cars and 8 non-club member cars. We all enjoyed visiting with each other and admiring the sharp vehicles. Everyone was surprised and relieved that it didn't rain a drop! There was no parade due to construction, but we were assured there will be one next year. A sincere thank you to everyone who supported our "Veterans Car Show". I know everyone at the VA appreciates our participation.
Hidden Valleys IV... What a Ride!
7 Beautiful cars…14 Enthusiastic people…1,700 Miles of Squiggly Roads…a perfect combination for fun! We headed out on the interstate to Festus, MO, just south of St. Louis, stopping along the way on old route 66 to see the Dixie Truck Stop, Bunyan Hot Dog statue, eat at the Palms Café; the first of many tasty, if not healthy, meals. When was the last time you ate fried spam or a fried bologna sandwich? It was on to West Plains, MO the 2nd day with stops at 3 state parks with time to explore beautiful natural sights. Day 3 took us to Branson, the long way around with a stop at the scenic overlook and dam, with lunch and a visit to the Branson Auto Museum where they had a photographer for the group. This evening we were off to Lambert’s, the Home of the Throwed Rolls for fun and more “home style cooking”. In Branson, folks did their own thing with the 5&10c store downtown, 50’s diner with singing waiters, shows, and the water & flame show being the highlights. Day 5 we were off to Eureka Springs on great back roads and the infamous “Hill”. This town is great to explore and driving around the area is beautiful. That evening we went to the Pine Mountain Jamboree for an “entertaining” show you would never find around here! We won’t forget Scottie soon… Day 6 was an aggressive 206 miles from Eureka Springs to the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, AR. We went to the Elk Education Center, explored Jasper, stopped at an overlook and had lunch at the Lazy Apple Lodge. Go to their website and see NSCC front and center! (www.lazyapple.org) We had a relaxing, free day to explore the town and visit with the artisans at the Folk Center who are a wonderful group of people. That evening, after an all-you-can-eat ribs and chicken dinner with all the fixings, we went to the theater for an Arkansas champion fiddle show. It was toe-tapping music with folks from the audience going on stage to dance the polka, 2-step and the jig. We headed north to Troy, IL on Sat. with some of the most aggressive roads of the trip. There was a stop at a Chevy dealer, Mammoth Springs State Park, and lunch in Eminence MO. Rt. 19 is a classic roller-coaster, whoop-de-doo road which no one will forget anytime soon. The day ended on interstate and we all said a sad goodbye to the squiggly Corvette roads. Sunday we stopped in Springfield for the Rt. 66 car show and thoroughly enjoyed the great collection of cars, clear skies and more food! There we met more club members coming from Fun Fest. Everyone took off on their own from here full of memories from a week of friendship, laughs and great scenic drives! Thanks for traveling with us and a special thanks to the caboose, Lee and Sue Thorson, for keeping us safe!
