NCRS Florida
32nd Winter Regional Meet
Old Town; Kissimmee FL
January 20-23, 2010
Always one of my favorite events of the year, this was our 11th appearance here. It was memorable for a number of reasons, and Ed Augustine and his dedicated team are to be congratulated for dealing swiftly and effectively with a couple of unusual circumstances.
Thanks to NCRS FL, we were able to raise
$2339.00
for the American Cancer Society!
Wednesday, January 20
Leaving home was quite a contrast from last year: a day trip instead of 2 days,
and 53° at start vs. -20° last year!
Arrival in Kissimmee.
The view from my room.
Thursday, January 21
The daylight view.
All set up in our usual spot, ready to distribute cancer information and
sell 50/50 tickets to benefit the American Cancer Society.
Yes, ALL of that display came out of the Vette, including the tent!
This was the windiest day I've ever dealt with while set up like this! The tent stakes
were pulling out of the ground and the hood on the car kept blowing shut! I finally
gave up and secured the display by 4:00. Check the banner on the fence - standing
straight out! At least I could keep an eye on the display from the room.
See that black wall approaching in the last photo?
Overnight I was frequently awakened by crashing thunder and torrential rain pounding on the window. Each time, I looked out to see that the table was still there! (We found out the next day that a tornado briefly touched down about a mile West of us!)
Friday, January 22
This was the view in the morning: Hey, that lake wasn't there yesterday!
More views of the new "lake-front" properties within 200' of my table.
That golf cart with the pump was there ALL DAY.
Bill Herron dubbed this the "Swamp Meet"!
All the "laundry" (tarp & rags) drying on the fence.
Saturday, Jan. 23
Panorama from my seat behind the tables where we continued to push cancer information and sell 50/50 tickets.
Once again, I apologize for not having any photos of the rest of the cool stuff going at this great event. Since I was solo for the 2nd year in a row, I had a short tether to the table for the duration.
Saturday evening
This was an incredible evening!
I arrived at the Radisson at 5:45 to get to work pushing 50/50 tickets at the Awards Banquet, only to find the parking lot gated, and the hall, dark!
What the... ???
Thinking I might have misunderstood the location, I cruised the Ramada next door. Not a Corvette to be found. Back at the Radisson, I went completely around the complex and spotted a Vette. The owner was just coming out of the lobby with a dazed look on his face. He said that he had just been told that the Corvette banquet was scheduled for SUNDAY night!
WOW...
I dashed back to the Comfort Suites to spread the word. Everybody was stunned! About 6:30, Tyler Townsley pulled a Suburban up to the CS entrance and announced that THERE WAS A BANQUET, and this was the shuttle! I went back over to the Radisson to start selling the 50/50 tickets. Somehow the banquet was, indeed, ON! The bar was set up in the lobby as usual and inside the hall, the banquet was nearly set up! I started selling tickets, and I swear, if you got there 15 minutes late, you would never know there had been a "problem"!!!
How NCRS-FL and the Radisson managed to pull this off is mind boggling. Both are to be highly commended for their massive effort that overcame what could easily have been a total disaster! They managed to set up a full banquet for about 200... in 45 minutes!
Once again, Ruth Primeau helped sell the 50/50 tickets. Despite the somewhat shortened time to sell, this great NCRS group came through with a pot of $1039. The winner was Bill Clupper: The past NCRS President graciously donated his winnings back so that the entire $1039 pot goes to the American Cancer Society. Thank you, Bill!
Ed Augustine then auctioned off 2 NCRS judges totes, bringing an additional $300 to also go to ACS.
NCRS also matches event charitable donations, up to $1000.
That brought the total contribution to the American Cancer Society to $2339.00!
Sunday, January 24
After packing up my display I went over to see Rich Van't Hof of
Advanced Design Coatings at his display of hood insulators.
These aren't just painted - they are sealed with a nearly
indestructible coating. Here's a sample:
He will be making one for our C6, using the flags as the center of our Corvettes Conquer Cancer logo.
Below is a photo of the finished product installed.
Thanks Rich!
Then I checked out the Classic Corvette of Orlando's
Wonderful World of Corvettes show that was in progress.
And there was "Corvette Mike" Milian (New England), one of our sponsors.
Gorgeous 62 "mod rod".
Unique midyear hardtop (I'll bet that gets a little warm!)
My 50/50 helper, Ruth Primeau, with hubby, Joel Stieglitz.
Thanks again, Ruth!
Samples of the show:
Leaving Old town for a visit with Sandy's sister & her husband in Ft. Myers.
Her parents were also there and we had a great visit!
Monday, January 25
On the way back home from Ft. Myers, I stopped in at Don Garlits' Museum in Ocala. In a former life, I was part of a team that ran against him many, many times, and I wanted to show him some photos of the old days of drag racing. I just missed him!
( See: http://www.corvettesconquercancer.com/old_drag_photos.htm )
Back in Sweet Home Alabama, enjoying the fact that this is now a day trip...
Thanks again to Ed Augustine and the great NCRS family!