Ray_Knott

Greetings, The hotel has not sold out. All is well. Ray

HI All, Sorry to hear about all the Covid infections. I too returned home on Sunday feeling horse and tested positive on Monday. Got all my shots and feeling OK now. After a two year wait I thought this would not be a problem. I thank you all for attending. Branson is a great town and we enjoyed the week. If you have any favorite photos of the event, please send them to me in an email at ray@rivowners.org

I regret to announce the passing of Dick Sweeney, Charter Member of the ROA, who lost his long fight with cancer on May 22nd. Dick had been a technical advisor for the 1963-65 models for many years and sold parts from his Alpine, CA home. Dick was always very generous with his time and knowledge of the early models. He will be missed.

Greetings, Due to the uncertainties with the pandemic and for the health of our members, we are rescheduling the international ROA meet set for June in Branson. Our meets are more than a gathering of people and cars in an open parking lot. Our typical meet consists of four days of indoor gatherings with vendors, events, snacks, drinks all day and hor d’oeuvres in the evening, ending with an award banquet. Unfortunately, none of that is possible at this time and may not be in June. We were contracted for a set number of sleeping rooms and food expenses and if restriction governing social distancing and masks continues, we would not be able to meet our contractual agreements. Any payments made in advance for this year will be refunded. Since Branson is a popular city centrally located with many attractions, we will reschedule for next June instead of going to Oregon as originally planned. We were limited to the selection of dates. To avoid a conflict with BCA we will meet a few weeks earlier from Wednesday June 8 to Saturday June 11, 2022. Other than a change of dates there will be no change to the hotel, prices or schedule. If you know that you will attend in 2022, you can request to have your registration forwarded. If so, we need to know by email or phone by March 20th, or refunds will be sent. Don’t forget to cancel with the hotel at 417-335-4700. In the meantime, stay well and we’ll see you in 2022. Ray Knott ray@rivowner.org

The March/April Riview will hopefully arrive in your mailbox this week. Delivery times for the last issue varied from the 1st to the 25th of the month of January. Sometimes within the same state. All issues are mailed on the same date, delivery depends on state and local service. This issue includes an article titled "Awaken a Sleeping Giant" which covers in detail what is required to start an engine that has been idle for years. We regret to announce the passing of Linda Hall, on the 24th of February. Linda, who with her late husband Brian, started the very active Australian Region of ROA in 2009. She will be missed.

I just checked and the Nov/Dec password is not working. It will be fixed ASAP. Sorry for any inconvenience. Ray

I have reschedule Kalamazoo for 2023. We are already contracted elsewhere for 2021 and 2022. By 2023 we will return to this part of the US.

Kalamazoo, 2020 CANCELLED In the interest of our member’s health and anticipated government restrictions we must cancel our meet for this year. Refunds submitted to the ROA will be refunded. Contact the hotel directly at 269-385-3922 to cancel your rooms. See you next year in Branson!

Yes, it is still early and like the rest of the world we have to wait to see what happens. Certainly if the meet is cancelled there will be refunds. from the ROA.

Regarding the request to have a cruise of the countryside around Kalamazoo, we are planning a scenic fun cruise after dinner on Tuesday. It will be a slow relaxing tour with directions and questions based on the sites. This is much like we have done in the past. I am also attaching an updated schedule with an announcement of a speaker on Tuesday afternoon.

We will have convoys leaving the hotel each morning to lead members and their cars to both the Gilmore and Air-Zoo museums. I don't know if there are interesting places for evening tours, but I will look into that. Ray

To clarify your concerns, I sent photos from the ROA collection to be used in this book. It was in the spirit of supporting and encouraging the publication of a book devoted to the Riviera. It has been over 30 years since a book was published to include resource information and photos on our favorite car. Having such a publication goes a long way to promote the marque and educate owners, ROA members or not. I am sorry that some are upset that they were not contacted, but I had no prior knowledge of what photos would be selected for the book. I am currently on vacation with very limited internet access and can be reached best at ray@rivowners.org after my return on December 10th.

We have started a new page in the Riview called "Member's SNAPSHOTS." We welcome members to send us two photos of their Riviera along with your full name ROA # and city/state. The photos must be at least 500 KB in size and sent as jpg attachment to ray@rivowners.org.

The photos I've added are of the various activities, including tours, several views of the 16 vendor tables and our panel of Tech advisors at our annual Q&A. I also added several photos of the beautiful setting and display of Rivieras at the Wyndham. The Sept/Oct Riview, devoted to the meet will have a summary of the event and even more photos. Thanks again to all who attended and shared in a fun week!

Get out your calendars for next June and join us in Kalamazoo. We are close to the Gilmore Car Museum with over 400 cars displayed in numerous structures - a total of 190,000 square feet on a 90 acre campus. If that is not enough there is the Air Zoo, a Smithsonian- affiliated Aerospace & Science museum,, just three miles from our host hotel. For details on the hotel and our schedule go to our website at www.rivowners.org.

My Thanks to all who attended our 2019 Meet in Gettysburg this past week. Our great members always make it a memorable event. In addition to the many attendees, we had 98 outstanding Rivieras in a picturesque setting, under clear skies. A list of winners will be posted on our website www.rivowners.org. Next year we will be in Kalamazoo, MI from June 22-25th. Details will follow.

I am gratified to read these comments. Thanks! Keep in mind the Riview is a collection of information provided by the members. Michelle Finney, our Graphic Designer takes my rough material and gives it the professional appearance you see. Bob Wannall is our proof reader who applies his newspaper experience to get our thoughts and grammar correct. Looking to the future I need your suggestions for articles, technical experience, reliable part sources and Member Showcases. Please email me with your thoughts and if interested in featuring your car I will send you the guidelines.

Just called Auto City, the tanks are not available for sale at this time. "Fitzo1969" was their test case. They expect delivery in late January and a price has not been determined, it will depend on the import tax.

Good to hear the tanks are now available. We passed on this information in the Riview last July, but a production date and price had not been announced. What is their asking price?

Keep in mind that the deadline to register with the ROA and the hotel to insure you receive a dash plaque and get the special hotel rate is May 26th

Thomas, We here at the ROA look forward to your article and ask that upon completion you send a copy to us so we can share it with our 2,900 members world-wide. Ray Knott Director / Editor ray@rivowners.org

Hardy was a dedicated Riviera man, who shared his love for collector cars with his many friends in his home state of Texas. Having the opportunity to meet him at two International ROA meets I also know why he has so many friends. Good Guy! He will be missed. Ray Knott ROA # 1

I want to thank you all for your kind comments. Even after 33 years I still enjoy preparing the Riview and with the help of many we have kept the ROA alive and well. However, I regret to announce that DeWayne Ashmead, the owner of the '71 on the recent cover and the three-page showcase, passed away this past weekend. Ray Knott

A full color print of the 2017 Meet drawing is on page 35 of the September/October 2016 Riview. If you don't have that issue email me with your request Ray Knott ray@rivowners.org

Mid-Week Discount, ROA International Meet I am pleased to announce that we have been granted a reduced Mid-week discount at our host hotel in Reno. Registrations must be made as members of the ROA and use our group code (SROA17). A rate of $54.99 will apply on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, a reduction from the $74.99, which will be applied other days. These rates will apply to those who have already registered. Ray Knott