Thriller

Hear hear! (or just ditto )

Whimper. Why didn't those lottery numbers come through?

So, does the last statement speak highly of the pretty green Riv, or less highly of modern Cadillacs? :cool:

Interesting. Under the tributes, it should be Barb Gerstkemper, not Bard. Personally, I don't much care for the "Local Clubs" heading. We know them as Chapters, Divisions, and Regions within the club. If someone who isn't a member comes to the site, would they understand that the "local clubs" are chapters of the BCA that require membership in the BCA to also be a member? Something I've always been interested in seeing with respect to regions is a map. Perhaps I'm just more visual, but while the names are somewhat descriptive, they aren't all. Actually, on closer inspection, is it that there is no contact listed for Four Corners that causes the Golden West Region not to be in bold like the other region names? I'm curious as to how this came about...choosing a new webmaster, a re-design, vetting information, etc. I'm relatively active with the club and semi-active on the forums, and this comes as a complete surprise. The overall web site design has to be a real challenge. There is a need for something public-facing that non-members can learn about the club. However, the membership is likely to want more information that shouldn't necessarily be publicly available. It is in a similar fashion as these forums in that while affiliated with the BCA, it isn't exclusive to BCA members, so there should be some caution exercised with respect to internal machinations of the club. Overall it looks good. Let me echo Lamar's thanks to Roberta, a past president, for her years of service looking after the web site.

Steve, the Brass Buicks moderator, is from Washington state and will be going to Hershey, so that could get it closer to a new home.

Pretty car. Good luck with the sale. A car like this is a good entry to the hobby. Comparatively inexpensive, relatively modern in terms of repairs, rare enough to be unique / attractive at most local shows, and reasonably easy to drive.

On life support? 90% there, so the price complete would be $55,555? Maybe it's a typo with an extra zero.

why would I do that when I already have a '54 wagon that SCALLOPS would look great on. :cool: Rita, a, after you revive Lamar, tell him I was kidding.

I'm thinking the buyer got a good deal. Of course, I could be wrong. I often am. Temptation removed. There is that.

No worries Barney. I'm not sure there should be an "if" about newer Buicks...if they are registered, space should be available on the show field. I guess we always see old Buicks in the parking lot (not the show field), so six on one hand and a half dozen on the other. One issue I have with the electronic Bugle is not conceptual, but as far as I understand, I can't download a copy and keep it. The Internet isn't quite ubiquitous enough for me to access wherever. There are also times where I need a break from the screens and paper is a nice alternative to curl up with. It is easier to share paper copies with prospective members too. Im happy to to see this discussion.

I like the idea for this thread. First, I recently brought an idea forward to the board. I was included in their e-mail discussion and the initial voting results. I'm not certain on the final result of their vote on a motion, but I presume that if it carried and results in a change that it will be communicated to the membership in due course. Regardless of the outcome, I feel the treatment I was given over a small issue was empowering to me as a member. While I'm not on the board at present, I was made to feel a valued member of the club with something positive to contribute. Barney - since we were staying across the street, the 2006 Rainier on display was not there for "better" parking. Our original plan was to bring the '29 as a work in progress, but decided against that owing to concerns regarding ownership crossing the border. The next plan was to bring the 2002 Regal to be judged and have the teenagers look after the prep. We looked at having some touch up paint work done, which revealed bigger issues that were not worthwhile to repair. So, the decision was finally made to bring the Rainier - while not being the most fuel-efficient, it was reasonable and gave us greater comfort for the trip. I should also note that we were thanked by someone prominent in the club for bringing it. As a Buick, it is valid as a BCA club vehicle, so should be eligible for the show field. I don't think of it much differently than other years when a local Buick dealership has displayed new Buicks at the national meet. I could certainly be wrong, but I don't expect a few folks bringing a modern Buick is going to negatively impact attendance nor what is brought for the meet generally. I firmly believe that any BCA member who brings a Buick should be able to have it on the show field in some fashion. Personally, I would have enjoyed having a Regal and Verano or two around have been nice as I am considering getting one. Chatting with owners is a better way to get a feel for a car than the sales and marketing pitches. That wasn't intended to be a defensive response nor argumentative. I apologize if it came across as such. One thing that having a couple modern Buicks at the national meet did point out is that we need to assess how we handle them. Right now, the field layout is determined by the chief judge and their team, but we don't even have these necessarily properly assessed as belonging to a class. Since the judging program only deals with vehicles at least 12 model years old, we need o figure out how to handle such Buicks in the future. Should the chief judge be the only one involved in how that is set up if they aren't concerned with newer Buick autos? Should we simply plan a different "class" for modern Buicks?

:cool:

Realistically, there aren't many places you are able to see that many Buicks that old. Way cool. Thanks for sharing. I don't think I can say I've seen Brian at a show where he wasn't under a hood or a car or something similar.

I had the Wildcat out to a local cruise night tonight. It's the first time she's been out / shown this year. I have to download photos from the camera tomorrow.

Nice. Me like.

Whimper. What on earth am I doing in the buy / sell forum anyway?

That is typically the case. The point I was attempting to make is that judges are asked to do chassis typically not due to knowledge nor experience, but simply a presumed range of motion. My son was put in that position a year or two ago and was nearly turned off of judging because he didn't feel confident he knew what he was looking at or for. The physical challenge of judging the chassis (not a huge challenge necessarily) could be a hindrance to getting additional judges to volunteer.

I dare not ask the location. It isn't about the cash value for a lot of us in the hobby, although that is a factor. If no one is interested enough to save this car, hopefully it will be used to keep another one on the road. There is a lot of value in having something that is unique.

It amazes me the condition of some of the parts remaining and the fact that they are still there. I'm not surprised to see another go, but it's a shame to know about the loss of some of these parts.

Regarding your last paragraph Keith, it isn't merely about correctness in terms of how someone does their own car. I've done a lot of thinking along the lines of what is a point worth for my cars. Those small correctness details may turn out to be expensive to move the car up a level. That isn't what everyone wants for their own cars. That doesn't imply they don't have the knowledge, skill, nor correct attitude for the judging process. As as for the judging teams, the captain is typically the most experienced judge. Unfortunately, that doesn't necessarily make them the most knowledgeable nor the best team leader nor the best ambassador to owners of their class. It merely means they've done it more often. In addition, the newest judges are often younger, so they are typically given the task of judging the chassis. Personally, I think the exterior is considerably easier assignment. There are a lot of correctness details on the chassis, to say nothing of a tendency to accumulate rust and dirt. It is relatively easy to examine the exterior and discuss with the team captain issues like colour or whether a side mirror is authentic when the captain can easily walk past and take a look. More experienced judges "paid their dues" judging the chassis as prior meets so feel it is ok to let the newbie get down on a knee. Short of using lifts or renting a pit, I'm not sure we will ever address this satisfactorily. As as with many things, for each individual involved, we are likely to get a different opinion.

Ditto to what JD said. You have our condolences.

Hemingway's Blue Water Seafood Restaurant is in the Bass Pro Shops about 6.6 miles from the host hotel.

Well said Mark. I've said it myself. If everyone having a car judged got involved in the judging process, each class would be in the range of six cars, so judging on show day would be done in about two hours and everyone could get on with enjoying the show. Many my good thoughts in this thread, a few controversial items, and mostly civil discussion. I like it.

I understand very well NTX. I guess what is in my mind is to put recognition on a more even footing. Making the awards longer is one way of doing it, but perhaps we need to go the other direction and reduce the pomp and ceremony regarding the 400 point awards. People resist change and I know some wouldn't like it, but do we need two hundred folks to walk up, stand around waiting for their name, and getting a plaque and a handshake on the spot? Perhaps having a table like registration with a few volunteers able to hand out the plaques after the banquet could work. Even if they were announced by name, Buick model, and award, and then just stood up for recognition, others wouldn't need to wait for folks to make their way to the front of the room. This could either have the effect of speeding up the banquet (with some extra work to be done after handing out the hardware) or would allow for a banquet of the same duration that allowed more time for recognition of others or something. I'd rather see everyone together and included than splitting things up. As it is, some of the different groups and divisions are almost a bit like cliques already.

Well stated gentlemen. The logistics of changing parking around for the final day could be cumbersome. There are always folks who want to park their car once and leave it. That at said, the one argument against parking by year / era is regarding the judges having to do some extra walking and determination of whether or not cars are judged. As a judge myself, I believe that is a weak argument as a class is typically small enough that it isn't out of control. Judging team captains are supposed to determine the cars to be judged so the onus is on them. One suggested improvement was that the colour coding of sheets between white and blue can be difficult if behind tinted glass, just put an abbreviation for the nature of the car along with the class (ie Driven, Display, 400, etc.). That makes it highly visible as to how the various judging teams should address the car based on the window card. That at leaves a final question of how to potentially modify the banquet and awards ceremony to be more inclusive. There is typically a rather lengthy program devoted almost exclusively to the 400 point cars with a nod given to modified judging and a few other special awards. If we could modify the program so that all members come away feeling appreciated for their participation in the meet, perhaps banquet attendance would increase (granted I understand cost / frugality is part of the equation as well). Just an opinion....