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BCA NATIONALS, AMES, IOWA JULY 24, 2010


RICK YOUNG

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JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS..............

"IOWA BEAUTIFUL LAND OF BUICKS"

THE IOWA STATE CENTER FACILITY IN

AMES, IOWA IS THE CHOSEN SITE FOR THE

2010 BCA NATIONALS

JULY 24 - 31, 2010

* THERE WILL BE JUDGING

* LOTS OF ECONOMICAL THINGS TO DO

* THINK FRESH SWEET CORN

* GREAT TASTIN' FOOD COOKED BY "GOD FEARIN' WOMEN"

* OPEN CAR SHOW ON SATURDAY BESIDES THE BUICK SHOW FIELD.

* FRIDAY NIGHT MUSIC, FOOD AND BEER

* SATURDAY NIGHT BANQUET

* SEVERAL ATTRACTIONS NEARBY IE;

....JOHN WAYNE BIRTHPLACE

....FIELD OF DREAMS

....BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY

....CAR MUSEUMS

....TRAIN RIDE OVER THE DES MOINES RIVER VALLEY IN THE LAST STEAM ENGINE EVER BUILT.

....CONSTANT SHUTTLES TO THE MOTELS

....AND MUCH MORE

THERE WILL BE NO HOST CHAPTER.

* THE HAWKEYE CHAPTER WILL HOWEVER ASSIST

* AS WELL AS THE HEARTLAND REGION WILL BE ASSISTING

YOUR HOSTS AND CO-CHAIRS ARE

RICK YOUNG AND BILL STONEBERG CURRENT BCA BOARD MEMBERS.

THEY WILL REPORT TO THE BCA BOARD.

NOW IS THE TIME TO COME TO AID OF YOUR CLUB.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR COMMITTEE CHAIRS AS WELL AS THE NORMAL VOLUNTEERS.

ALSO , ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE JUDGED AND THOSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO START, WE NEED YOUR HELP ALSO.

CHECK THIS LINK FOR A PANORAMIC VIEW OF THE SHOW FIELD

ISU Outdoor Panoramas

IF THIS DOESN'T WORK GO TO

www.iastate.edu

search "outdoor panoramas"

click the drop box and select "IOWA STATE CENTER"

WEBMASTER CAN YOU HELP ME WITH THIS LINK???

LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING ALL OF YOU IN IOWA.

AND NOW ON TO COLORADO SPRINGS..............

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Rick and I are serious about volunteers, we have put together what we think will be a good show for you all.

But we need your help. If you can volunteer to help some, a lot, or a little, please contact us and we will take you names and be in touch.

If you have wanted to see how a National is run so you can have one yourself, we need some committe chair volunteers.

Please let us know.

Ames Iowa is a small town (23,000) that wants us to come. They had the Hot Rod Power Tour last year and loved them. They are looking forward to the BCA Nationals.

More information (hotels etc) as time gets closer.

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Bill,

I'd love to volunteer to help but right now it is just too early. When plans are set in concrete, I will officially throw my hat into the ring. Good luck!

Come on all of you guys and gals that have said you will help out even if it is for a little while, let's go.

stevo

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Bill, I'd like to help if I can. How do you see this working? What committees are needed and is this something that can be sucessfully accomplished considering the fact that I'm located quite some distance from the show site?

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Bill,

Count me in for help. I will get back to you later with some ideas where I might help. But you should be aware being from Texas,and after my days many years ago in Stillwater, this is the north Big 12 country. I may have to wear my OSU hat rather than one of my Buick ones.

And thanks for this development.

John Scheib

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Hi John & John,

Thanks for the offers,I have your names and we will get you plugged in when we get started. We are still in the planning and budget stages right now.

You asked how this will work, we envision conference calls to keep up with progress, more calls as the show get closer and closer. We are not micro managers, we expect the jobs to get done as promised or a call for help.

Then the week of the show, working to get your job done as promised.

If you need help, I expect you to recruit them. We will have a pool of volunteers but if you can get help all the better.

Anyone else wants to volunteer, add your name to the list or PM name and Phone number.

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Great to see we have a site and a couple of good guys to head up the program. I cannot commit that far out, but will gladly help if timing works out with my work travel.

I strongly suggest we have a meeting in Colorado Springs to establish more details and recruit more help.

Way to go guys...

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Guest imported_Thriller

Excellent...I haven't checked a map, but I have kin in Iowa, and it's relatively nearby, so we'll plan to be in attendance...unless for some goofy reason I am overruled. The next question will be which cars to bring and whether to go for Driven Awards or judging...I guess time will tell.

I honestly can't commit to volunteering with anything at this point, but I can certainly put in some time on site with photography or parking or something that doesn't require local knowledge.

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  • 1 month later...

I live in Omaha, but I am a native Iowan as well as an Iowa State Cyclone fan so I know a little something about the Iowa State Center area. This area is made to order for the National. There are tons of hard surface parking area due to the close proximity of Jack Trice Football Stadium and Hilton Coliseum Basketball Arena. It is all "right" there.

In addition, there are large expanses of grassey areas as a part of the center. The Reimer Gardens are right there as well, and are gorgeous. The Butterfly Exhibit is just amazing. It is a huge butterfly house with many butterflies flying everywhere. They check you as you leave the house to insure you don't have exotic butterflies stuck on your clothes, and you may well have them. Really neat.

I'm excited about this choice. I think Buick visitors will be too.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest cfBuick

Sounds like it will be a great time. Rick, I especially like your line that reads...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">* GREAT TASTIN' FOOD COOKED BY "GOD FEARIN' WOMEN"</div></div>

Priceless... grin.gif

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  • 4 months later...

Guys,

Put me down to help out. I am happy to do so. I havent done much lately with the local chapter, as rebuilding from the floods took most of my time. All done and behind us, so looking forward to doing some "car things" this summer, and I really would like to see this show done right.

Mark Lob

319-247-2403 office

319-361-6465 cell

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<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Yea yea Stevo. I look forward to judging your Riviera...again.

_________________________

Bryan "Jake" Moran

</div></div>

Jake, I meant to ask you about this statement. Did you judge my Riv in Batavia?

stevo

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  • 4 weeks later...

I will post the question as I emailed it to 2010iowa@gmail.com on July 8.

Hello,

I was unable to make it to CO this year and am planning to make the IA meet

since I live in nearby MO. I have looked in the current Bugle received today,

the BCA website just now, and see nothing about hotel info. Will there be

a host hotel? Will there be one or two designated hotels? Special rates?

It's always been my practice to make hotel reservations immediately following

the current BCA national meet. I want to make them NOW! Please

advise.

Thanks anyone and everyone!

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One quick note of caution:

While I was at Iowa State getting my Master's Degree the area around Hilton Colosseum (the area shown in the panorama link where the show field will be) flooded severely in a freak 5 inch/1 hour thunderstorm. The water was about 4' deep at the ground level where the panoramic camera was mounted. It is a low-lying floodplain, but it takes a really exceptional storm to flood the area. This was 25 years ago, and I don't know if has ever happened again.

Iowa State has a beautiful campus, and Ames is a lovely little town. It looks like a great place to have the National.:cool:

(BTW, when I lived there I thought the best restaurant in town was Aunt Maudes - Ames, Iowa - Restaurant . I still remember eating one of the best sea bass dinners I've ever had there.)

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Yes, most of the area was originally a Flood Plain. The stadium was built 24-7 through the winter of 1975. Several things have been done "Up Stream" since. Iit survived the floods of 1993 which were the worst for that particular area . Similar to how Eastern Iowa got it in 2008.

As to Aunt Maudes; THE BEST BLOODY MARY'S ever.

The "Orange Duck Flambe' " is out of this world.

Hang On the the Meet Info is coming soon.

RY

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

Iowa was "chosen" because it is centrally located. 80 % of all our members live withen a day or 2 drive, even in an old car. Also Rick, the other organizor besides myself, lives 20 minutes from Ames and we have the help from the Hawkeye Chapter and Region.

The Ames CVB is working closely with us to insure that we have a great show.

The Packard club was there earlier and they had a great show. We are looking forward to the same success.

As a Board Memeber, I am extermely happy that a club stepped forward and bid for the National Meet in the east. I have been wanting to go out east for a while. To rotate between the different regions of our country is a good thing.

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Did you know

That come 2011 it will have been 13 years since we have been to the NE Region for a National

Also the BCA National has been in the

Great Lakes Region 19 times (that's over 50%), last time 1 year ago

Heartland Region 6 times, last time 3 years ago and have the next meet

Four Corners Region 2 times, most recently this year

South Central two times, last time 5 years ago

Southeast 3 times, last time 15 years ago

Northeast twice, last time 11 years ago

Golden West twice, last time 18 years ago

Mid Atlantic once, last time 9 years ago

Northwest once, last time 2 years ago

Here is the list of National Locations (it doesn't have the Region on it I just figured it real quick, I hope I didn't make any mistakes)

Buick Club National Meets

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I really wanted to try and get a group together and have a BCA National in Maine, but there is no chapter here and very few of the Maine members I have contacted expressed an interest. I had some long e-mails and conversations with Pete Philips and I did get in touch with Jack Welch of Minuteman. He and some other members actually came up to Portland to look at some of the facilities, but ultimately decided if they were going to put on a National, they wanted to do it closer to home. Additionally, none of the hotels in the Portland area followed through with info, plans, etc. Very disappointing, so I think that's another reason Minuteman decided on Danvers. Only one facility I contacted expressed any real interest and that was Sunday River Resort in Bethel, Maine. I also went to my Rotary District Conference at the Samoset Resort in Rockland in June and that would be a spectacular place to have a National. I already have bus tours planned out in my head - L.L. Bean headquarters, Owls Head Transportation Museum, Boothbay Harbor Railway and Car Museum. Fort Knox, Portland Head Light and other historical sites, a lobster bake, etc. I really think I could arrange a great National, I would just need people to help during the event - and that's where I fall short. I would never dare to try to make Iowa in my '71 LeSabre but Danvers is about 150 miles, so I am looking forward to 2011.

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A 1940 Buick made the drive from Massachusetts to Colorado this year. I'm not trying to make you feel bad, but a '71 in decent shape should be a nice drive, albeit possibly expensive on fuel.

I'm still trying to decide on whether to drive two old Buicks down or to trailer one of them. I was having some starting issues the last hot day I ran it, so late July in Iowa could be a problem for it unless I get it all figured out.

I'm looking forward to it. I have kin in Iowa City (I think I previously erroneously posted Sioux City) that I'm going to try to see and I have just confirmed the location of my great grandfather's grave in northeast Nebraska, so things are starting to come together.

Danvers is too far out for me to figure. It comes close to the end of school, so I don't know if we'll have time to drive the family out...we may consider flying.

John - it sounds like a great plan. I'd be interested in L.L. Bean and Owl's Head for sure. It would also be closer to a set of in-laws in Halifax for us. You may want to consider asking for volunteers generally within the BCA, but particularly among the chapters in your region. Some things do need to be headed up by someone familiar with the area, but a lot of the tasks can be done without that local knowledge. Keep pondering it...I think it would be a great area for a meet.

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Hey Thriller - I read where a couple of old Buicks made it from Mass to Colorado for the National. Based on looks, my '71 probably could make Iowa but the tranny is weak (reverse is on the way out), the trunk floor has pinholes in it so exhaust fumes find their way inside, the radiator leaks on occasion, there's a vibration in the drive shaft above 50 mph - something's worn where it fits into the tranny, things like that. But, the AC still works! I just filled it with gas today and averaged 11.53 mpg from the last fill in June. As you can see, I haven't driven it much this year. The car originally belonged to some friends of my uncle's, he passed the car on to me in 2000. My uncle passed away in June of this year and while going through his desk, I found two record books that he kept on the car. I never knew he did that. I always thought the car was unusually tough on gas, but the records my uncle kept show it pretty consistently delivered between 11.5 - 12.5 mpg. On a couple of trips to Florida in the early 80's, it did have some readings in the 14-15 mpg range so it would cost quite a bit to get it to Iowa. I took my '72 LTD 351W to Hershey and averaged 18.3 in comparison. I had a '66 LeSabre with the 340 and got between 16-18 with that so I'd really like to find a low mile '65-'70 LeSabre, Wildcat or Electra with all the luxuries, a nice tour car.

As far as a National in Maine, I'd love to do it, and honestly, I don't think I'd need help arranging it. As far as I'm concerned, the fewer people involved in the planning, the better. However, there are only two chapters in Mass and one or two in Connecticut which would be 4-6 hours away which makes it difficult to garner help putting the show on. With the National in Danvers in 2011, I doubt the BCA board would approved having another National in New England for another couple of years after that. Maybe 2013-----I should be retired then and looking for something to do.

Oh, and almost forgot, my grandfather came from PEI. I have a lot of relatives there still. Haven't been back since 2003 but hope to go next year. It will be our 35th anniversary and we're thinking we'd like to re-trace our honeymoon trip around Cape Breton and PEI. Just have to get our passports.

Edited by John_Maine (see edit history)
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I have decided to try and make Ames for my first national. Going to take the old Buick out of state on it's first road trip ever. Going to go for the National Driven Award. Should be alot of fun. Talked with my brother today who is going to come from AZ. and take the trip with me. He sounded quite excited also and will be our first national. Now I just hope the old Buick is up to the trip and will spend the winter going over everything as it really has not been on the road much since the 60's. Any one else from northern Michigan headed to Ames would be great to hear from, and have others to enjoy the trip with. This will be quite a trip for the old Buick as everything on this car is original right down to the paint.

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Papaw - that's a great car! I look forward to seeing it there. There's usually a pretty good contingent of folks from Michigan at any National, so hopefully you should be able to caravan with someone. It also gives you a bit of insurance to travel in a group should something happen.

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I am hoping some others from the area will be going as like you said alittle insurance on the way. This old car has never left the state of Michigan and some think I am alittle crazy to take it. Maybe after the trip I will agree with them or maybe we will all be amazed. I will be going over everything this winter, hoses, tune-up, bearings,etc...

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Why do they think you are crazy, after all the cars when they were just cars (not collectable cars) went everywhere. If you check everything and make sure you everything is in good order, it should be no big deal, just an enjoyable drive.

A couple of suggestions, you should have some extra parts (belts, hoses etc.) to be safe. You wont find a belt for your coupe at the local NAPA. Also stay off the interstates it is much more fun that way. HAve a cell phonme and triple A and you should be set to go. Enjoy the trip.

We are looking forward to seeing you and your car in Iowa.

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I am hoping some others from the area will be going as like you said alittle insurance on the way. This old car has never left the state of Michigan and some think I am alittle crazy to take it. Maybe after the trip I will agree with them or maybe we will all be amazed. I will be going over everything this winter, hoses, tune-up, bearings,etc...

No not crazy at all. I remember Pat Brooks drove his 40 Buick from Iowa to Dallas Texas in July a few years back for the BCA National and there is some serious heat involved there.

Old cars are no less reliable. I have driven some worn out Buicks across long stretches of the western US when the next town is 50 plus miles away and may only have 100 people.

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I wouldn't tinker with the old car too much. I learned my lesson in 1994. In 1993 I drove a 1966 Skylark convertible to the Phoenix Nationals pulling a pop-up camper. We went to the Grand Canyon before and had a nice vacation. I did nothing to the car before I left, just hooked up the camper and started driving. No problems. The 1994 Nationals were to be held in Atlanta. I started over-thinking and decided to 'fix' a few things before I left for that trip. I replaced the points, plugs, wires, alternator, hoses, painted the engine, etc. before I left. Well, the new alternator went out after the first 100 miles, causing me to change it on the road. On the second day (July 4th) the new points went out. I was stranded on the side of the road. Miraculously, an old mechanic rescued me, took me to his garage, found a new set of points and installed them for me. The next day the new lower water hose was too close to the fan belt and the belt rubbed a hold in it, spraying hot engine coolant all over my freshly painted engine. It seems like I had heating problems every day after that. The moral of the story is that, although it is good to be cautious, sometimes it is best to leave things alone. These old Buicks are strong and will run forever with minimal maintenance. Be confident in that.

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