2013 BCA National Meet, South Bend, Indiana

[Thriller]

You are quite welcome Dale. Had it not been for the sign you were wearing, I suspect we would have simply passed by each other.

I've come to the point where I believe it is the Buick automobile that is the thread that brings us together for events like this, but eventually it is the people we meet that keep us coming back.

[Booreatta]

the string sign was a nice touch, how many times do we simply pass each other on the showfield not knowing who they are. Well I now know who you are, thanks to your efforts. Derek the same things go for you, I have read your posts for a long time and never had the chance to meet face to face, it is always a real pleasure

Chuck Kerls

[stealthbob]

Thanks for your input Derek...not sure if it is because we are both North of the 49th or that you just know how to lay it out so that I understand your point but I like the way you put it in perspective.

So glad you had that time with the kids, memories are forever...

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Thiller,,,THANK YOU got taking the time to spot the string sign I was wearing and introduce yourself.

It was so nice to meet you and 5 others,

Sorry I did not run across you, Dale.Missed you and several others.

Ben

[MrEarl]

Each meet has some issues. Are they the end of the world? Certainly not. Does everyone think they get the full value for their buck? Certainly not. However, in the scheme of things, we drove two cars over 2000 miles round trip, so the cost of fuel makes the fact that registering a car for $25 for display only pretty much irrelevant. If it is that big a deal to you, then perhaps there are other things you ought to be doing.

Derek, I am sure you didn't mean anything by it but in defense of the gentleman who reported the problem of being overshadowed in the parking lot by new iron, that is all he was doing, much the same as you did in some parts of your post. And since I am being a bear about this, I may as well be a grizzly and say I think he had every right to "complain" and deserves, if not a refund, at least an explanation and an apology for the unfortunate problem that occurred. Not to be told by anyone to go play elsewhere.

I can assure everyone of this. Lord willing that I drive one of my fitty fo's 3000 miles to Oregon next year, I won't be parking between two 24 ft SUV's.

This is all I will be saying about this and hope I didn't abuse the original intent of the thread. I've been asked to unsticky it so that it can be replaced by a new 2014 National thread. So here goes.....

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

I did have a wonderful time in South Bend.

But it started a few days earlier when I was HONORED to have these blokes visit me Stuart Syme and his buddies stopped by. We had a good visit and showed them a couple of OZARKS attractions.

At that time, I was not making the trip to the Nationals. But then my Bride of ???? years persuaded me to "Just go. You know you want to!" So fired George up and away we went. I am here to say, he performed flawlessly. I can't say {brag?} enough about the EFI. Nary a stumble, hitch, cough, or anything negative. Avg gas mileage was 17.5.

I did not take as many pictures this year. But a few of my favorites. The Trails.

A motley bunch

Thought LAMAR was there for a moment!

Dandy Daves ride.

I thought I did something great in driving as far as I did. Then found out the tan '28 drove as far as I did

Beautiful '52 .

1941 and 1942 LIMITED. Whats not to like. My favorite Limiteds.

Enough. Enjoyed my self. Met a few folks I wanted to . Missed many more. Perhaps, if enough time remains, I will figure out how to meet everyone I want to at a Meet.

Ben

Edited July 25, 2013 by First Born (see edit history)

[MrEarl]

GREAT Ben, tha's what I've been waiting for. PEOPLE pictures.

You know, about 7:00 am last Friday morning, I had a terrible headache, felt like my head had been ran over and flattened by a dump truck. Now I know why. But I told everyone I would be there in "spirits" and would have a "car" there.

[Thriller]

Derek, I am sure you didn't mean anything by it but in defense of the gentleman who reported the problem of being overshadowed in the parking lot by new iron, that is all he was doing, much the same as you did in some parts of your post. And since I am being a bear about this, I may as well be a grizzly and say I think he had every right to "complain" and deserves, if not a refund, at least an explanation and an apology for the unfortunate problem that occurred. Not to be told by anyone to go play elsewhere.

No offense was intended. If we refunded everyone who complained, the BCA would be broke and I don't want that. An explanation is certainly warranted.

As stated somewhere (this thread or another), there was nobody on any sort of parking duty directing traffic. A display lot was set up that never had more and a dozen meet cars in (whether or not all were registered or were set up as display only, I'm not sure). There was a truck and trailer in there Wednesday that never moved, and a variety of modern vehicles, whether staff, meet attendees, or other hotel guests, I do not know. I wasn't happy about it. The thing that gets me is based upon the number of vehicles seen in the display and driven lots lead me to wonder if they couldn't have fit in the main lot in the first place.

[smithbrother]

Personally, I am going to continue to SUPPORT BCA, and am confident they will chalk it up as a LEARNING EXPERIENCE.

As I stated days ago in a post, when I drove down the side street, and crossed the service drive/road I spotted the sign, DISPLAY VEHICLES. I automatically felt it was for vendors to park their equipment, I too saw a trailer, so drove on to the PUBLIC lot.

Not a big deal to me, cause I wasn't planning on showing my 41, but that's how I saw it. Yes, it would have been helpful had someone been stationed there, but maybe the BCA was people poor.

I do love you all though,

Dale in Indy

[1937-44]

No offense was intended. If we refunded everyone who complained, the BCA would be broke and I don't want that. An explanation is certainly warranted.

Derek,

Glad no offense was meant, and none was taken. I'm the person who initially got the subject of the Display Parking going. It got started in some respects by accident. I tried to take a picture of all the 1954 Buicks I saw at the meet then I posted the pictures on the 54 Highway with the following paragraph;

"Hope this post is in the right place as I wasn't sure where else to place it. Here are the 54's I found at South Bend and thought those of you that couldn't make it would enjoy seeing them. I apologize for not taking a better picture of the Baffin Green and White Century, but it was an oversight as it's my car and to be honest I took this picture to demonstrate the manner that the cars in the display class were parked."

I admit to being livid when I pulled into the Display lot on Saturday morning. I did take the picture of my car in the lot as I planned on sending it to the BOD with a complaint. It was never my intent to request a refund although in some respects it would have been justified. I believe there was a lot of organizational issues at the South Bend meet that need to be addressed and not repeated. The number of issues with this meet were to me many, and if no one complains how can we expect things to improve? I have not sent an email to the BOD yet, but I will soon. I know I'm not the only person who was upset with things at the SB meet and encourage others to communicate with the board, not just with complaints, but also by telling them what they did that was good. Hopefully the BCA will listen, respond, learn and improve to make the BCA National the outstanding meet it deserves to be.

Carl BCA #5538

[Dave Gelinas (XP-300)]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]205233[/ATTACH] Should Buick have done this in '48?

Ben

Yes, but with the steering wheel right side up.

[Dave Gelinas (XP-300)]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]205239[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]205240[/ATTACH]1941 and 1942 LIMITED. Whats not to like. My favorite Limiteds.

Ben

Mine also, Great photos Ben.

[smithbrother]

Why would I say, AMEN????? LOL,

Dale in Indy

[jscheib]

I am up early this morning, and rested after a drive back from South Bend, and feel I should make a suggestion. We have a new president, so I trust he, as well as Mike and Nancy, will welcome some constructive criticism going forward to improve future meets. So I suggest you write them with your comments in a friendly manner, by email rather than this public forum. I would also suggest you may want to copy in other Board Members if you do not trust the "system". But I think it best that you just cover one or two items at a time so as to not get lost in a "ramble" and they items can be easily tracked where they think they have merit. I think some of the tour items warrant a response especially where the bus company may have been at fault and did not fulfill their contract. In general, my observation was that there seem to be a shortage of volunteers (who by the way earn revenue for their chapter, for time served). Apparently their were commitments made but were not filled, so I have one suggestion at this time. The committee needs one strong person to handle these volunteers and have a more formal arrangement to identify them, give them some identifying clothing, and make sure they serve the time pledged. (Many hands make light work, or something like that). I think there were many things that went well, and some not so good. So I thank Mike and Nancy for their work, as well as the entire committee and trust improvements will be made in the future, I also apologize for this running together. If anyone reading this can tell me how to restore the "enter" stroke to this forum, please let me know. It failed a few weeks ago. John

[jscheib]

I forgot to mention another thing. Regarding parking all cars in the class (driven HPOF, Display and judged) you should be aware that the AACA (reference Page 36 of Antique Automobile May/June 2013) is quite proud of their new alignment of that parks the "HPOF and DPC entries at the front" followed by the point judged entries. John

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Yes, but with the steering wheel right side up.

LOL! Dave, I missed that. I always try to park with the wheels straight. Obviously this owner did not.

Ben

[John]

We have a new president, so I trust he, as well as Mike and Nancy, will welcome some constructive criticism going forward to improve future meets. So I suggest you write them with your comments in a friendly manner, by email rather than this public forum. I would also suggest you may want to copy in other Board Members if you do not trust the "system".

Here's a listing of the officers and directors:

[TABLE=width: 90%]

<tbody>[TR]

[TD]2013-2014 OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS:

President:Kevin Kinney - Minnesota (email)

Vice President: Dick Sweeney - California (email)

Chief Financial Officer: Bill Stoneberg - Texas (email)

Secretary:Mark Lob - Iowa (email)

Board Member: Marck Barker - North Carolina (email)

Board Member: Brian Clark - Ohio (email)

Board Member: Brian DePouli - North Carolina (email)

Board Member: Keith Horsfall - Ontario, Canada (email)

Board Member: Chuck Kerls - Kansas (email)

Board Member: Paul Syrdal - Minnesota (email)

[/TD]

[/TR]

</tbody>[/TABLE]

[MCHinson]

jscheib,

http://forums.aaca.org/f131/ok-heres-something-weird-348988-2.html

Check out this link, post 32 may be able to help you with your "enter" issue.

[Dave Gelinas (XP-300)]

I am up early this morning, and rested after a drive back from South Bend, and feel I should make a suggestion. We have a new president, so I trust he, as well as Mike and Nancy, will welcome some constructive criticism going forward to improve future meets. So I suggest you write them with your comments in a friendly manner, by email rather than this public forum. I would also suggest you may want to copy in other Board Members if you do not trust the "system". But I think it best that you just cover one or two items at a time so as to not get lost in a "ramble" and they items can be easily tracked where they think they have merit. I think some of the tour items warrant a response especially where the bus company may have been at fault and did not fulfill their contract. In general, my observation was that there seem to be a shortage of volunteers (who by the way earn revenue for their chapter, for time served). Apparently their were commitments made but were not filled, so I have one suggestion at this time. The committee needs one strong person to handle these volunteers and have a more formal arrangement to identify them, give them some identifying clothing, and make sure they serve the time pledged. (Many hands make light work, or something like that). I think there were many things that went well, and some not so good. So I thank Mike and Nancy for their work, as well as the entire committee and trust improvements will be made in the future, I also apologize for this running together. If anyone reading this can tell me how to restore the "enter" stroke to this forum, please let me know. It failed a few weeks ago. John

In my view this is just one reason why John should be on the board.

He almost made it.

Maybe next time.

Edited July 26, 2013 by xp-300 (see edit history)

[Dave Gelinas (XP-300)]

I forgot to mention another thing. Regarding parking all cars in the class (driven HPOF, Display and judged) you should be aware that the AACA (reference Page 36 of Antique Automobile May/June 2013) is quite proud of their new alignment of that parks the "HPOF and DPC entries at the front" followed by the point judged entries. John

......and here's another reason. IMHO

[smithbrother]

To SALUTE/HONOR the BCA for coming to INDIANA I offer this wonder song.

BACK HOME AGAIN IN INDIANA,

AND IT SEEMS THAT I CAN SEE

THE GLEAMING CANDLE LIGHT, STILL BURNING BRIGHT,

THROUGH THE SYCAMORES FOR ME.

THE NEW-MOWN HAY SENDS ALL ITS FRAGRANCE

THROUGH THE FIELDS I USED TO ROAM.

(WHEN I DREAM ABOUT THE MOONLIGHT ON THE WABASH

THEN I LONG FOR MY INDIANA HOME)

BACK HOME AGAIN IN INDIANA...

(INDIANA INDIANA INDIANA HOME)

Dale in Indy

[BUKE]

Anyone that has been involved with a CAR SHOW, knows it ISN'T an EASY task.

Someone needs to make decisions, there is NO WAY you can make all happy, so we need to THANK those involved, and enjoy the show.

Most of the time the complainers have not offered to be of help, so until you can say you have been or offered to be involved, then don't complain. IMO.

Nothing personal towards any one person, just my experience.

Dale in Indy

Just to say.I do help and am very happy that i have the time to do it.For the last 3 years i worked with a very good crew in hot hot days at the vehicle inspections i have judged for the past 10 years.I am not saying this for a pat on the back it is just that you ask.I have my own opinion on some things and as a member of the B C A everybody should be heard.Not everybody has the time to attend the B C A meeting or to help out. This fourm is the place to congratulate or give constructive criticism.Over the years i have had my opinion good or not so good with the board. I lived with theirdecision and move on.And then i VOTE.so with a smile on my face i say let all dues payer have their say

Frank (buke)

Have a great BUICK day

[MrEarl]

HEAR, HEAR

(but if everybody worked as hard as you and had that attitude I wouldn't have anything to gripe about....)

[packick]

Still Sizzling

Speaking of “hot days at the vehicle inspections I have judged,” this is the second meet in a row where the heat was a factor (North Carolina being the other). We were wondering why the National Meets need to be held during the dog days of summer. In the past, when most of the Buick Club’s members were younger it made sense since they probably brought the kids along during summer vacation. But now, most of the attendees’ children are grown. Thus, very few children attend these meets. Most attendees are either retired or could take vacation time from work whenever the meet is held.

Wouldn’t make more sense to hold the meets in either the Spring or Fall depending upon the geographic location? True, some of the best hotel deals are probably in mid-summer, but paying a little more for cooler weather might be something to consider. In talking to other club members, I believe that more folks would attend if they knew that heat would not be a factor.

I'm sure there is a good, logical reason why the meets are held in mid-summer, but what is the reason?

[Guest my3buicks]

The children excuse has always been the excuse for having them in the hottest part of the year as long as I have been a BCA member and that's over 30 years. I had two kids, and I can guarantee I never planned or didn't plan a national meet around them. I am not one that feels the BCA national meet is a family vacation destination, but then again, some do. My son attended a few nationals with me, but again, the time of year had nothing to do with that. Every year we hear this reasoning and every year we see no more than a handful of kids even at the event.

[JohnD1956]

Fall Meets meets would be a great improvement. If parents wanted to bring their children, then the school missed could be made up in due time, as opposed to the Spring, when course finals may be top priority. The fact is, no time is really good for any meet. And what a difference a week or two could make. Look at South Bend Weather as per the National weather Service now:

Tonight Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. West wind 5 to 10 mph. Monday Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Monday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 55. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday Night A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. Southeast wind around 5 mph.

Wednesday A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78.

Wednesday Night A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66.

Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.

Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 61.

Friday Partly sunny, with a high near 79.

Friday Night A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63.

Saturday A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 77.

Saturday Night A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 59.

Sunday Mostly sunny, with a high near 76.

Obviously the weather is difficult to predict one to two years in advance. But this area could be inundated with spring flooding or freezing in the fall.

[Thriller]

Well, for us, it is a family vacation. Our children are still in school, yet the older ones are looking at continuing to attend beyond their school years. Granted, a fall meet would be easier, but school sports and other activities also ramp up in the summer.

Heck, if the BCA is for retired folks only, or for folks who don't see the old car hobby as a family thing, then fine, whatever.

There is a challenge if people start looking to October as well...it increases the risk of encountering snow for those around the 49th parallel and those who have to cross the Rocky Mountains.

Yes, heat can be an issue, but as John's post notes, this week is much cooler...weather prognosticators have enough difficulty getting it straight a couple days in advance, so I certainly wouldn't expect them to figure it out a year or two in advance.

Of course, another item to note is that everyone (myself included) is likely to post from their own self-interest.

Now, if heat is an issue for those working parking (not in South Bend) or the pre-qualification, then get more volunteers involved and have shorter shifts. Similarly for judging, don't kill the car, and spend no more than ten minutes per car - that will go further to getting out of the heat than complaining will. Again, if more volunteered to judge, classes could be made smaller and judging would be done by mid-morning. Wouldn't that be neat, for everyone except those involved in judging administration to be able to relax, look at the cars while they are still on the show field, and visit with their Buick friends, instead of stressing about a lack of time to get ready for the banquet? I've said it before, if everyone who is having a car judged would volunteer to judge (and I know that many do judge regardless of whether or not they have a Buick entered in 400 point judging), then the class sizes would be around 5 and every judging team would be done in about an hour. Many hands make light work.

Not attending the Plano meet was, in part, due to June dates and the children were in school. Springfield will be a challenge as a family trip due to June dates and high school exams.

When you look at 4 days at the meet, and 2-3 days each way getting there, a week to ten days gets taken up easily. If you take in one of the after tours or take your time and see the sights on your travel days, then it gets longer very easily. There are still some working stiffs in the BCA who have limited vacation time.

It is what it is. From a timing perspective, July and August probably work for the greatest number of people. The down side is that is typically the hottest time of the year.

[Guest my3buicks]

John, agreed what a difference a week makes, but this is not typical late July temps

[Barney Eaton]

What if the BCA (board and members) were to promote Regional meets as an alternative to the National Meet? I have attended both the Heartland and Great Lakes Regionals and both groups always put on an excellant show. Not as large as the National but if held 3-4 months from a National meet they would not drain attendance. There are already rules in place to keep Divisions from displacing the National meet. I understand this year that Heartland members volunteered at the South Bend because there will not be a Heartland meet in 2013.

I believe there is a advantage to everyone in the BCA in having larger Regional events. I am also supprised to learn that many members within the Regions are unaware that Regional events are held. Sure they are listed in the Bugle but it would be to everyons advantage if there was a little more press for these events. Also, the Regions need to get their dates in the Bugle as early as possible to help attendance.

[Guest Malcolm_M]

In most climates what you suggest of 3-4 months is not plausible. July minus 3 months is April or plus 3 months is October. Both are more miss that hit with weather and attendance would be abysmal. I'm a member of both national Model A clubs and we have had regional meets a week before a national meet. The theory is that there are many who aren't going to attend a national meet and the regional meets don't compete with them for attendance. I can see that in practice this works quite well. Those who have the time to make the greater distance to travel, or want their car fine point judged will attend the national meet. Those who just want to get together with other Model A's and aren't interested in having their cars judged attend the regional meets where the emphasis is on touring. I've attended several Model A regional meets with fellow club members who I know would never be interested in attending a national meet, so giving the regional meets less than attractive meet dates serves no purpose other than to lessen participation in the hobby.

[JohnD1956]

For Regionals what is needed is a better way to advertise the show, not more time to advertise. The better way to do this is to include separate flyer sheets with the Bugle for the region of the show. Unfortunately I hear it is very expensive to do this currently.

[stealthbob]

I thought the current push for the future viability of the BCA was to encourage youth involvement? Why put up barriers to serve this ideal?

I can think of nothing more special than a road trip with Dad to a car show...I know from experience.

[BUICK RACER]

The part of the show you probably missed, unless you were among us!

2013 BCA National Meet, South Bend, Indiana - YouTube

[stealthbob]

Extra points to the one with a Buick tow vehicle...points deducted to the Pontiac and Chevy trailers.

...did anybody actually drive a Buick there?

[smithbrother]

I would have brought my BASKETBALL had I known of ALL the ball bank boards. But then again ALL those trailers were in the way,

Dale in Indy

Edited July 30, 2013 by smithbrother (see edit history)

[CBloomberg]

Another advantage of the fall date would be more of us would be willing to drivr their older Buicks without air conditioning.

Charles Bloomberg

Grapevine, TX

[CBloomberg]

Another advantage of the fall date would be more of us would be willing to drive our older Buicks without air conditioning.

Charles Bloomberg

Grapevine, TX

[Dave Gelinas (XP-300)]

Another advantage of the fall date would be more of us would be willing to drivr their older Buicks without air conditioning.

Charles Bloomberg

Grapevine, TX

Another advantage of the fall date would be more of us would be willing to drive our older Buicks without air conditioning.

Charles Bloomberg

Grapevine, TX

It sounds just as good the second time.

[MrEarl]

Another advantage of the fall date would be more of us would be willing to drive our older Buicks without air conditioning.

Charles Bloomberg

Grapevine, TX

you can say that again....

[JohnD1956]

I drove mine. And loved every mile.