2017 Buick Club of America National Meet Brookfield, WI July 5-8

[TxBuicks]

What a week!  I have received 90 registrations since 05/25/17.  And still almost a month left before the deadline.

 

# Registrations: 342

# Cars: 252 (111 Formal Judging, 41 Display, 42 Archival, 22 Modified, 36 Driven)  We have 5 Buicks over 100 years old, including 3 x 1908 Buicks.

# Vendors: 37 different vendors, occupying over 100 spots.

# People: 637 

 

It's going to be a great show.  There is still time to get your registration in, although you will pay an additional $15 registration fee since it is after June 1.

[jscheib]

Roy,

 

Amazing what you can still get for $15., the late reg. fee!!  Seems like about 30%+ increase what you had about two weeks ago.

 

John

[TxBuicks]

Yes, I am curious to see if the $15 late fee really has an impact.  I will be able to tell if the rate of registrations fall off significantly from now until the beginning of the show.  In previous years, I received a lot of registrations with a few weeks to go.  I think we can get at least 400 registrations entered by the time I leave for the show, which will make this show a pretty good sized event.

[Barney Eaton]

Judging should be a snap.........with the number of teams we usually have (based on the number of people at the judging breakfast)

We just did a local show with a total of 230 cars and 9 judging teams

Edited June 5, 2017 by Barney Eaton (see edit history)

[MrEarl]

Please be sure and see this update posted by Peter Gariepy a few days ago. I fear it may have gotten lost within all the other pinned threads. 

 

 

[John_S_in_Penna]

On 6/2/2017 at 8:22 AM, JohnD1956 said:

Does anyone know if spectators are allowed on the show field and in the swap meet?

 

As they already answered:  Of course.

One idea of a national meet is to expose an

interested public as much as possible to the

fun of owning an antique Buick.  And I say, the

more appreciative onlookers, the better!  They'll

remember the meet and maybe a few will even join.

 

Can anyone imagine a long-to-be-successful club

shooing off interested teenagers?  "Hey you, get 

out of here!  These Buicks aren't for you to look at!"

Edited June 12, 2017 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[jscheib]

D Yaros,

 

I guess, if not noted elsewhere, we should explain, if you are a BCA members and just want to "spectate", you will not be allowed entry to the hospitality area unless you have a registration.  Some may want to consider registration for the modest fee, without a car registration to really note the "Buick Club of America" experience, especially if it bad weather (heat or rain) becomes a problem.

 

John 

[60FlatTop]

I held out to the end hoping to make this year's national meet, but I will have to pass.

My reservations are Check In July 7th- Check Out July 9th. 1 room, 2 occupants, nonsmoking, total $257.87. This is at the host hotel. If anyone missed reserving a room I can pass my confirmation number to anyone who switches the hold on the room to their credit card from mine.

It is a good opportunity for someone, rather than me just canceling. Just don't stiff me for the room.

PM or call 585-797-7421

Bernie

[Barney Eaton]

Can I assume breakfast in not included in the BCA Sheraton room rate.

 

Also if you are a golfer, the US Open at Erin Hills (this week) is about 15 miles from the hotel. (west and north) besides the tours offered by the BCA, the Wisconsin Automotive Museum is located in Hartford WI ....31 miles north and a little west of the hotel, their featured cars are Nash and Kissel

 

 

Edited June 16, 2017 by Barney Eaton (see edit history)

[dship]

This may have been answered prior but I just don't remember...

Are Buicks registered for the National required to have a fire extinguisher still?

 

Edited June 17, 2017 by DShip (see edit history)

[JohnD1956]

Dave, the answer is yes.

[Bill Stoneberg]

On 6/16/2017 at 8:31 PM, DShip said:

This may have been answered prior but I just don't remember...

Are Buicks registered for the National required to have a fire extinguisher still?

 

 

Even if they were not, it is always a good idea to have one in the car. While it may never happen to you, cars (especially old cars) will burn, leaving a black chunk of melted steel / rubber / plastic that is no good to anybody.  I have been saved one time by the foresight of having a fire extinguisher, otherwise I would have been 300 miles from home with no car.

[Pomeroy41144]

Because of work obligations, I will not  be able to get to the Brookfield meet until early Saturday morning. 

 

Can the organizers hold on to my registration until I get there?  And not assume that I am a "no show." ?

 

I am not entering a Buick in the meet, my registration (#22) is just for me. 

Edited June 21, 2017 by Pomeroy41144 (see edit history)

[jscheib]

pomeroy,

 

until you get an official response from Roy or others, I think I am correct that you can pick up your registration packet until the time cars must be in place for judging, usually 9 AM Saturday.  You can check above on Peter G's message of the hour the registrations are available.

 

John 

[Pomeroy41144]

15 minutes ago, jscheib said:

pomeroy,

 

until you get an official response from Roy or others, I think I am correct that you can pick up your registration packet until the time cars must be in place for judging, usually 9 AM Saturday.  You can check above on Peter G's message of the hour the registrations are available.

 

John 

 

 

Thanks friend,  I went back and re-read all the posts. I'll be there early.

[TxBuicks]

Yes, you can pick up your registration packet on Saturday.  The registration desk moves to the judges administration room at 10:00 on Saturday morning.  We will have your registration there.

[Pomeroy41144]

2 hours ago, TxBuicks said:

Yes, you can pick up your registration packet on Saturday.  The registration desk moves to the judges administration room at 10:00 on Saturday morning.  We will have your registration there.

 

 

Thanks.   I'll be there early.  Looking forward to the meet. 

 

Edited June 22, 2017 by Pomeroy41144 (see edit history)

[TxBuicks]

If you arrive between 7:30 and 9:00 we will probably still be at the registration area. We don't move to the judges administration area until judging starts.

[parkertom]

I had hoped to be able to make it again this year, but it just isn't going to work out. I had a room at the Sheraton that I just cancelled. It was a 2 double room checking in on Thursday and out on Sunday if anyone wants to try and call them to get it. See you in Denver...hopefully.

[kgreen]

On 5/26/2017 at 9:05 AM, TxBuicks said:

The latest tally, as of 05-25-17:

Number of Registrations: 257, almost 500 people registered

Number of Vendors: 29 vendors, taking up 51 vendor spots

Number of cars: 192 (85 formally judged, 34 Display, 27 Archival, 20 Modified, 26 Driven)

 

With a month to go, I expect at least 100 more registrations.  Buick members are procrastinators when it comes to registering for National events.

 

To the purveyors of parts:  I'm spending time with those of you holding 1940 parts!

[Buick Regal GS]

some of us work ,,have to get vacations ok'd by management

[TxBuicks]

We are over 420 registrations with 300 Buicks now.  Almost 40% of the registrations (163 out of 420) came within the past month.  I'll see you all there.

[38Buick 80C]

3 hours ago, TxBuicks said:

We are over 420 registrations with 300 Buicks now.  Almost 40% of the registrations (163 out of 420) came within the past month.  I'll see you all there.

So I am being nosy. How many registrations paid the late fee (or missed out on the early bird discount)? I assume not all 40% (as I suspect there was some timing delay between send and receive). Just curious, Thanks.

[chuckfmtexas]

I may have missed this somewhere but I remember a Forum breakfast at a previous meet.  Is there one this year?

 

Thanks,

Chuck

[JohnD1956]

10 minutes ago, chuck nixon said:

I may have missed this somewhere but I remember a Forum breakfast at a previous meet.  Is there one this year?

 

Thanks,

Chuck

The Forum breakfast will be held Thursday evening, after the general membership meeting, outside in the parking lot by Larry Schram's truck.  Bring your own chair, beverages, and a gift if you want to do the Flea Market swap,

[jps]

I am a new BCA member (Oct 2016), this is my first National meet, and I am planning to be a "spectator"on Friday & Saturday mornings - I want to see the cars and check out the swap meet, but I am not bringing my car.

 

Mainly interested in Pre-war Buicks, especially 1927 - 1936.  Hope to see a few and get some tips.

 

John

[Thriller]

Make sure you talk to people as well. There's always 1929 owners around who would like to learn about your car as well. 

 

[BUICK RACER]

https://news.classiccars.com/buick-passion-kept-alive-dedicated-enthusiasts/#comments

 

[Jim Milewski]

How do I request a copy of the scoring sheet from the Brookfield WI 2017 Nationals?

[TxBuicks]

Al is correct.  All judging sheets are kept at the BCA Office.  You can call them and request a copy.

[GSJohn]

I need to vent a little here....I was going to go to the National Meet in Brookfield, after all, it's just 3 hours from my house.  My plan was to bring the car down on Saturday morning as I had to work that week.  Just so I had a little more information, I called the phone number provided to ask a few more questions, ie...parking, where I go when I get there, etc.... I told the gentleman I was coming Saturday to have my GS judged but he said I had to pre-register and since I wasn't pre-registered, I would have to pay a late fee.  I asked him why I had to pre-register and he said something about having the right amount of judges for the Saturday judging, or some sort of rot like that.   I didn't understand that at all and in fact thought that rule was stupid!  I guess I don't understand, you want people to bring their Buicks to the National Meet, but yet, you want to punish them for not pre-registering and you won't allow them to arrive on Saturday for judging.  I ponered this rule and decided I would forego the National Meet and take the GS to the Iola Old Car Show.  I think you need evaluate your rules and allow someone to bring their Buick to the meet on Saturday just for the judging, WITHOUT having to pay a stupid late fee.    I have seriously been thinking about dropping my membership in the BCA if you are going to have stupid rules like these.   Thank you for your time.   John

[jscheib]

John,

 

Just so you know, I have no official position in your "battle", but you should be aware that first, the Buick Club is not much different that most individual manufacture clubs or the AACA. In fact in my experience, our Registrars are far more linent, and understanding then the AACA , as far as deadlines go.  

 

You have been a BCA member about the same time as me, so you should have been aware.  I know we had about 15 people to register that morning, as I was there.  The late fee is not "stupid", but something the BCA instituted to reduce the number of last minute, which over-taxes the registration process.  

 

Some of us came all the way across the country.  Before you leave, I encourage to read the Bugle, question on the forum, well before the  week before the show.  Some of us have been answering similar questions for months before the show.  We run a rather tight ship to run a meet with about 400 cars (not all judged) on  time.  As an "active" member at the age of 80, I consider it a your attitude a bit insulting to the organization's work to run a smooth show .  I hope my thoughts do not drive you away, but I think more about your attitude.  I take it you do not belong to a local chapter, as the surely would have helped you understand and likely would have liked to recruit you as some local help.

 

Don't know about Iola, but you missed a well run good show. 

[TxBuicks]

As the official registrar, I have no authority to lower the fees.  The fees are decided and published far in advance of the show.  Personally, it was not pleasant for me to handle such situations.  I know telling people it is almost $100 to bring their car to the show and participate for a day is not encouraging, nor beneficial to the BCA.

 

The most common situation is this: A local non-BCA member heard about the show.  They are proud of their Buick and are very excited about bringing their car to a National Meet in their back yard and want to participate.  For most of them, it is their first experience with the Buick Club of America.  You should their look of disappointment and frustration on their faces when I told them about the fees they would have to pay, even just for one day.  Most of them walked away, not wanting (or simply couldn't afford) to pay those fees.  And I'm sure that didn't feel welcome.  The ones that paid the fees were not happy about it, either.

 

After the meet, I sent an email to the board members explaining this situation and asked that they consider a special, affordable  'One Day' entry fee to address this situation.  This will be a much smaller fee to bring one car onto the show field for Display on Saturday during the show, and it will apply to both members and non-members.  I think the idea was well received and I will follow up with the BOD to see if we can get that in place for the next show.

 

[jscheib]

I have personally witnessed Roy's patience while explaining the situation to non-members and members alike.  He has far more patience than I at my stage in life.  I am most sympathetic to those late arrivals who may not be current BCA members and agree with Roy that a lesser fee should be applicable.  As an aside, on Friday, I saw a '68 Riviera the same color combo as mine drive out of the parking lot in the late evening. On Saturday, I was hoping for a closer look, but I never did see the car on the show field.  The owner must have decided at Friday, he did not want to partake in the show.

 

I am less tolerant of those such as GSJohn that had much time, as BCA Members, to prepare and still seem confused as to rules, regulations of the organization.  The "rules" regarding registration are more than fare and allow rather late last minute refunds if you need to cancel, to avoid late fees.  This year cars had individual parking places for each registered car on Saturday morning. These were assigned early in the week with updates through Saturday morning, I believe.   Denver may be to far away for GS John, but I encourage others to simply inquire on the forum well in advance and not wait until the day, or two, before Saturday judging to make an entry, if you have any questions as to  the procedure.

 

Note to Roy: Note GSJohn wanted his car judged, and is a member.

 

John

[parkertom]

I have seen something like this reduced fee implemented at other National meets with other organizatons. I think they called it "Cruisers Class" and was a way for local folks not associated with the club to bring in their cars for the day. They were not eligible for points judging, but there was a people's choice kind of thing to selected a certain number of them.

 

Seems like a nice way to attract local Buick owners, not interested in the full Meet and have them participate just for the day. Probably similar to showing up as a driver class at Hershey.

[38Buick 80C]

6 hours ago, parkertom said:

 Probably similar to showing up as a driver class at Hershey.

 

Ah but the driven class at Hershey is still a pre-register in advance class.

 

Its a no win for the BCA...As a BCA member one should have known better and take the time to understand how to participate, but we also need to take care of the customer and encourage participation. Personally I think the BCA needs to do a better job with FAQ's and communicating in as many locations as possible to set expectations of what the member must do.  But I know from experience that only goes so far and folks will still show up day of and expect to show their car.

 

At the end of the day I'm with Mr Schieb....it's a National meet...not a local cruise in...onus is on the member to understand what they need to do to participate.

 

my $0.02...

 

[parkertom]

2 hours ago, 38Buick 80C said:

 

Ah but the driven class at Hershey is still a pre-register in advance class.

I stand corrected re:Hershey.

[JohnD1956]

Since the National Meet is moved around the county and, since there are always some members who do not have experience attending prior National Meets, it is to be expected that snafu's of this nature are going to occur.  For anyone who felt dis-respected by the Club, I'll offer an apology. 

Not as an excuse but perhaps to explain, I believe it is more than just the show field space/arrangements. The organizers have to make several judgments in advance in order that those attending find the resources they want and desire at the event.  Things like the hospitality suite supplies, goody bags, windshield cards, and other small details that make a big difference, need to be made early enough in the set up process so that things can be ready.  

Judging of the cars is a major task unto itself.  Maybe the general perception is that there are scores of professional judges available on the field, but I do not believe that is the situation.  Judges come from the membership.  Volunteers who work through part of the main show day, to try and give a honest review of the car, when some of them may have only had one training class on what the judge is expected to do. Often the Judging Captain is begging for additional judges to assist and reduce everyone's workload.  Far too often the work load is overload on these volunteers.  I have participated as a judge several times.  In  Springfield,  MO I was assigned to my choice of the GS class.  14 cars, and 3 1/2 hrs later I missed much of the show itself.  In  Charlotte,NC  I did the 53-56 Class.  Can't remember how many cars, but it was after noon that I was finally released only to discover most people had already left the show field due to the heat.  It is unfair of anyone to show up unannounced and just expect that their vehicle can be judged.   And I personally believe that everyone who wants their car judged should also be a judge at that event. 

For those who follow at this point I just want to advise of one more thing.

It is not easy to pre-calculate judging results.  Every car entered in the 400 point judging is eligible for one of 4 awards; bronze, silver, gold, and gold senior. These combined can result in the need for a lot of awards.  All these have to be transported to the event and are assembled in the mid day after the judging results are tabulated, so that the awards are available for the banquet.  These, by the way, are assembled by the Office Staff and any one else who volunteers.  As those attending this show know, that did not happen this year. And I am sure some of the recipients affected were greatly disappointed that their award will have to be mailed to them.  But I would note that those affected handled the situation with grace and dignity.  Thank you to all who were disappointed and displayed no animosity. But for these and probably some other reasons not displayed, preregistration, as far in advance as possible, is most helpful.

 

 

[dmfconsult]

I wasn't at this National, but it's worth thanking Roy, John, judges and all the other volunteers who end up missing large portions of the show to stay behind at a table to ensure folks are registered and others can enjoy themselves.  Thank you!!

[TxBuicks]

Thanks, Doug.  I usually get a few hours to walk around after the registration desk closes each day.  And usually on Saturday, when the judging is taking place, I can get out and see the cars for a few hours.  My wife, Michelle, covers for me.  She works as hard as I do before and during the show.