2002 Buick National

[Jeffrey R. Brashares]

Six bids were received for the 2002 Buick National Site. These were:<P>Greensboro, NC.<BR>Greenville, SC. (2 locations)<BR>Tucson, Arizona<BR>Kokomo, Ind.<BR>Batavia, NY.<P>While it was a very difficult decision to pick a site, the Board Of Directors voted this past Sunday for Kokomo, Ind.<P>Our thanks to all those who provided bids to the Buick Club of America.<BR><P>------------------<BR>Jeffrey R. Brashares<BR>President<BR>Buick Club of America

[Guest]

<BR>Another East Coast Meet - THATS JUST GREAT! I for one am DONE with the long,expensive trips! I guess what counts most is the numbers - where will we draw the most people?

[Don Caithness]

Jeff,<BR>Perhaps an explanation of the criteria used in the selection process may help to soothe the feelings of the west coast members? What factors are considered in awarding the Nationals?<P>------------------<BR>Don Caithness<BR>Technical Advisor<BR>1967&1974 "A" Body<P> <A HREF="http://appraisals.webjump.com" TARGET=_blank>http://appraisals.webjump.com</A> <BR> collectorcarappraisalservices@attcanada.net

[Bill Stoneberg]

Once again, a midwestern meet. We are going to Flint in 2003, why couldn't you have picked someplace west for 2002 ?<BR>What are the criteria for picking the city ?

[old-tank]

And all this time I thought there were no meets out west or down south was because there no bids!!<BR>Tucson would be a great place to drive...great scenery and less traffic.<BR>But it is so-o-o-o-o hot....we wouldn't want anyone to have a melt down.<BR>Willie

[Guest]

A number of years ago we had a meet in Sacramento and it was the best meet I have ever been to . People in Wash.,Oregon,Arizona and the like have no problem with the location. If there are no bids from an area like this - (The Sac. people are GREAT)the Chapters need to be incorriged and assisted by our elected officials to put on a meet so that this great event can be shared by all . I have never seen more dedicated Buick people then the members from Wash. and Oregon and they are left out in the COLD in more ways then one.

[Guest]

Tee Hee...that is funny..it is darn cold here, but when the summer does arrive oh it is to die for....I wonder if any chapters in out western states have given any thought of 2004...a long way off, I know but this is a HUGE event for us car nuts.<BR> By western I mean west coast....No. Cal,Ore., or my neck of the woods...Wa.<BR> I been out to Kokomo coincidentally several yrs. ago and I have one little bit of trivia for you all....Where were your radios(factory units of course)born????<BR> I do agree with Bill in the fact it should have been further away from Flint since we are doing the Midwest in 2003.<BR> What about a rotation between East, Midwest, South and West coast....the west coast in this scheme would include Ak. and Hi. granted Hawaii would be nearly impossible, but this is America....<P> Has this rotation idea been mentioned to the board before??? If not I propose we do it and then we can all see all 4 corners of our country in our Buicks....<BR> I one chapter is unable to do the work alone....get 2 or 3 locals together to do it...What do you think guys????<P> If something like that is agreeable and done then one would be coming west in 2004 since we got the east done in 2001, midwest in 2002 and 3....oops that would put it between the south and west...sounds fair to me....<P> Do I hear a 2nd...3rd????<P> Let me hear ya....don55<P> dlw29@hotmail.com

[Guest my3buicks]

It would be more realistic to have an east coast and a west coast national. It has been a fairly consistant fact that the west coast nationals don't pull the number of cars as the nationals on the east coast. I can't blame the west coast people for not wanting to drive to the east coast every year for the nationals because I would have no interest in driving my show cars to the west coast for a national. Is a east & west national a viable option? <P>------------------<BR>Keith Bleakney BCA# 11475<P>1967 Technical Advisor<P>1 - 1967 (3517) & 1 - 1953 (56R)

[Guest]

hmmmm....but what about the 2 winners in the various classes from both meets...how would you determine 1 ultimate winner, especially if you you 2 different groups of judges....It is not a bad idea at all, just curious how this scenario could be worked out, if at all....Suggestions????<P><BR> I'm stuffed )) don55

[Guest]

Don, as you must know the cars do not compete against each other - they compete against the point count.The issue is not how many points your car gets - it is fairness to the all the members. The Nationals should be in the East,MidWest and West on a rotating basis. Politrics and Falling Chads should not be involved. Fairness is the key!

[Guest scott mich bca # 6619]

Jeff,<BR> <BR>What IS the criteria for picking a national site, when you have more than 1 bid?<P> Kokomo is ok with me as it is a semi-short drive from the Chicago area. However this does NOT seem fair to our members on the west coast. Was Kokomo picked because it would draw more members being centraly located?<P>Please let us know why the board voted for Kokomo. I also agree with Don, as we should have the meeet West, Mid-West, East coast, on a rotating bassis. Please inform us why/or why you would not agree.<P><BR>I realize that if you do not choose to drive from the east coast to the west coast or vice<BR>versa, you can attend your reginal meet.<P><BR>Thank you in advance for your answer.<P>Scott Mich<BR>Assistant Director<BR>Chicagoland Chapter

[The Old Guy]

I too went to the Sacramento meet ,and it was very nice. I have been to them all, and they all were good.The main problem is that the southwest is extremely HOT in the summer ,and if the meet is moved to a different time then many people ,due to vacation conatraints would not be able to attend. the idea of two nationals has been brought up before and at the time, Buick Motor Division stated that they would not support two National meets. BMD even though not involved as heavily now as they were are still Major sponsors of our meet. I am almost positive that if two or three of the west coast chapters made a presentation to the board ,it would be very well received

[The Old Guy]

I just read my post and realized that I forgot to mention that we just had a national in the southeast and we are having 2001 within 50 miles of Batavia ,so it seems only sensible to do wht the board did.

[Guest]

In accordance to what my3buick, don55, and the rivdoc, were talking about having an East and West national, that would be a good idea, and then to go farther Have those cars meet somewhere in the middle and get judges from both shows to judges them. Also on that, I live in Illinois, so where would I fit in this at, even though my car won't win anything over a bronze if that at this time.

[Guest scott mich bca # 6619]

I do not think the dual nationals would fly.<BR>Anybody that has put on a car show, ar a national knows how much pre planning, and work goes into them. Also how much man power is needed.<P>Dual locations on the nationals, would most likely require the same administative staff to attend both. I know everybody that helps has fun, but I doubt they would want to do it twice.<P>If you had two different sets of staff, then if everything was not done exactly the same, <BR>you know what a problem that would be.<BR> <BR>I still think the national should rotate locations, that seems fair to me. If the Weat coast is too far for me, I would simply skip a meet, or fly there w/o a car. (Hard to do) But if you skip a national, you always have your regional meet to attend.<BR> <BR>(I'm located in the midwest)<P>The national board owes it to the membership, to have a national meet in everybody's backyard, on a regular bassis.<P>Scott

[Guest]

Merc.-That means that you would be close to the East and Midwest Meet. Lucky Guy!

[Guest]

Aaahhh yes....the age old problem of where to hold the BCA National..I'm reading several very good ideas here concerning a rotating National, but the point that is being overlooked is that there are VERY few Chapters willing to host the National meet. The number of requests for the 2002 meet is, I think, far more than the Board usually gets. I've been involved in setting up a BCA National, and it requires a lot of dedicated chapter members, MANY meetings to plan & follow through on the various tasks required to organize the show ( which is why it is so difficult to have more than one Chapter share a meet ), and a tremendous amount of on-site work to pull off a successful National. If you set up a mandantory rotation, I feel that you would have a potential disaster on your hands because Chapters that really do not want to host a National would be pressured into doing it, and you could wind up with a very poorly set up program. Have you noticed the lack of Chapters repeating as National hosts??? That's because of the tremendous amount of work required. I think we need to trust the BCA Board of Directors to fairly choose a site that is best suited for the MAJORITY of the members, and then support it as best we can.<P>Mike Book BCA # 9202<BR>Reatta Club # 407

[Centurion]

Mike Book raises some excellent points. I am an active member of one of the chapters in the Pacific Northwest. While many of us would enjoy having a BCA National Meet here, the fact is that we lack the strong leadership base and commitment to host a National. During the last twenty years, there have been only a couple of efforts to host a regional meet. While I hope that this will change during the future, this is not likely in the near-term. Many of us eagerly attend the National Meets, however, regardless of their location. I would be disappointed if we diluted the National Meets by creating an Eastern and Western meet. Part of the attraction of the National Meet is seeing cars and people from all over the country (and world).<P>Brian Laurance, BCA #5168

[Guest]

As a relatively new member of the BCA and ROA, I have only had the opportunity to attend one meet of each club, was fortunate in that both meets were on the east coast this year. (Richmond Va, Charleston (actually Mt Pleasant), SC. I agree however that the location should be rotated east, mid, west, as the members in all locations of the country want to show off their cars. Many, like myself, do not have funds or sufficient vacation time flexibility to make a cross country drive, so will not make all the meets. But speaking as a long time member of another GM marque (Oldsmobile)club, who wants to see the same cars win every year anyway? (other than the owners of these cars!) On the occasions that I have been able to go out of my area for a show, most of the show field is a suprise, having not been seen before. I think this maintains interest, and while rotating the meet will certainly not make everyone happy, it is probably the healthiest move to keep the overall club alive. Just my $2.98 worth. (Inflation.)<P>------------------<BR>Boyd Shuler<BR>Orangeburg, S.C.<BR>65 Riviera

[The Old Guy]

Nailhead, you bring up an interesting point. the same cars win because they are show cars and will win avery year. The 400 point system allows any car that reaches a certain point level to win. there are new cars that become seniors every year ,because the owners of those cars have seen fit to fix the problems found by the judges in previous years. Many cars get their preservation award every year because they are maintained in perfect condition. You are the one that must decide whether you want a driver or an award winner.

[Dave@Moon]

The East/West dual National Show suggestion is fraught with complexities and pragmatic problems. I don't think it would work well with a group the size of the BCA. Unlike the AACA, there just isn't the manpower pool avalable to pull off effective multiple National meets. Also, are you going to be the one to tell your favorite vendor which event to attend (to service what will likely be a little more than half the members they were taking care of in one event last year)?<P>However, maybe a slightly different type of event could be scheduled by the National during the winter months which could be used to offset the effect of having the National event in one location too distant for some of the members to attend. Perhaps a 2 or 3 day general membership meeting/convention with workshops, flea market/car corral and a small, low key, <I> unjudged </I> car display. This could be modeled in part on the AACA's general membership meeting in Philadelphia in February each year.<P>Something like this could be pulled off in a smaller venue, perhaps even a large rural motel with an attached covered parking area. A small convention center would be ideal. The winter meeting would be particularly adaptable to southern and (warm climate) western regions which happen to be too far away from a given year's National Meet. And, of course, it fills a period of time during the year when our hobby is pretty dormant.<P>Just don't ask me if it is financially doable. That decision would take some serious study.

[Jeffrey R. Brashares]

Until we arrived in Richmond, there were NO bids for a 2002 Buick National. Many suggested we should skip the 2002 meet in preparation for 2003, our 100th anniversary.<BR>We, the Board, personally called on a number of individuals to put a low key, 2002 meet together. These individuals were:<BR>Phil Strassner, Bill Schoening, Ron DeGroff and Jack Jones. These four did a great amount of leg work and preparation to give us bids for 2002.<BR>It was indeed recommended that we go west again and the target was 2004, after the Flint meet. I have personally asked both Bill Schoening (Tucson) and Cecil Don (Sacremento) if their Chapters would be interested in hosting a meet in 2004.<P>Some of the considerations in hosting a National Meet are:<P>Ability of a Chapter/Region to pool thier resources to supply man power.<P>Price of Hotel/Banquet<P>Date<P>Location and Facilities (Banquet Attendance and Show Field)<P>Tourist Attractions<P>There was some concern surrounding the Tucson date (the first week of June to avoid the heat of the summer) that we would be able to draw attendees as school would not be out across the country.<P>Yes, I think it's a great idea to move the National throughout each region of the country. Each region would have to "volunteer" to bid and host, and as evidenced by 2002, we had no Chapter or Region requesting to host the National. <P><BR><P>------------------<BR>Jeffrey R. Brashares<BR>President<BR>Buick Club of America

[Guest]

That would have to say a little about both the leadership in each chapter and region, and the members in each. I am myself just a member of the national club, not affiliatd with a chapter or region, due to the nearest chapters are either St. Louis or Chicago, and St. Louis is the closest being almost am hour and a half away. I do agree ith those who do think that the same places should host a national over and over again, some new places should do so, and if they don't have the man power to do, ask other nearby chapters to help.

[Guest]

I agree with don55. A number of chapters should get together and present a group location. I am from the Vancouver BC Canada<BR>area (120 miles north of Seattle)and I am a<BR>BCA member as well, and would like to see the<BR>Cascade Chapter, Puget Sound Chapter, and the Portland Ore Chapter (Have I missed anybody?)put together a proposal to host a national meet. It could be held in a large fairground in Washington state or at a site like the one in Portland that holds the Spring Swap Meet.<BR>These could accomidate several hundred cars. and folks like us Canadians could come as well. Eh? I would be behind something like this. What do you think?

[Guest]

Sound like a plan to me....spreads the work out so noone is overburdened and a Nat'l gets west....

[BUICK RACER]

I've been quiet on this issue, and being on the Board of Directors for the BCA for the last 3 going on 4 years, and moderator of this discussion page, and seeing all the way cool stuff in the WA and OR area, you folks have some very nice BUICKS that NOBODY has ever seen. I really would like to be able to have a reason to come to the Seattle area and see the area, as well as a few friends, including the "old guy's" son and a former employee of mine that would love to see me! But like it's been said, it is work, but if you talk to the folks that have done a National Meet, it is well worth the work, there are some really awesome cars in your neck of the woods that have never been seen, and you deserve the opportunity to show them off, not that I would be able to bring my car/s I would jump at the chance to be there!<BR>The 2004 meet is open to all that would like to bid for it, please think about it. The best way to get ready is to have a regional meet, you can learn alot, which is what the Niagara Frontier chapter did by having a very successfull Great Lakes Regional in 1998, they made some money, and learned alot about what it takes to put on a successful Buick Meet. There is no reason to not contact other chapters or individuals that have put on BCA events to ask them what works and what doesn't. They all will be very helpful in ensuring the success of your plans, so think about it, and let's continue the discussions. <P>------------------<BR>Roberta<BR>BCA TREASURER 2000-2001<BR>BCA PRESIDENT 1998-2000<BR>BCA VICE PRESIDENT 1997-1998<BR>WEBMASTER<BR>Director-Michigan Chapter- Gran Sport Club of America 1989-Present<BR>http://www.geocities.com/buickracer<BR>1956 Special 2 door Sedan<BR>1966 Wildcats<BR>1968 GS-400 Convertible 4-speed<BR>1970 GSX Stage 1<BR>1970 Skylark Racecar - 11.26, 118 MPH, 7/22/00<BR>1986 GN, 4800 miles

[Guest]

My choice would be Sacramento again.It is a proven venue and draws from the North,East and South. I would love to go to Wash. but I think the numbers would be better in Sac.