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2019 BCA National Meet - Midwest City OK


BUICK RACER

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  • 4 weeks later...
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Need the group's opinion on this: Should the meet offer a bus tour of Route 66 (between Oklahoma City and Tulsa, probably) or should we offer a driving tour of it? There are pros and cons to each.

Bus tour: One tour leader at the front of the bus to narrate and point out everything along the way so no one misses anything; Allows those who fly in with no car to go on the tour anyway; No one gets lost along the way; Ease of parking accommodations for one bus rather than 40 or 50 cars at some of the smaller sites; Costs a lot more to rent a bus and driver than to drive one's own car--at least $45 per person to rent the bus and driver

Driving tour: Nothing compares with the experience of driving your old Buick on an old historic highway; Costs the participants a lot less than a bus tour; Nearly impossible for the tour leader to point out all interesting sites along the way; Possibility of some drivers getting lost or taking a wrong turn; Those who fly in for the meet can't participate unless they have a friend with an empty seat; Old cars make great photo opportunities next to some of the landmarks along the highway; Have to consider what to do in case of mechanical break-downs.

 

What should we do? Offer a bus tour or a driving tour? Or both? Takes more workers for both to be offered and then there is the possibility that the bus tour won't fill up and cover expenses if most folks do the driving tour. Decisions, decisions...

Pete Phillips, 2019 Meet Chairman

Edited by Pete Phillips (see edit history)
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I'd go with self driving tours, although the bus does sound more compact.

 

Those who fly in will probably be renting cars to get to the show site, so theoretically they should have a set of wheels.  And if I drive my car out there, it would be crazy to be taking pictures of sites with the bus instead of my own car. 

 

There is so much to see it might be best to figure out how many miles out would make a logical day tour, and then just highlight a few local sites within that distance and let people travel on their own.

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9 hours ago, JohnD1956 said:

Those who fly in will probably be renting cars to get to the show site, so theoretically they should have a set of wheels.  And if I drive my car out there, it would be crazy to be taking pictures of sites with the bus instead of my own car. 

 

There is so much to see it might be best to figure out how many miles out would make a logical day tour, and then just highlight a few local sites within that distance and let people travel on their own.

I agree with John... 

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1 hour ago, Ben Bruce aka First Born said:

Driving. Only way. Too bad CB radios are not still in vogue.

 

  Ben

Frs radios are still useful for short distances. Problem is they are hard to hear with the top down. 

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What sort of distance would that be? On a pure cost basis, if it's half a tank of fuel, it's in the same range as a bus. What sort of temperature would be the norm?

 

I like both options, but depending which vehicle I have and how comfortable I am with it on the road, I could lean toward bus. Also, if I were to bring the 1923 or 1929, I may be less inclined to drive. 

 

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2 hours ago, Thriller said:

What sort of distance would that be? On a pure cost basis, if it's half a tank of fuel, it's in the same range as a bus. What sort of temperature would be the norm?

 

What little experience I can relate regards our recent Regional after tour.  We traveled in a big circle for 90 miles, stopped at two museums, a National park (with a ten mile circle as a separate part of the tour),  a local war monument, and a tourist attraction, plus a lunch, and lots of photo ops.  It took 10 hours.  There was no highway driving, and max speed was probably 55 MPH.  Can't answer on the temps, and would also like to know.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Bus tours can be fun (and in my case rewarding) as they offer opportunities for folks to meet and talk to those in seats near them. Case in point, I remember the conversation I had with someone on a Danvers bus trip and learning that there was a 3 speed '54 Century somewhere in up upstate New York but that is all  the info they had, upstate New York. From that conversation I started watching the New York Craigs List for '54 Buicks and lo and behold, wasn't but 2-3 years later I unbelievably found my '54 Muscle. 

 

But for this occasion, I would definitely suggest that a driving tour would be the most fun and the way to go. On the tour itinerary just offer a link to a "driving with cellphone Google Maps" tutorial and have a list of addresses for each site that could be used to plug into google. A list of links could also be given out of all the sites to be visited that would give highlights and information of the places that would act sort of as a "tour guide". Also before leaving suggest to everyone that they swap cellphone numbers with others as sort of a "In case of Emergency call this number".  Yea, there may be folks who don't have a cellphone, so to them just suggest they "hold on to the rope"

 

 

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I have been a bit behind with another medical issue.  But, if many may  recall, the Covered Bridge Tour in Allentown was a "free form" driving tour, totally on your own, so I would suggest that you just provide maps and point out attractions, and drive on their ow, any day they want.  I would hate to see trying to keep 30+ cars together on a group drive.  Just my opinion.

 

John

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  • 1 month later...
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The room rate is $119/night. I mistakenly put it down as $129/night in the July Bugle's registration form which is in the mail now. Price is $119/night. I just talked with the Helms-Briscoe people (BCA's hotel contract specialists) and learned that 300 of the 490 rooms at the Sheraton are already booked by BCA members for this meet. If you want to be in the host hotel, you had better hurry and make your reservations. There are four or five other hotels within walking distance, so when the Sheraton sells out, you still won't be far away.

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53 minutes ago, Pete Phillips said:

The room rate is $119/night. I mistakenly put it down as $129/night in the July Bugle's registration form which is in the mail now. Price is $119/night. I just talked with the Helms-Briscoe people (BCA's hotel contract specialists) and learned that 300 of the 490 rooms at the Sheraton are already booked by BCA members for this meet. If you want to be in the host hotel, you had better hurry and make your reservations. There are four or five other hotels within walking distance, so when the Sheraton sells out, you still won't be far away.

 

Thanks for giving me a sense of urgency.  I've just made my reservation.

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On 6/27/2018 at 12:46 PM, Centurion said:

 

Thanks for giving me a sense of urgency.  I've just made my reservation.

Thanks as well. I have reserved a room for me as well. Hoping to make the trip out for this.

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Just made my regeneration for next years meet.   Had to call hotel directly to make a group reservation.  They said only a couple of rooms left, they (she) couldn't believe it either, almost a year in advance. 

 

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On ‎7‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 9:02 AM, ssmock said:

. . . They said only a couple of rooms left, they (she) couldn't believe it either, almost a year in advance . . .

 

 

I'm not surprised a bit even with all that's going on,  but at the same time you kinda wonder how many of the rooms were blocked off for the VIP BCA folks and how many Buicks the NMC is anticipating. 

Come for the General Membership Meeting and fireworks . . . stay for the car show!  :rolleyes:

 

Al Malachowski

BCA #8965

"500 Miles West of Flint"

 

Edit: Their website indicates that there are 151 rooms total. No info on available parking stalls.

Edited by 1953mack (see edit history)
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Something that I do not understand here and I sure hope that someone will step up and explain just what is going on.  I tried to make our reservations at the host hotel for the national meet next year and I was told that reservations could not be made more than 365 days in advance. Please advise as to just what is going on here.  I am reading about folks who say that they already have their rooms booked.  Tell me just how they did that?

 

Barbara S. Wiegand

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27 minutes ago, Terry Wiegand said:

Something that I do not understand here and I sure hope that someone will step up and explain just what is going on.  I tried to make our reservations at the host hotel for the national meet next year and I was told that reservations could not be made more than 365 days in advance. Please advise as to just what is going on here.  I am reading about folks who say that they already have their rooms booked.  Tell me just how they did that?

 

Barbara S. Wiegand

 

 What she said!

 

  Ben

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17 hours ago, Terry Wiegand said:

Something that I do not understand here and I sure hope that someone will step up and explain just what is going on.  I tried to make our reservations at the host hotel for the national meet next year and I was told that reservations could not be made more than 365 days in advance. Please advise as to just what is going on here.  I am reading about folks who say that they already have their rooms booked.  Tell me just how they did that?

 

Barbara S. Wiegand

You might point out to the hotel that it is less than 365 days in advance!  The meet is in June.  Perhaps the hotel was thinking that you said "July".

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Guys,

I do not know what happened with the boss and the reservation.  All that I can say is that she had the July 2018 Bugle with the registration form in front of her and tried to make our reservation for June of 2019.  Don't know what happened, but, I suspect there was a mix-up on the other end.  She got it straightened out this morning and everything is good.  My other half is very good about these things and thorough too.

 

Terry Wiegand

Out in Hot Doo Dah

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As of July 16, 2018, the host hotel (Sheraton) is within 5 rooms of being sold out for Friday night, June 14, 2019. They have plenty of rooms on the other nights. Additional hotels are less than or within a block away and their names and phone numbers are in the post just above this one. Same price, $119/night. Be sure to tell them you are with the Buick Club, so we get credit for filling the rooms and are not left hanging out to dry. Thanks.

Pete Phillips

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Peter G just uploaded a 15-page brochure about the 2019 National Meet. The link is on the BCA homepage and can be printed out. The brochure gives details about tours, things to do in Midwest City (including restaurants) and also a map that shows how close all the hotels are to each other.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I was hoping there would be a state park or other campground for RV camping close by but am not finding anything. We plan to drive the  '79 Estate Wagon with our '74 Airstream Argosy in tow and hoped to meet up with other Buicks and vintage trailers. Pete, Cindy, do y'all know of anything "close by"?

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