Author: Stephen Burton
New Youth News Section
Look toward this space for News on our Youth Chapter and news on the Youth Scholarship and other programs.
2022 MARC National Meet
June 5 – 10, 2022
Morgantown, PA
UPDATE – Host Hotel Reservation Status 12/21/2021
The 2022 National Meet Host Committee is preparing a Meet that will be like no other in recent times! Virtually every activity, including all car and fashion judging and showing, trailer parking, ice cream social, all seminars, etc. are held in one location, adjacent to the Host Hotel. Like in many years before, the host hotel will not accommodate everyone who wishes to attend, so several other hotel choices within a reasonable drive in the beautiful Amish countryside have been arranged. The MARC Board is exceedingly grateful to the North Penn Model ‘A’ Club for stepping up to host this Meet, and with relatively little time to prepare!
Many of you reserved rooms at the Host Hotel as instructed starting July 1st. The hotel system then mistakenly booked more rooms than available. Subsequently, some of your rooms were incorrectly cancelled by the hotel. In order to rectify this situation as fairly as possible, the following procedure is being implemented…
- Reservations that were made prior to July 1st will be voided. The hotel will contact you, and if you wish, they will assist in moving your reservation to another approved hotel.
- Reservations that were made through the host hotel beginning July 1st and subsequently cancelled will be reinstated if you wish with priority given to the earliest callers.
- Reservations made after all rooms were spoken for are subject to cancellation, in which case the Host Hotel can assist you in moving your reservation to another approved hotel.
- A ‘waiting list’ will be established at the Holiday Inn in the event of any late cancellations.
- All Holiday Inn cancellations & reservations will be handled by Laura Taylor–Sales Mgr., who will call those affected in the very near future.
- The MARC rate of $119 booked directly with the Holiday Inn (host) includes breakfast. Other discounted rates may not include this amenity.
Thank you for your patience and understanding…
Bob Martino Joe Fox Christine Rozny
Meet Chairman President – MARC Vice President – MARC
Model A drivers of east central Ohio
Pictures from our last official tour of the season today. Cold and overcast but some nice foliage. October 31, 2021.
A message regarding annual membership dues:
Summer Greetings from the MARC Board of Directors
The Covid-19 pandemic has certainly required most individuals and organizations to make unwanted and unpopular changes. The ever decreasing membership levels along with normal inflation have impacted the club’s financial health. The MARC Board of Directors, after careful consideration, has decided that a modest increase of $5 in National dues is warranted. New and renewal U.S. memberships will be $50 beginning with the 2022 calendar year. Full details, including foreign rates, will be included in your renewal notice in the September/October issue of the Model A News. We trust that this will not place a financial burden on any individual, but the increase will ensure the fiscal health of our club for the future.
IMPORTANT!!! If you are a Regional newsletter editor or officer, PLEASE help us by sharing this message with all MARC members to whom you have access. This will help the MARC Office staff greatly by reducing the number of replies needed for those who send in the wrong amount for their membership renewal. So please, do this at your earliest convenience!
Thank you from your MARC Board of Directors.
Click here to fill out application
Model A News Wins Golden Quill for 2020
The Model A News has won the Golden Quill Award again. Winners are judged in for balanced content, layout, design, photographs and overall quality by the Old Cars Weekly publication. Congratulations to Helen Ehrenhofer and her staff and contributors for a job well done.
Worth the Wait
1931 Roadster Restoration Takes 37 Years
By Karsen Palmer Price
Growing up with a body man as a father, my sister and I grew up watching cars come and go at our South Charlotte home. My father, Claude, worked by day for Toyota and by night for himself. He could fix anything, from totaled cars to rusty antiques, but he never kept anything for long.
One car never went on the chopping block — the restored 1930 Ford Model A Tudor Sedan that belonged to my grandfather. The car was like a member of the family. However, as most Model A lovers can attest, “You can’t have just one,” Claude says.
A member of the Queen City Model A Ford Club since 1973, Claude’s dream was to build a Roadster, “because they looked neat.” In 1976, fellow Club member Reid Robinson told him about two Roadster bodies that were for sale nearby. My dad appraised them, quickly realizing one was in better shape than the other. He bought both for $350, then stored the good body in my grandmother’s garage. He repaired the other and sold it for $700.
Over the next 30 years, Claude collected Roadster parts. The family joke was that he had an entire car stored in the attic!
In August 2007, at 62 years old, my father started on his dream project. “I decided I wasn’t getting any younger,” he jokes.
By this time, the good body he’d bought in ‘76 wasn’t so good. Every panel needed to be replaced or repaired, including the floor pans and rails. “I sandblasted the body and started cutting,” he says.
But then came a roadblock. In early 2008, Claude was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer and had a radical surgery. He was out of work for six weeks – the longest hiatus of his life. We weren’t sure he would live long enough to complete his dream build. He started back on the project that summer with a renewed focus.
In 2009, my dad decided to find out if the engine that had been sitting for 33 years would crank. My mom, Beth, and I watched as he hooked up a lawnmower gas tank to the engine, installed a battery, and turned the ignition switch. It ran like a champ! Mom put a video of the engine running – and my dad dancing happily – on YouTube.
Still working full-time, Claude devoted every extra minute to the Roadster. His grandson, Zach, and granddaughter, Peyton, helped with the car on weekends while visiting “Nana and Poopaw.” They learned to do light sanding and some assembly. I spot welded a quarter patch panel with my dad watching on, and my sister helped get the running gear in the garage, plus turned her hand to sanding. My mom photographed the car’s transformation along the way, helped with nuts and bolts work, and gracefully accepted being a “Roadster widow.”
When the body was ready, my dad took it to Town and Country Toyota, and asked painter Scott Williams to do the honors. The car was painted Bronson Yellow with Seal Brown trim, with orange wheels and pinstripe. Shue’s Auto Top and Trip installed the upholstery kit. Then came the installation of body to chassis.
In 2013, the Roadster finally was finished – 37 years after the first part was bought. The finished product contains parts from 21 different Model As, including an original 1931 N.C. license plate.
In 2014, my parents took the Roadster on its first overnight trip to Hendersonville, N.C. The car has since been driven all over North and South Carolina, and won second place at an AACA show at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Sadly, my parents only had four years to enjoy the Roadster together. My mom died unexpectedly in 2017 from rare uterine cancer. Today, the Roadster is a cheerful spot in my dad’s garage, residing comfortably beside the Model A Sedan. And I can happy say that, as of this writing, my dad hasn’t decided to sell it … yet!
