And Now, A Word From Our
2012 President, Mary Wentzel:

February 2012

This Michigan weather has been unbelievable for January/February.  One day we have snow next day we are in the 50’s and see green grass.   It is a little early to pull our Corvettes out, but hopefully it won’t be long.

A special thank you to Pat Jutras for chairing our 53^rd Annual CCM Banquet.  Sadly, the club had to pay for our members who made reservations, but did not show or call Pat letting her know that they would not be there. 

Congratulations to our 2011 CCM winners. 

Ladies Awards:

Mary Wentzel, 1^st place,  1ML class, AutoX  & Rallye award 

Elizabeth Antois:  2^nd place, 2JL class, AutoX & FTD award

Dyan Janowitz: 3^rd place and 1SEL award

Sherry Weiser: 4^th place and 1SKL award

Marty Firment:  5^th place and 1SHL award

Mens Awards:

Chris Scafero: 1^st place, AutoX, 2 A/B class and FTD award

Bruce Wentzel: 2^nd place, !M class and Rallye award

Darren Erspamer: 3^rd place and 2J class award

Gordon McCann:  4^th place award

Brett Watson:  5^th place award

Brandon Lincoln:  6^th place award

Jim McLaughlin:  7^th place and 1SJ class award

Ken Sumner;  8^th place award

Alan Johnson:  9^th place and 2E class award

Kris Watson:  10^th place and 1SG award

Fred King:  RP class award

Eric Schiebold:  1 SM class award

John Firment:  1SH class award

Chris Mackay:  2 K class award

Paul Yuska:  1J class award

William Dee:  2H class award

Tony Cecchini:  1SK class award & Rookie award

Ray Horenstein:  2G class award

We have a new award and to qualify for this award you must not be in the top 15.  The recipient of this new award, C.A.R.S.,  needs to participate in the following four events:  Concours, Autocrosss, Rallyes and dragS.   The winner for 2011 was:  Fred King.

(Bruce gets a pass on doing a points report this month  )

The Most Valuable Member Award was given to Ted Hou and the President’s Award was given to Pat Jutras. 

A special thanks to Les Stanford Chevrolet-Cadillac for having a new Corvette Grand Sport on display at the banquet. 

Our E-SlipStream will be published monthly by Rodney Slusher who is currently living in Switzerland.  He was the previous E-SlipStream publisher and has volunteered to lend his expertise again.  I am sure that Ted Hou will also be available.

A special thank you to David Orton for volunteering to fill our 1^st Year Board Rep position.  We still have a Program Director and Social position available.  If you have any ideas for a program for our CCM General Membership meetings please let me know.  If you would like to chair a Social don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an e-mail. 

Just thinking ahead-----our first CCM Rallye will be on Sunday, March 25^th and chaired by Gordon McCann. 

Looking forward to seeing everyone at our CCM General Membership meeting on Wednesday, February 22^nd.  Remember that there are 5 Wednesdays in February, but we always meet on the 4^th Wednesday.

A program for February is TBD, but for March we have some past/present CCM members coming to talk of their success in the 2011 Silver State Classic.

SAVE THE WAVE!

Mary Wentzel, 2012 President 

January 2012

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

In 2011 CCM experienced some very sad times, but also some good times.

We definitely will miss some of our old time members.  Our hearts and prayers are with their families.

CCM is in need of filling some of our Board positions.  Unfortunately, Lynn Bannister had to resign as Corresponding Secretary and Dyan Janowitz graciously stepped forward to fill her position.  The following Board positions are open:

            Program Director
            Social Director
            SlipStream
            2^nd year Board Rep

If you or someone you know is interested in any of the above positions please contact me.  This is YOUR CLUB and we do need your help.  The Board meetings are held on the 2^nd Wednesday of each month at Aubree’s on Haggerty Road just south of 8 Mile Road.  They start at 7:30 p.m., but for those that want dinner we recommend 7:00 p.m. 

We are in the process of completing the 2012 CCM calendar.

I want to thank Lynn Bannister, Gary Claudio and Ken Sumner for being a part of the CCM Board.  All of you will be missed and hopefully you will be returning in the future.  We look forward to seeing you at the CCM General Membership meetings.

Our January CCM General Membership meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 25^th at 7:30 p.m.  Just to remind you that our general membership meetings are always on the 4^th Wednesday of each month.  The January meeting is always our CCM Annual Business Meeting.   We do look forward to seeing you there.  We always have coffee and donuts in the back room.

Our Annual CCM Awards Banquet will be held on Saturday, January 14^th at Laurel Manor and it is FREE.  Reservations need to be made via Pat Jutras.   All members are invited to attend.  We do need door prizes.

The Michigan Region Banquet will be hosted this year by the Battle Creek Corvette Club on April 14, 2012.  Just keep this date in mind.

We would like to thank Les Stanford Chevrolet-Cadillac for all of their support since 1984.  Be sure and stop by their dealership if you are looking for a new or used vehicle.  

CCM is looking forward to our members getting more involved with the club in 2012.  If you want to put on a social just let me know and the Board will help you out.

    Mary Wentzel, 2012 CCM President

November 2011

The CCM autocross season is over.  I want to thank Jim Rees for coming out to the events and taking pictures.  He has done a wonderful job.  Also, Tom Dunn a big thank you for pulling the CCM trailer to the events.  Dave Krom for taking care of our staging lines.  The club really appreciates all of your time and efforts.  Also, thanks to everyone for helping out at the club activities.

November 5^th (Saturday) a cruise to the Oldsmobile Museum in Lansing chaired by Bruce Wentzel. 

Last rallye of the year “Jan’s Junket” with Jan VanMaanen (coming down from Traverse City) and Ted Hou for chairing the event on (Sunday) November 6^th. 

CCM has had events throughout the year in which to enjoy your Corvette.  Just check the website regularly or better yet attend a CCM General Membership Meeting every 4^th Wednesday of the month at Les Stanford Chevrolet-Cadillac on Michigan Avenue in Dearborn at 7:30 p.m.

The following are your officers for 2012:

President                                Mary Wentzel                        
Vice President                       Glenn Grace
Treasurer                                Ted Hou
Recording Secretary             Pat Jutras
Corresponding Secretary     Lynn Bannister
1^st Year Board Reps             Dyan Janowitz
                                                Dave Krom
                                                Roy Thayer
2^nd Year Board Reps            Brett Watson
                                                Diane Watson
                                                Paul Yuska

If you are interested in one of our appointed positions please give me a call at 248-685-7145.  Those positions are:
Competition Director – Detroit Council Rep – Michigan Region Rep- Points Director, SlipStream Editor-Program Director-NCCC Governor-Public Relations-Membership Director-NCM Ambassador and SOCIAL DIRECTOR. 

We are really in need of a Social Director.  Possibly a team for Social Director or two friends, etc.  Several of the appointed positions will be available.  Thanks to those who chaired our Socials during the year.

If you are interested in being on the Competition Committee please contact Chris Scafero.

On Wednesday, November 23 (the night before Thanksgiving) we will be having a chicken dinner starting at 7:00 p.m. at our CCM General Membership Meeting in the service area behind the Les Stanford Cadillac dealership.  A big thanks to Don Pal for furnishing this feast.  This will be a fun time.  So be sure and mark your calendar.

A special thanks to our sponsor, Les Stanford Chevrolet for providing us with coffee and donuts at our CCM General Memberhship meetings.  Thanks to Joe Scafero, Fred King, Lynn Bannister and Paula Fulkerson for picking up the coffee/donuts.  If I missed someone I apologize. 

REMINDER:

The CCM Banquet will be on January 14, 2012 at Laurel Manor.  The banquet is for ALL CCM members.  It doesn’t matter if you compete in our events or not.   Please contact Pat Jutras ASAP and make your reservation.  The club will be paying for the dinner and drinks will be on you.  Nice way to start the new  year with your CCM friends.  Pat can be reached at 734-397-6942.  She will need to have a head count, so don’t delay. 

In December we DO NOT have a membership meeting due to the holidays.

CCM will be having some fun events in 2012 and would love to have all of our members join us.  This is YOUR CLUB and we need you to participate and enjoy some of our functions.   

A very Happy Thanksgiving and Holiday Season to everyone.     

September 2011

           No idea where the summer has gone, but fall is right around the corner.  So enjoy your Corvettes while the weather is still nice.

I would like to express our condolences to the Bush family, Godett family, Groves family, McIntosh family and Willard family. 

We still have lots of events left for this year.  Autocrosses, rallyes, drag racing and the Motor City Corvette Concours to be held on Saturday, September 24^th at Les Stanford Chevrolet Cadillac in Dearborn.  Pre-registration is encouraged.  Concessions, dee-jay, door prizes and a free concert featuring Steve King & The Dittilies plus a lot of spectacular Corvettes.  There will be a Corvette Concours, Judged Competition and People’s Choice.  Help support our sponsor and club by bringing your Corvette out to this event.   

I am sure some of you have heard rumors regarding Les Stanford Chevrolet Cadillac sponsoring another Corvette club.  It is true that they are now sponsoring the Corvette Legends Club, but they are still sponsoring CCM.

CCM has a long relationship with Les Stanford Chevrolet and that will remain.

We wish the Corvette Legends the best with their new sponsorship.  So don’t panic and think that CCM is being left behind. 

I want to thank Sharon McCann for sharing the following valuable life lessons as taught to her by Barb Bush and the characteristics that made Barb so very special.

 FASHION:  You can never have too much black or black and white in your wardrobe.  Shopping for clothes is an art form.

A CCM member confided to Sharon that the only reason she attended the Awards Banquet was to see what Barb was wearing.

Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel are a way of life.

Somerset really isn’t that far away.

Barb was truly high maintenance, but she was worth it.

TRAVEL:  If leaving early in the morning you could always count on Barb to bring the coffee and donuts.  When traveling with Barb add at least an hour and a half for bathroom breaks.  You can never pack too many shoes.

COOKING, EATING AND DRINKING:  When you are a beautiful blonde cooking is not a necessity.  If you don’t cook you don’t have a messy kitchen. When Barb wants to go out to eat we all go out to eat.  Barb never ordered anything from the menu without eliminating several ingredients or adding others.  Sending cards is easier than making a casserole.  Barb never completely finished a beverage.  Barb liked Sharon even better after Sharon had consumed at least two margaritas.

MISCELLANEOUS:  Barb could wear beautiful jewelry better than anyone.  Her perpetual even tan was far superior to Sharon’s amateur farmer’s tan.  Even though she couldn’t see, she preferred stylish boutique reading glasses over Granny Bifocals. 

The McCann’s and the Seidelman’s were very fortunate to have had Barb, Don, Tammy and now Dave as part of their family for so many wonderful years.  Barb was a fantastic “Honorary Aunt” to Josh and Ryan Seidelman.  Like everyone we will miss her everyday.

A reminder that CCM meets in the service area of Les Stanford Chevrolet Cadillac every fourth Wednesday.  The next CCM General Membership meeting will be On September 28^th.  At this meeting we will be taking nominations for 2012 officers.  The following offices are available:

President, Vice President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary and 3 Board Reps.

We welcome all members to apply for these positions.  This is your club and we need your help.

If any of your have any ideas for a social please let someone on the Board know.  On October 1^st Carol Glowacki will be hosting a Cruise to Frankenmuth for CCM.  She does a great job and you are sure to have a wonderful time.  On Saturday, October 8^th Bruce and Mary Wentzel will be putting on a TSD Rallye starting at Baker’s of Milford along with several game rallyes.  We welcome all CCM members and friends to participate in these events.

Past President’s addendum:

            We had a very nice turnout for the garage crawl and Ed Micol’s garage was so full of automobile trivia that you’d have to visit many times to see it all.

Just one example was this very old autographed Dale Earnhardt picture.

August 2011

I would like to congratulate Joe Scafero again for receiving the National Council of Corvette Clubs (NCCC) President’s Award. Joe has worked hard and is well deserving of this award.  On behalf of CCM congratulations to our CCM Governor. 

July found CCM pretty busy.  On July 4^th we had our annual Gary Griffith, Sr./Ken Watson  4^th of July Time Trials at Waterford Hills Race Track.  A special thanks to Brett & Ryan Watson for helping me chair this event.  Some of us headed to South Bend, Indiana to run 14 events the following weekend.  On July 24^th “the girls” (Dyan Janowitz, Pat Jutras, Diane Watson, Mary Wentzel) put on the “Kim Rules” event.  This year it was an NCCC event, and we had a record number of Corvettes participate.  Thanks to all of my co-chair ladies and everyone that worked that day and did not run.  We had 14 runs and it was a hot day, but we supplied cold water on the turns along with a pizza lunch.  Also, thanks to Sharon and Chuck Fast for supplying special t-shirts in Kim’s memory to all pre-registered participants and workers.   CCM is matching the donations we received for the Children’s Leukemia Foundation in Kim’ name.

July 29^th Concours In The Park was held in Depot Park in downtown Clarkston.  This was a benefit for SCAMP.  Vintage Races took place at Waterford Hills Race Track on July 30^th and 31^st.   At St. John’s in Plymouth the same weekend was the famous elegant car show previously held at Meadowbrook. 

On August 6^th, CCM will host the drags at Lapeer.  Shiawassee Corvette Club will host 6 low speed events at Owosso Speedway on the 7^th.  ACC will host a car show on 8/13 at Alpine Valley on M-59 and CCM will have their annual picnic/concours at Mayberry State Park off of 8 Mile Rd. on 8/14.  To complete CCM’s schedule for August we will host an autocross  champ event on 8/21 at GM Hamtramck plant.  So as you can see there is something for everyone coming up in August.  Everyone is invited to participate in the above events and enjoy their Corvette.

Some late sad news to add. This past week we lost Jim McIntosh and Barb Bush to long illnesses. May they rest in peace and rejoice in their reunion with other CCM’rs we have lost.

Bruce is working on setting up a garage crawl for Wed Aug 17. Info will be sent via the CCM mail list. If you have suggestions send them to him.

Membership meeting on the fourth Wednesday, August 24^th.

July 2011

In June CCM had lots of events for our members.  We had region events, the Corvette Encounter & PC  Car Show, 7 NCCC autocross events, a Dinner Cruise to Station 885 in Plymouth (thanks Jim Rees) for our June meeting, and the NCCC Convention in Tinley Park, Illinois.  Congratulations to all the CCM winners at the National Corvette Club Convention in Tinley Park, Illinois.  A great convention!

The following CCM members attended the convention:  Chuck Fast, John & Marty Firment, Paula & Art Fulkerson, Carolyn & Carl Polomski, Vi & Bob Oleszkiewicz,  Joe Scafero, Mary & Bruce Wentzel, and Paul Yuska.   This was Paul Yuska’s first NCCC convention.  Everyone who went had a good time. 

Next year (2012) the NCCC convention will be in Topeka, Kansas.  You might want to put this on your 2012 calendar.  This is a great way to meet Corvette enthusiasts from all over the country.  Joe Scafero will have a recap of the convention at our July 27^th annual membership meeting.  Come to the meeting and see all of the fun you missed.

July 4^th the Annual Gary Griffith Sr./Ken Watson Memorial Time Trials at Waterford Hills Race Track.  This has been an annual event on July 4^th for over 50 years.  A special thanks to Brett & Kris Watson for helping me chair the event this year.   Unfortunately the Michigan Autocross Group (MAG) scheduled a sanctioned event at the last minute on July 4^th. 

CCM will have a 7 event NCCC autocross on Sunday, July 24^th.  This is a very special event and is dedicated to Kim Fast.  The girls will be putting on this event in Kim’s memory.  We sure would love to have as many CCM members come out to the event at the GM Hamtramck Plant off of I-94 and Chene.  This event will benefit the Children’s Leukemia Foundation.

The day before (July 23^rd-Sat) the Flint Corvette Club will be putting on a 6 event autocross.  So be sure and put this on your calendar.

Just a reminder that our annual CCM Picnic/CCM Concours will be on Sunday, August 21^st.  Everyone is invited to the picnic.  The club provides hot dogs, hamburgers, corn, and beverages.  We ask each member to bring a pot luck dish.  There are games for the kids and adults.  So bring your kids, grandkids, etc.  Hope to see you there.

Mary Wentzel, CCM President

June 2011

CCM has lots of events coming up for their members.  If you missed our May (5/25/11) CCM General Membership Meeting it was unfortunate, since we had two 2012 Corvettes and a fantastic program by Harlan Charles.  Harlan had a wonderful computer program with lots of pictures of upcoming Corvette accessories and information regarding the Corvette. The weather wasn’t the most cooperative with the rain, but it was well worth coming out in the rain.

Our June General Membership Meeting (6/22/11) is our annual Corvette Cruise. This year the cruise will be headed by Jim Rees Starting at Les Stanford and ending up at Station 885 in Plymouth. Jim will get out additional information. This will be a fun event. Unfortunately several of us will be at the National Corvette Convention in Illinois. 

Also, on June 11^th we will be hosting our Corvette Encounter at Les Stanford Chevrolet-Cadillac in Dearborn.  This will be a fun event so be sure and bring your Corvette out.  Pre-registration is available on line. 

On July 4^th CCM will host the Annual Ken Watson-Gary Griffith Memorial event at Waterford Hills Race Track.  Be sure and check our Competition Director's report in this issue.  Chris Scafero has done a wonderful job.  We can always use help at our autocrosses. This is a great way to participate with other Corvette enthusiasts. 

If you have any ideas for social events please contact a Board member. The Board is more than willing to help with your event.

Mark your calendar for the 2011 Motor City Corvette Concours hosted by  CCM, Corvette Legends Club, Flint Corvette Club, GMC Corvette Set, Rainbow Corvette Club, Team Corvette, Trend Settas Corvette Club and V8 Estate Corvette Club on Saturday, September 24, 2011 at Les Stanford Chevrolet Cadillac.  It will be three shows in one and open to all Corvette owners.  Check our website for additional information.

Mary Wentzel                                    
2011 President
 

May 2011

On May 20^th the Duntov Trophy from our First Annual Motor City Corvette Concours will be on display at the National Corvette Museum (NCM) in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  Several of our members along with the Stanford’s and other sponsoring clubs of the MCCC are heading down to the NCM for the presentation during the C4/ZR1 Gathering.  The Second Annual Motor City Corvette Concours will be held on Saturday,  September 24, 2011.   Check our website and be sure and register for this fun event.

The Annual Corvette Encounter will be held on June 11^th at Les Stanford Chevrolet.  Also, be sure and check our website for this event.  Contact Jim Rees if you would like to work the event.  We need all the help we can get from our members.

We have already had 2 competition events this year.  A rallye put on by Gordon McCann.  Also, an autocross put on by the 2^nd and 3^rd Generation of Watson’s.  Come out to some of our events and enjoy the camaraderie and joy of driving your Corvette. 

It was great meeting some of our new members at the New Member Orientation in April.  We invite each and everyone of you to participate in our various activities.  If you have any questions you can always contact a CCM Board member.

Be sure and check out the Michigan Region Corvette site.  We have a lot of region events coming up during the next several events.  Your participation helps our club receive points towards the Michigan Region yearly award, as well as, going towards the National (NCCC) yearly points award.

Two of our long time CCM members are in need of your support.  A “ thinking of you” or “get well” card would sure be appreciated.  You can send your cards to the following:

            Barb Bush-1401 Ross-Plymouth, Mi 48170-2120
            Peggy Krom-8715 Skylane Drive-Brighton, Mi. 48114

Thanks for helping to cheer them up. 

If interested in going to the GM Heritage Museum on Saturday, October 1, 2011 please contact Bruce Wentzel.  The  museum continuously brings in different vehicles and  they always have something new there.  There will be a fee of $20 per person.   This is going to be a private showing for all the clubs that are involved in the MCCC event.  Even if you have been there before you are sure to see a lot of knew displays.  

Looking for a CCM member to head up the Annual June CCM Membership meeting cruise to a restaurant.

Our June 22^nd meeting has been a CCM cruise to a restaurant for many years.  There are 5 Wednesdays in June, but we always meet on the 4^th Wednesday. 

Unfortunately a lot of us will be at the National Corvette Convention in Tinley Park, Illinois that week.  Please let me know or Glenn Grace (Vice President) if you could help with this event. 

This is YOUR club and it takes all of us to make it the best ever. 

Looking forward to seeing all of you at our CCM General Membership meetings.  If you know of someone who would be a great guest speaker for our general membership meetings please contact Gary Claudio, Program Director, 248-807-8061 or gman3081ATcomcast.net (replace AT with @).

If you missed our April meeting you missed seeing what CCM apparel is available.  Jeff Wixom, owner of Sunset Sportswear, presented  items that can be purchased.

“Save the Wave”

Mary Wentzel
2011 Corvette Club of Michigan President

April 2011

SPRING is finally here.  At least that is what the calendar is saying.  Our first competition event was held on Sunday, March 27^th.  Hope you all had a good time.  Thanks Gordy.

A few reminders:  April 9^th is the Michigan Region Banquet and Joe Scafero (CCM) is the chairman for this unique event.

Our new member orientation/drivers school will be held Thursday, April 14^th at Les Stanford Chevrolet on the north side in the lunchroom at 7:30 p.m.  We invite all members to attend and enjoy pizza.

Saturday April 16 is a test and tune/school followed on Sunday, April 17^th by our first autocross.  If you have never done an autocross or want to come out and work we sure could use your help. 

A special thanks to Ted Hou for putting together/ sending out the small copy of SlipStream.  This will be done a few times throughout the year.  I have received a few thank you’s from members who enjoyed receiving their copy. 

Our April 27^th program at our CCM General Membership Meeting will be Kirk Bennion.  We are looking forward to having a good membership turnout.  Mark this date on your calendar.  This is YOUR CLUB and we do enjoy seeing you at the meetings.  If you missed the last meeting it was unfortunate, because we had Dan Binks from Pratt & Miller as our guest speaker.  Dan did a great job reviewing Sebring and gave us posters with the 2011 Corvette Racing Team.

Thanks to Jim Rees and Gary Claudio for doing such a great job with the Corvette Encounter (this is also the CCM inside concours) and Motor City Corvette Concours.  Be sure and mark your calendars for June 11, 2011 and September 24^th for these two great events.

Hope to see all of our members at our next event.  If you are looking for a new or used vehicle be sure and stop by Les Stanford Chevrolet/Cadillac.

“Save the Wave”                           

Mary Wentzel – 2011 CCM President

March 2011

Remember that March 27^th is our first rallye and you don’t need a Corvette for a March rallye.  This is a good way to become involved and meet your fellow club members.

I want to thank Glenn Grace for taking over while I was in Florida. 

Have you had a desire to own a pristine older Corvette, a C2 or C3 maybe? Be VERY careful if you actually decide to plunk down your hard earned money. There was a note on NCCCNET recently about a man in Scottsdale, AZ who bought a 1965 from a California dealer and it was learned that the car had been stolen 39 years ago. There is a lot to read about this at these websites:

http://www.oldcarsweekly.com/article/stolen_corvette_returned/

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/433033/page/0/fpart/1/vc/1

On a brighter note, congratulations to our club rep, Chris Warren and wife Colleen on the birth of their new pride and joy, Justin Lee on Dec 18^th.

This website is a ride along fast lap of the Nurburgring with Jan Magnussen in a ZR1. Enjoy.

http://blog.cardomain.com/2009/12/17/jan-magnussen-beats-the-hell-out-of-a-new-zr1-corvette-at-the-ring/

Although this is not Corvettes, it is GM and reminds me of the Joey Chitwood driving shows I saw as a kid. How many of you know of Joey Chitwood?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbuDRA4zNbw

A big thank you to Jan Van Maanen for allowing us to coax her into filling the Social Director position on the Board. She will quickly remind us that she really volunteered with some co-directorship by Mary Wentzel and the job description being more of a coordinator than a director. If you’ve been reading my reports you know that matches my objectives for OUR club’s Social activities. The LIVEWYR is a great fit for this position. We have some new things already planned and will be asking that a few of you offer to host just ONE event for Jan to add to the schedule. Now, when I say a few, that’s really all it will take, but don’t assume that it will be some other person doing it. Step forward and be an active member. Also a volunteer is needed to help with the pickup of the coffee and donuts for the membership meetings. If you haven’t heard, Paula Fulkerson is battling cancer and we could use someone to fill her shoes in this task. Paula, get well quick. We miss you, coffee or not.

Look for some great programs at the upcoming membership meetings. There are three already set up and listed elsewhere in the SlipStream.

See you January 9^th at the Banquet

Then at the membership meeting Jan 27^th

Bruce

 

December 2009

 I sit here Thanksgiving morning feeling so fortunate to be waiting for family to join us for dinner today, yet so concerned for our dear friends Ray and Sharon Meesseman. For those who don’t know, Ray had a heart attack at an NCCC event in Florida on Oct 31 and has been hospitalized there ever since. A second heart attack, pneumonia and ARDS are threatening  his life. It is just unfathomable to me that he is struggling this way. Please keep them in your prayers. 

As of noon Nov. 30, Ray Meesseman is showing improvement since being admitted to Ingham in Lansing. They report that he had a good night Sunday. He is still dealing with water in the lung and they have drained both lungs. Keep those prayers coming.

On the same vane of giving thanks I’d like to review for you some of the causes that CCM and our members have contributed to this year. There were two ALS events, the walk on Belle Isle and a donation raised at the Corvette Encounter. Another donation from the Encounter was  made to Tipping Point Theater in Northville. We had members run in the Brooksie Way Half Marathon raising money to fight leukemia and lymphoma. We also walked at the Detroit Zoo in support of pancreatic cancer research. I’m wondering why I don’t see the results of all this walking and running personally. In less physically challenging efforts, we went to the Art Van Concert Motown 50 years in support of Gleaners and we made donations to the National  Corvette Museum, the National Kidney Foundation and the local Salvation Army Bed and Bread program.

I didn’t realize the extent of our community involvement before reviewing these events. How about you? Individual club members organized many of these events. What’s coming? The Annual Awards Banquet deadline is approaching. Don’t let the busy holidays distract you  from getting signed up. See the flyer, call Pat Jutras. This is, of course, our big social of the year. Get dressed up and come out to party to the tunes of DJ Scott Kempf.

Speaking of socials, no one has come forward yet to fill the big shoes Kerry Hlady is vacating. As I said last month, I’d like to see the workload of the social program spread among general members. See above comments regarding our charity events. If you have an idea for any social event, please contact me or the yet to be named Social Director. I’d like to be able to announce their name at the Banquet so start dialing that phone now! 248-685-7145.

Our 2010 competition program is being formulated in the next few months so stay tuned to Chris’ reports for those details. Look for our Program Directors report in this issue also. He announced programs for Jan, Feb, March at the meeting. See you January 9th at the Banquet

Bruce
 

November 2009

          Mary and I went to Mackinac Island this past weekend and then to Traverse City for lunch with Jan Van Maanen and when the topic of the summer season’s weather came up the answer everywhere was summer was September. No wonder it feels strange and that the Corvettes have been put to rest already. Well, almost. We are planning a trip to Huntsville, AL and Jacksonville, FL for the final competitions of the year in December.

Latest Club news is the results of the officer nominations. Not elections but nominations as we had no elected positions that were contested. I will continue on as your President, Rodney Slusher will be the new Vice President; new first year Board representatives will be Fred King, Dave Krom and Mary Wentzel. There were no nominations for Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary or Treasurer. The bylaws do not permit running for an office for more than two terms, however they do allow for a person to continue in those positions in the absence of any nominees so Dyan Janowitz, Pat Jutras and Ted Hou have agreed to continue to fill those positions.

Next order of business in anticipation of 2010 is the appointment of the other Board officers. I have some who have indicated an interest in continuing, but every office is open for consideration. Most significantly is that after 6 years Kerry Hlady is stepping down as Social Director. I’d like to see our social programs continue to grow but by involving more members in the process of planning individual events. The more successful we can be at this, the easier the Directors job is. In an ideal world the Director would be able to just co-ordinate all the offers of events that you the members would like to have and are willing to organize just one.

We are in discussion and testing phase of establishing a listserv for the distribution of club information. This will allow the select few officers granted administrator status to directly send information to the membership. It will expedite that dissemination of information and eliminate the dependence on an intermediary. More information to follow. Thanks to Ted Hou for the idea and setting it up.

If you did not notice in last month’s SlipStream there is a picture of the beautiful new Trophy Case in place in the Stanford Service area. Thanks to Fred King for being on call to get trophies into it and keeping it freshened with new trophies periodically.

I got a surprise at the last Board meeting. Apparently someone, I presume a club member, anonymously donated two nice aluminum jacks for use at tech inspection as a memorial to Ken Watson.

 
 “In Memoriam
Ken Watson CCM
Member Extraordinaire”

 See you November 25th
Bruce

 

August 2009

I can tell its summer. So much to do and so little time to do it. July was a hectic month full of CCM activities. Thanks to everyone who helped make our July 4 event at Waterford an ongoing success. It’s a tradition that we are proud of, hence the name, Ken Watson/Gary Griffith Memorial Time Trial.

I cannot tell its summer by the weather and I am not complaining about the lack of evidence of global warming.

August will be activity laden also, especially for we who are going to the NCCC Convention. If you missed it that’s a shame. It’s another Corvette tradition, being the 50^th Anniversary convention that will be (as I type this) a huge part of the Corvette Fun experience. Don’t miss the August membership meeting. Joe Scafero will have a comprehensive Convention recap that evening. At the October meeting Pratt & Miller are scheduled to have the new GT2 racer, based on the ZR1, there after it’s introductory race at Mid Ohio. I hear that it makes the old GT1 racer look like the Flintstone’s ride. Gee, I wonder if they will sell those Flintstone cars cheap.   

We are in process of recapping the 2008 Corvette Encounter. First observation is that we are disappointed in the participation and attendance. We are brainstorming ideas for 2010 and welcome your thoughts for improvements. It will be June 5. That is the only thing that is firm at this point. Any and all options are on the table to make this a successful event and the more ideas on the table, the better. Offering an idea does not make you an automatic volunteer so don’t be bashful.

Kerry is doing a heroic job planning a wide variety of social events to keep CCM a one club fits all Corvette owners’ Fun cravings. Please look closely at these events and spread the word to other Corvette enthusiasts to join us. The more the merrier.

Don’t miss the annual club picnic. This year it happens to be on a SATURDAY, August 22. There are activities planned for the whole family. All we ask is that you bring a passing dish. Oh, just in case you didn’t hear Jim Rees ask the question, yes, please bring a dish containing food. Let’s have some FUN!

And now a note from our sponsor, Les Stanford Chevrolet.

Effective August 1st, Gary Claudio will become the main contact between CCM and Les Stanford Chevrolet-Cadillac.  Gary will handle all Sales, Service, Parts, Body Shop and Customer Relations issues.  He may be reached via his cell phone at:  248 807-8061 or email at: gman3081@comcast.net This change was made to allow Chris Warren time to focus on additional assignments within the Les Stanford organization. Chris will still be available to attend CCM meetings as his schedule permits.

On a personal note, I want to thanks Chris for many years of service to the club and am glad that he will still be available to us. We also welcome Gary’s increased involvement as not only a CCM Board member but now as liaison to Les Stanford for any needs you might have.

 

July 2009

First I must say that is was a treat to see Kim Fast not only at our June 21^st autocross, but to watch her drive and drive well.  More hugs to you Kim. It is also great to see Barb Bush back behind the wheel and going very fast. CCM has some tough women. Or is it that competitive women are tough? Although not a CCM member, Elizabeth Antos is also back behind the wheel and competing for overall FTD.

Then there is this note from Dyan, who sold the winning Encounter charity raffle ticket.

I did get a hold of Kathy the grand prize winner of the Raffle tickets from Saturday.
I found out Kathy is pregnant with her first child and they are looking for a house.
This couldn't have been a better time for them.
Also, Kathy works with ALS patients. They have a friend of family that has ALS right now. They said they were all happy to contribute to the cause.

With the tough times that we in Michigan are dealing with, count these blessings.

I appreciate the feedback that we’ve gotten regarding SlipStream. Most of you said that a reminder that the latest issue was available would benefit you. We will do that from now on and have established a constant link to take you to it,   http://www.corvetteclubmi.com/currentslipstream.pdf    Then the previous month’s e-SlipStream will get archived with a different link. If you’d like to take advantage of the constant latest link anytime, feel free to bookmark it.  We are continuing to investigate printing options, weighing the cost issues.

My thought now is how do I get this information to you? Of course it will be in the e-SlipStream but that’s a catch 22. I’ll have this report emailed separately to all to keep the communication as strong as possible. Just don’t expect the July issue until you get that notice .

Bruce

May 2009

Spring is in the air!! And it was a strong 70 mph air today. YIKES! Thankfully our power was only out for a few hours. An hour of chain sawing and my trailer is again free.

It is in the air in many more ways too. First Rally of the year, driver’s school and the first autocross are in the books. And speaking of books, lets keep our fingers and toes crossed for some black ink in the auto industry books. If you can help with that, go for it.

Our latest meeting program was the presentation of the Club Sport car built by Katech and sold exclusively by Les Stanford Chevrolet. A lighter Z06 with bigger brakes. Now that’s a package! We also revived the auction with some 55 and 65 Corvette parts. If you are a collector, you missed a great opportunity. So get the membership meetings on your calendar. We will have some auction items in May. Sorry I don’t know what May’s program will be but this year’s programs have not been a disappointment.

Before the spring storm today we had a great turnout to do some long needed maintenance on the club trailer. As with many of our maintenance projects, this one got moved to the top of the priority list when the trailer jack broke after the first event this year. So we took the opportunity to make some other upgrades within the trailer and clean some pylons. The crew worked hard to get about 25% of them looking better. Thanks to, in no specific order, Carl Ek, Paul Yuska, Dave Krom, Chris Davies, Ken Sumner, Rodney Slusher, Jim Rees, Fred King, Chris Scafero for the volunteer hours and to Tom Dunn for the use of his shop. And I hope to heaven that I haven’t forgotten somebody who was there.

Do you realize that the Encounter is less than 2 months away? Have you been out there selling those raffle tickets? Don’t forget, the primary charity is for ALS. You know that significance of that. Nuff said.

See you May 27

Bruce

April 2009

Oh, I am sooo disappointed. It seems like just last week I wrote this:
Maybe the good news is that next month will be really looong. 

It was not.

Do you have an interest in a specific program for the membership meeting? Please let our Program Director, Gary Claudio know if you do. Is there a particular vendor who’s stuff you have used and really like and want to share them? PROGRAM !!

At the March meeting Gary Pratt and Mike Atkins of Pratt & Miller brought a C6RS to the meeting and Gary gave an overview of the history of Pratt & Miller from 1999 to 2008. I found the stories of instantaneous ingenuity during races when an unexpected problem arose to be fascinating. Those are the things that make true champions and give the Corvette a newfound respect around the world. Mike is the Program Manager for the C6RS and in conversation with him I learned that they are going to sell individual components of the package. So, if you’d like some or all of the body kit, the interior or just the seats, contact Mike at C6RS@prattmiller.com

I wish I could tell you what the program is for April at this time, but whatever it is I’m sure you’ll want to be there. As always, the meeting is the  4th Wednesday of the month, April 22. April has 5 Wednesdays this year. Don’t be late. We start the meeting promptly at 7:30pm. The last of us were out of the building by 9:30 in March. Maybe we can organize a coffee/desert stop somewhere after the meeting.  Yeah, just what my waist needs is more desert after donuts at the meeting! How about just some extended socializing?

Read elsewhere in this issue about the upcoming Social and Competition events. I can feel Spring in the air.

See you April 22
Bruce 

March 2009

There are so many clichés about how time flies, but there are some corollaries that may not have come to light. First is that when there is a deadline each month to write an article, those months get really short. And second is that not only is February a short month, but when the publisher needs to bump the deadline by a week due to his work commitments, well HOLY COW !! Maybe the good news is that next month will be really looong. 

I am one who likes to have my SlipStream in hand. Many of you have said the same thing for your own reasons. The most challenging has been some of you have a dial up Internet connection and downloading SS is nearly impossible. Your Board is not insensitive to the problem and some things are being considered.

First is that our publisher is looking at doing two versions, the really nice one that we currently enjoy and a bare bones version without the graphics. We tried a variant of this a while ago by just doing the cover in black and white that really did not solve the problem. If this happens there will be separate links to choose your SS download.

Second is my own hairbrained idea. I looked into the costs of mailing a SlipStream and for $2.50- $3.00 per month to cover printing and mailing a hard copy could be in your hands each month. Mailing would be first class USPS, not the discount bulk mail we used to use. The printing would not be the same quality and might even be grayscale. It would not necessarily be an official club function. So, two things need to happen to make this happen. I’d need to know how many people would pay $30 - $35 a year to get the paper version and second if there is somebody who would like to do this. If you have an interest in this idea let me know. It would not be a high volume thing as it looks like we only have a dozen or so members that are on dial up.

Read elsewhere details about the March program. Representatives from Pratt & Miller will visit us.

See you March 25
Bruce

February 2009

While the memories of last night’s Awards Banquet are fresh I’m putting fingers to keyboard. If I were to say what a great event it was you’d think “they always say that” and you’d be right so let me tell you how it was great. Of course all the things we do were done last night, but with a fresh approach. For the second year LIVEWYR has been involved in helping with the awards presentation and she is not stuck in the paradigm of how we always did it, so each year she has taken a different approach and it is both brief and entertaining. As a presentation preparer in her day job she is full of ideas and is already thinking of next year.

Tom Dunn did a great job of honoring Gil Roycraft in 2 minutes instead of the usual 5. The year in review was split between the competition and social directors with entertaining video support by Dave Krom, not to mention the background video of the 50th Anniversary highlights that Dave put together that ran in the background on that monster screen thru the evening. And then there was the most special award. The Most Valuable Member Award has been renamed the Ken Watson Memorial Most Valuable Award and was presented by Brett, Kris and Diane to a very deserving Chris Scafero. It was a moving presentation. We had a guest who is not a CCM member and at the end of the evening his comment was, paraphrased: I go to many holiday parties and this was the best one. Expect him to become a CCM member.

We also had a raffle and an auction, one item being the CCM 50th logo from the large banner. Proceeds of over $500 from both will be donated to the ALS Ken’s Friends fund.

Last night was the general membership meeting. The turnout was a little light due to the weather, but Mr. Art Spong, Group Manager, Brand Quality Performance Cars, rewarded the brave souls who came with a great tech presentation. If you had any questions about your Corvette he truly had the answers. Maybe he will agree to return later in the year when the weather is better. Thanks to Gary Claudio for making the arrangements for Mr. Spong to attend.

Thanks to Bob Palmer for offering to join the Board of Directors as the Detroit Council of Sports Car Clubs rep. Welcome aboard.

At the February meeting Harlan Charles will again join us and is planning to bring another Corvette Engineer with him to further enhance our Corvette enjoyment

See you Feb 25
Bruce
 

January 2009

It’s Christmas Eve and time for me to stop procrastinating. I hope you’ve all had a Merry Christmas and wish you a great and Happy New Year. The past year had it’s good and not so good and may next year bring better health to all.

          There are numerous bright spots on the horizon in addition to the usual fine jobs being done by our social and competition committees. Their reports are elsewhere for your enjoyment. The Corvette Encounter will also have some surprises for you that we are not yet able to reveal and I’m sure Jim Rees is chomping at the bit to be able to tell you the news. Also, look for an Open House at Les Stanford in March with a significant announcement from them regarding a special car they will have available from some un-named company that just might be located in New Hudson.

          Our new member to the club and Board of Directors, but not to the Corvette world, Gary Claudio, has some great plans for Programs throughout the year so mark all those 4^th Wednesdays on your calendar so you don’t miss any membership meetings. Remember the general membership meetings now start at 7:30 p.m.  I hear that he might also be able to arrange some alternate prizes for the 50-50 raffles so there could be more than one prizewinner each night at the membership meetings.  We always have coffee and donuts in the back room for our members/guests compliments of Les Stanford Chevrolet. 

          Don’t miss the next CCM big event, the Annual Awards Banquet on Jan 24 that will culminate our 50^th Anniversary year celebrations.  This is one event you will not want to miss (buffet dinner, open bar, dancing and lots of door prizes). The deadline to RSVP is January 11^th  ($35.00 per person).   Contact Pat Jutras at 734-397-6942 to make your reservation.  Cocktails at 6:00 p.m. and dinner at 6:45 p.m.  Be sure to see the special Corvette from Les Stanford that will be on display.  I’ve heard a rumor that despite the poor economy in Michigan we will have some great door prizes. Don’t miss our biggest and baddest Social event. Get on your fancy duds and see if you can recognize all your friends in their fancy duds, instead of shorts/jeans and T-shirts. Don’t forget to wear your dancing shoes so we can kick off the next 50 great years.

 Save the wave,

Bruce

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