Monday, August 24, 2009

Fall Tour- 2009

FALL TOUR-Oct. 2-4, 2009

Planning for the Fall Tour is well underway. We have reserved rooms at the Comfort Inn & Suites in East Moline, Illinois. The rate for the Classic Thunderbird Club of Chicagoland is $65.00 a night - single or double. Call (309) 792-4660 and mention the club name to get our discount rate. They have both a pool and an exercise room, and Continental Breakfast is included .

Photo- Quarters One

Dinner on Saturday, Oct. 3rd is REALLY special - It will be catered solely for CTCC at Quarters One on the Rock Island Arsenal. Sitting on the banks of the Mississippi, Quarters One was built around 1871 and is being completely returned to its original glory. It is the second largest single-family home owned by the U.S. Government - second only to the White House! It was the home of the Senior Officer assigned to the Arsenal. We will have a tour of and access to the house and grounds. Dinner will consist of Prime Rib and Sauteed Chicken Buffet, choice of: two potatoes, two vegetables, tossed salad, plantation salad, fruit salad, rolls and butter, dessert, tea and regular or decaf coffee. There will also be a cash bar. The cost for the dinner is $41.03 per person (including tax and gratuity) which is payable in advance. Make checks out to Classic Thunderbird Club of Chicagoland and mail to: CTCC c/o Joel Greenberg, 3732 N. Hermitage Ave., Chicago, Illinois, 60613-3509.

A Rough Itinerary for the Tour is:

Friday, Oct. 2nd - John Deere Historic Site in Grand Detour.
Lunch at Culver's in Dixon, IL.
Tour of Butterworth Center and Deere-Wiman Homes in Moline.
Dinner- Pizza! Pizza!

Saturday, Oct. 3rd - Bishop Hill (Swedish Historic Village)
Other activities/options for those interested:
Carl Sandburg Home in Galesburg (about 30 miles south of
Bishop Hill)
John Deere World Headquarters (5 minutes from the hotel)
John Deere Pavilion and Store (Downtown Moline)
South Park Mall (for those who need their shopping fix -
about 12-15 minutes from the hotel)

NOTE: We will be leaving for dinner at 4:30

Sunday, Oct.4th - Home - Nothing special planned at this point.

For those who MUST have 'breakfast,' the Deerfield Family Restaurant is walking distance from the hotel. For those who need anything else, there is a Farm and Fleet about 5 minutes from the hotel.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Day at the Hangar- 2009

Ken & Polly's*
14th Annual
Day at the Hangar


Poplar Grove Airport
Sunday, August 23, 2009

BAR OPENS AT HIGH NOON
LUNCH - 2:00 PM

Italian Sausage and Sweet Corn
We have all the drinks

Things to Do:
Ride in an XKE JAG (it is red)
Ride in a '57 T'Bird (top down)
Ride in a 1979 Roils Royce (Built for a Prince)
Ride in a 1930 Mode! A Ford (it has a rumble seat)
Bet on the Model T Race (two at the airport)
Ride in a VW Bug convertible (may have Bug races)
Ride in a 1911 Woods Mobellette (if we can get it to run)
Ride a Motorcycle (with a side car)
Ride in one of four Airplanes (one without a top, one goes in water)
Sign up for the Parachute Jump

Things to bring :
Children
Friends
Sunshine (Party in the Hangar in case of rain)
Something to go with the sausage and sweet corn

Directions to Poplar Grove Airport (Ken Kresmery Hangar)
Take 1-90 west toward Rockford. Take the Genoa Road exit toward Belvidere. Turn right onto Genoa Road. Continue to US-20 Business Route. Follow US-20 BR for 3.8 miles to IL-76. Turn right. Go 3.3 miles to the Poplar Grove Airport. The next road on the right is Orth Road. Turn Right. Go to the Airport Museum entrance. Turn into the entrance and take the first left to the second row of hangars and turn right. Go all the way to the end of the hangars to MD4 & MD5.

* HOSTS: Ken & Polly Kresmery - CTCC members - 847-742-0000

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Annual Picnic- 2009

Classic Thunderbird Club of Chicagoland
ANNUAL


ALL MEMBER PICNIC
(For CTCC member, spouse/significant other and minor children)

Date: AUGUST 15, 2009 Time: 11:00 am

Pratt's Wayne Woods
Forest Preserve

The preserve is located in Wayne, IL in Northwest DuPage County west of Route 59, one mile north of Army Trail Road on Powis Road.
Follow the signs to the CTCC Thunderbird parking area.
For maps and information visit the website http://www.dupageforest.com/PRESERVES/prattswayne.html

What to Bring:
A dish to share (see below*) & serving utensil
Lawn Chairs for sitting outside the pavillion
Fishing poles (see requirements in Bird News)
Sun Screen
Lawn game (volleyball, badminton, frisbee, etc.)

What NOT to Bring:
Alcohol of any kind
Firearms
Swimming gear (there is no swimming)
Pets
Bad weather

R. S. V. P. by Monday, August 10th
Call Jane Eisenhour (630-584-8383)
*Tell her which dish you will bring to share - a side dish, a salad or a dessert

BIRD-NEWS - PAGE 9 - JULY 2009

BIRD-NEWS Gold Award

Copy of the Gold Award presented to the Bird-News
Note- click on photo to enlarge to read explanation.

TULSA Convention- 2009

photo caption- In between Bill and Joel was an Ice Sculpture of a 1955 T'bird.


REGION 5 CTCI REGIONAL CONVENTION

I still can't get that song ... "Oklahoma!"... out
of my head! The "T'Birds 'n Tulsa" Region 5
Convention ended long ago, but the memories
linger on. Bill and I took two days to drive our
little 'Bird out there, as did Joel Greenberg who
was accompanied by Ken Smizinski. We
joined a total of 98 cars in Concours, Touring
and Display and about 300 people from 27
states. Familiar faces included Bill and Sharon
Jurkonie, John and Deb Wrigley and Perry and
Alyce Anthony. The Tulsa Classic Thunderbird
Club did an excellent job of keeping us fed and
entertained. They arranged for rides to (and
free money at) the Creek Nation Casino, a nice
Western-themed welcome party, a shopping
tour fashion show, a trip to the Discovery Land
Dinner and Amphitheater production of
"Oklahoma" and a visit to the Will Rogers
Museum. Meanwhile, the beautiful array of
Thunderbirds could be seen from our hotel
window. We watched as they baked in the hot
sun and as they were drenched by the
torrential rains which marred Concours
morning. During the Final night's Awards
Banquet, the Greenberg and Werth cars
received Gold Awards and Ken and Joel
received recognition for judging. We stretched
our trip home to include a visit with friends who
live near Wichita. Had it not been for a cranky
overdrive, the trip would have been uneventful
... hot, but uneventful.
- Liz Werth

Ed. Note: Thanks to Bill and Liz for delivering
the CTCI Gold Award Certificate for BIRD-NEWS
(see cover).

3RD ANNUAL HOT DOGS, BRATS AND DRIVE-IN

CLASSIC THUNDERBIRD CLUB of CHICAGOLAND ~
3rd ANNUAL HOT DOG, BRAT, and DRIVE-IN MOVIE GALA


Saturday, July 11. 2009, 36 members and guests of CTCC gathered at the home of Len and Mary Keil in Johnsburg. Ill. for hot dogs, brats, and a table full of delicious "eats". Len had two coolers full of cold soda as we gathered in his garage and overflowed onto the driveway. Present at the gala were Joel Greenberg and Annie Luginbiil, Tom and Alice Wolfe, Ed Levin and Rose Kovelenko, Bill and Liz Werth, Mary Ann Graziano and Paul Ureche, your scribe. Jim Elijah, Joe and Sandy Kraatz. Bill and Elaine Axelson, Jerry and Pat Peterson, Bert and Jane Eisenhour, Pete and Marylu Kramer, Joe and Madeline Zambon, Pete and Lisa Ekstrom, Lloyd and Joan Schellin, Bob and Sue Wenderski, Len and Mary Keil, Bob Sroka and guest Beverly, and Bob and Helen Hoge.

The day was sunny in the mid- 80's with no rain and only a few menacing clouds, so 13 - '55-'57 Thunderbirds and 3 New 'Birds filled the block in front of Keil's home. Pete and Lisa drove their '03 "007" 'Bird. Bob and Sue, their Vintage Mint Green '04. and Pete and Marylu. their Cashmere 50th Anniversary '05.

After several hours of feasting and 'Bird talk, dusk was approaching and several members began their trips home. The movie at the McHenry Outdoor Drive-in Movie Theater that night was "Ice Age - Dawn of the Dinosaurs". Our adult crowd decided to skip the cartoon movie. Len said, "Next year, we'll have the hot dogs again and maybe skip the drive-in."
- Jim Wilson

HOT-DOG GALA - BELIEVE-IT-OR-NOT!

It turned out that one ot our lead-footed T-Birders raced by the turnoft to the Keil's subdivision, finding himself "lost" somewhere north of his intended target!

While pondering his dilemma at a stoplight, the fellow in the car just in front of our member's 'Bird exited his car and asked, "Are you looking for Len's house?" Momentarily baffled by this stranger's uncanny mind-reading powers, our subject learned that the elusive turnoff was some 2-miles to the south!

The "GPS Man" did indicate that he was a neighbor of Len and Mary's! (In fact, the neighbor lives almost directly across from the Keil's residence!) [Name withheld to protect the 'guilty.']
- Ed.