Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Top Golf Outing

CLASSIC THUNDERBIRD CLUB OF CHICAGOLAND

Brunch, Car Show, Meeting & Top Golf


Sunday, June 9th 10am - 1:30pm

Top Golf:  699 W. Thorndale Road, Wood Dale, IL

Enjoy a Brunch buffet while mingling with fellow club members in a golf like atmosphere. There will be a Bloody Mary bar with your choice of 20 fixings for those who have pre-purchased tickets or pre-purchase tickets for Mimosas. Servers will take orders for regular Bloody Marys, Mimosas, Manmosas or other beverages not included with brunch. With brunch everyone will receive a free round of miniature golf.

Those who would like to try Top Golf can also pre-purchase a two game card that can be used that day or for 30 days after. Top Golf bays will be reserved for players. If you decide the day of the event to play Top Golf, games can be purchased at the regular price.

There will be a people's choice car show with prize during our event. Cars will be parked on the west side of the parking lot. Explore the facility, which offers 3 bar areas, indoor and outdoor seating and Bags for anyone who would like to play.

Pricing: Please make check payable to CTCC; all checks must be received by June 1st. Please list what your check includes: ex: Brunch, BM Bar or Mimosa or Top Golf.

Brunch $19.25/person
Brunch\Bloody Mary Bar or Mimosas $28.85/person (2 BM's or Mimosas each)
BrunchYTop Golf $31.25/person (2 games each)
Brunch\Bloody Mary Bar or Mim\TGolf $40.85/person (2 BM's or Mim/2 games each)

Please send checks to Mike & Laura Cielenski: Questions: (630) 941-8812 or

moose.tracks 17@yahoo.com
 Mike and Laura - 316 Forest Trail, Oak Brook, IL 60523

Bristol Renaissance Faire

Classic Thunderbird Club of Chicagoland


Bristol Renaissance Faire




Yo, Ho, Ho, and a Bottle of...

CTCC will be going to the Bristol Renaissance Faire on Saturday, July 13th  for their Swashbucklers' event. Any weekend there is a fun time, and this year several CTCC ladies are considering going as pirate wenches, in keeping with the theme!

Another good reason to go - tickets are $10 -down $1.00 from last year!
Give Joel/Annie a call at 773-348-3233 or email- jlgrnbrg@sbcglobal.net  to reserve your tickets as we pre-bought fewer this year than last. (As of May 8th, there are only 5 tickets left.) Door price is $20.00. We'll plan to leave from the Lake Forest Oasis at 9:15 or so; because Russell Road will be closed, we'll be arranging a new meeting-up place for CTCC folks from the north & west (details to follow).

UPDATE- 5/19- THE CONSTRUCTION AT RUSSELL ROAD HAS PRETTY MUCH BEEN COMPLETED AND EXITING THERE IS OK FROM BOTH DIRECTIONS. MEETING PLACES WILL BE THE SAME AS BEFORE:
LAKE FOREST OASIS ON I94- LEAVING AT 9:15
GAS STATION AT RUSSELL ROAD AND FRONTAGE ROAD- 9:45






                                                                         Photo of Queen by John Karpinsky

2013 Picnic

CLASSIC THUNDERBIRD CLUB OF CHICAGOLAND

ANNUAL ALL-MEMBER PICNIC



Date: Saturday, August 10, 2013
Time: 2:00 P.M.

Place: 1801 Pinegar Road, Garden Prairie
(Home of Lloyd & Joan Schellin)

Directions from the East:
Take 1-90 west to Marcngo-Hampshire Exit (Route 20)
Turn left (north) on Route 20 to Harmony Road (1 mile)
Turn left (west) on Harmony Road and go 5 miles to Route 23
At stop sign continue going west for 5 more miles and follow bend in road
Turn left on Crawford Road and go 3/4 mile to Pinegar Road
Turn left on Pinegar Road and go 1/4 mile to first farm on left

Directions from the northeast:
Take Route 176 into Marengo
Turn left on Route 23 and go to stoplight
Turn right on Route 20 and go about 6 miles
Turn left on Garden Prairie Road (about 5 1/2 miles)
Turn right and cross over tollway
At stop sign turn left and continue on Garden Prairie Road to stop sign
Turn right on Crawford Road
Turn left on Pinegar Road

Please bring:
 A dish to pass with a serving utensil
 Lawn chairs
 Lawn games if you wish
 BYOB if you wish

R.S.V.P. by Saturday, August 3rd.

Please call Joan at 815-547-8171 or
email at:  jeschellin@t6wireless.com

Please indicate if you would like to bring a side dish, salad, or dessert.
We plan to grill pork chops and hamburgers and eat about 4:30 p.m.

This year we are again asking CTCC members to bring donations for the People's Resource Center Food Pantry in Wheaton. All nonperishable foods, personal care items, and cleaning supplies will be gratefully received and taken to the pantry for distribution. Our donations will help families who are not as fortunate as we and who often have to decide whether to pay the rent or buy groceries.

2014 Convention

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MEMBERS OF THE CLASSIC THUNDERBIRD CLUB OF CHICAGOLAND: WHY WE ARE NOT HOSTING THE 2014 60th ANNIVERSARY CONVENTION


At the 2012 International Convention in Memphis, several members of the International Board approached a number of Chicago Board members about hosting the 2014 Convention. While the International Board members wanted to meet with the Chicago Board prior to the International Board meeting at the convention, at that point Chicago had not given any thought to hosting the 2014 Convention, so this meeting never occurred. However, in September, the Chicago Board decided to put together an exploratory committee to look into the feasibility of Chicago hosting the 2014 convention. After doing extensive research, the committee suggested that the convention be held in Springfield, Illinois because Chicago was cost prohibitive. A good hotel had been found, and a variety of activities were projected. Several Chicago members also volunteered to take on some of the major responsibilities associated with hosting a convention. This was presented to our Chicago Board, which agreed that our club should pursue this.

We also discussed hosting the convention with John Smith (International President at the time) and Bob Young (incoming Region 2 Director [we are part of Region 2]). John was talking with people at Ford Motor Sports and Bob was having discussions with the Ford Dealers Association regarding support for the convention.

Our next step was to have the convention sanctioned by the International. We submitted our request to John Smith, outlining our plans, and included all pertinent information from the contract with the hotel. At this point, Martin Bierman, an International Board member (Region 5 Director, an elected, voting position), demanded to see the hotel contract. Since the International was not a party to the contract, which was between the hotel and Chicago, the Chicago Board felt that since we were assuming all the financial liability, there was no need for Mr. Bierman to review the actual contract, as Mr. Smith had received all of the pertinent information. Subsequently, Rich Martin (International Concours Coordinator [an appointed, non voting position]), under the guise of "helping us," told the International Board that if Chicago did not follow the International's "Guidelines" we would "set the stage to split the club in the future." The Chicago Board was then given a 37-page document entitled "2013 Convention Guidelines and Concours Procedures," which had been revised by Rich and Lois Martin in late 2012. At that point there were "Guideline"-associated criticisms from some at the International, including the fact that we did not have every responsible convention position filled prior to submitting our request. Since the Chicago Board did not want to be involved with any perception that Chicago would "split the club," we withdrew our request.

John Smith spent several days talking with members of the International Board persuading them to vote for sanctioning. Chicago was then told that if our proposal was resubmitted there would be no problem getting the event sanctioned. Thus Chicago resubmitted our proposal, adding Concours Chairman and Chief Judge to the list of Chicago's filled convention positions. However, rather than Chicago receiving a smooth vote for convention sanctioning by the Board (voting via email), Mr. Martin resigned as Concours Coordinator Chairman. A couple of International officers and directors made a procedural motion that stopped the vote to sanction our request. They told the other directors that they did this because they heard another club was thinking about hosting the 2014 National Convention in New York City (without verifying any details). They said "they wanted to give this club until the February Board Meeting to submit its request". This did not materialize, as the club involved was never really interested in hosting a convention.

At this point, Chicago was fed up. The procedural motion was used to prevent Chicago from getting sanctioned. All this primarily because we would not let the International see our contract with the hotel. We do not feel the International has the right to review our club's or any other club's financial documents.We withdrew our request for the second and final time.

Additionally, some International Board members feel that the document entitled "Convention Guidelines and Concours Procedures" is in fact a set of RULES that must be followed to the letter. Other International Board members think it is, in fact, a collection of GUIDELINES to help clubs which need assistance running a successful convention. This clarification will have to be decided on by the International Board.

Those Chicago members who read Mr. Bierman's Director's Report in the April issue of BIRD-NEWS will note that he states "...we do not have a club to host the 2014 Convention, and if no club comes forward..." Chicago in fact did submit a well thought out and detailed proposal that we think would have presented the International's membership with a convention that would have been every bit as good as the recent Memphis Convention and a fitting tribute to the 60th anniversary of the Thunderbird, but because of the refusal of the International Board to grant Chicago sanctioning for the event, we will never know.


CTCC 2014 Convention Committee