Car Show – 2013

August 3, 2013

In conjunction with Pennypacker Mills County Park’s, “In the Good Old Summertime”, DVC staged their annual car show on August 3rd. Alas, a constant morning drizzle and the general dreariness of the weather put a damper on attendance which resulted with the show field a little lighter than in previous years. Still, the 59 cars provided a nice assortment. Oh well, as someone said during the day, “An English car show with English weather!”

Show set-up began on the eve with the paraphernalia needed stored in a trailer and road signage placed. Early Saturday morning the Pit Crew gathered to transform an empty field into a showcase of the various English marques. In a flurry of activity we were ready to register the first car in what is believed to be in record time due to the many volunteers on hand.

Participants and visitors had the options of inspecting the automobiles, sampling the wares of food and shaved ice vendors and strolling over to the Pennypacker Mills mansion. The home of former PA governor, Samuel W. Pennypacker (1903-1907), was also open for tours by period appropriate garbed guides along with a musical duo playing the hits of that era, old time bicycle demonstrations and lawn games for the kids.

Voting was declared over and the Pit Crew tallied the votes made by the entrants. The winners of the various classes are listed below.

After the awards ceremony it was time to strike the tents. Again, the Pit Crew put in a stellar performance in clearing the field and leaving it in its original shape in a timely manner. Perhaps the party afterwards at the Ripperts was a strong inducement for the great effort.

Thanks to all participants and Pit Crew for coming out on such an iffy day to put another show in the books.

Class II – Austin Healey Sprite

First – Floyd Nebbett, Worcester, PA, 1960 Sprite

Class III – Triumph TR2, TR3, TR3A, TR4, TR4IRS

First – Jean Paul Gagnon, Pittstown, NJ, 1961 TR3

Class IV – Triumph TR250, TR6, TR7, TR8

First – Steve Albright, Pottstown, PA, 1963 TR4

Class V – Triumph Spitfire, GT6, Stag

First – Chris Quinten, 1974 Spitfire

Class VIII – Jaguar Sedans, Rolls Royce, Bentley (Vintage and Modern)

First – Frank Smith, North Wales, PA, 1994 Jaguar XJR-S

Class X – MG Pre 1956 Roadster, Sedan, Magnette, Variant

First – Mike Kearns, Hatboro, PA, 1955 TF 1600

Class XI – MGA Roadster, Coupe, Twin Cam, Magnette and Variant

First – James Schulte, Harleysville, PA 1958 Magnette ZB
Second – Rich & Brenda Mooers, Dix Hills, NY, 1962 MGA

Class XII – Chrome Bumper MGB, MGC & MGBV8 Tourer, GT & Modified

First – Gloria Ciarrocca, Lancaster, PA, 1970 MGB
Second – Ken Collins, Malvern, PA, 1973 MGB GT

Class XIII – Rubber Bumper MGB, MGC & MGBV8 Tourer, GT & Modified

First – Karen Kearns, Hatboro, PA, 1977 MGB
Second – Steve Harding, East Norriton, PA, 1974 ½ MGB GT

Class XIV – MG Midget Chrome, Rubber Bumper & Modified

First – Ryan Kubanoff, Yardley, PA, 1974 Midget
Second – Gordon Todd, Lansdale, PA, 1973 Midget

Class XVI – Miscellaneous British Roadsters & Racers

First – Ben Roth, Lancaster, PA, 1985 TVR

Class XVII – Miscellaneous British Coupes, Sedans, Saloons & Utility Vehicles

First – Chuck Miller, Bensalem, PA, 1961 Morris Minor 1000

Best Attending Club

Philadelphia MG Club

Diamond in The Rough

Larry Lacy, Morrisville, PA, 1978 MG Midget

Ladies’ Choice

Floyd Nellett, Worcester, PA, 1960 Austin Healey Sprite

Best in Show

Chuck Miller, Bensalem, PA, 1961 Morris Minor 1000

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Funkana – 2013

wp_IMG_1336   July 20, 2013

We don’t know how we managed to pick the hottest day of the year to hold our funkana, but we did.  It was HOT.  We started out by meeting at Green Lane Park for a picnic lunch at noon on Saturday, July 20th.  Fortunately we picked a nice shady spot by the lake, so we could all enjoy a nice, cool, relaxing lunch before heading to the Spring Mountain ski area for the “competition.”  We believe it was probably around 2:00 till everyone arrived at the slope after a short drive on back roads from the park.  Dick, Tom and I had set everything up earlier so we were ready to begin.  We had put up a 12×12 canopy for shade, but decided we needed the DVC’s big one – like I said – it was HOT!  So the guys got that set up and everyone had some shade to sit in while watching the “entertainment.”

We had four events planned for the competition.  First was a blindfolded event where the driver was blindfolded and the navigator talked him through a course which included a 3-point turn.  Everyone seemed to do fairly well with this event, except ‘maybe’ Bill and Linda Boorse.  We think Linda misunderstood and was trying to have Bill hit as many traffic cones as possible (which you weren’t supposed to do).  Plus she kept telling Bill to follow “Dick” – hmmmmmm – that might’ve been a problem too because Bill was blindfolded.  You wanted a low score for this event – your time, plus penalty points for hitting traffic cones.

The next event was a bean bag and ring toss, where the driver and navigator tossed bean bags into a box and fan belts onto a stick.  For this event you wanted a high score – the number of bags in the hole, plus bonus points for the fan belts on the stick.

The third event was a serpentine, where the driver drove through a figure 8 course while the navigator grabbed a cup off the first stick, replaced the cup on the second stick with the first cup, then placed that cup back on the first stick.  All the drivers were really flooring it and kicking up the gravel after that second stick!  For this event you again wanted a low score – your time, plus penalty points for missing a cup.

And last, but not least was the potty seat event.  We had a very nice toilet seat, with the DVC logo, sitting on the parking lot.  Tom would fasten a fake dog poo on the back car bumper.  Then the driver had to back up and stop when he thought the dog poo was over the hole of the toilet seat.  You wanted a high score for this event – 10 points for getting in the hole and 5 points for a “hanger” – on the seat.

After everyone had finished the funkana, we tallied up the scores to determine the winners.  We had a prize for the best score in each event and a prize for the best score of all 4 events combined.  The winners were as follows:

Blindfolded driver event: Louise Story *driver” and Dave Schwab “navigator” did the course in 1;12 minutes without hitting any traffic cones.

Bean bag toss:  Dave Schwab “driver” and Gloria Schwab “navigator” with 3 bags in the hole.

Serpentine:  Steve Albright  “driver” and Sue Dougherty “navigator” did it in 28.7 seconds without missing any cups.

Toilet Seat:  Paul Phillips “driver” and Evonna Phillips “navigator” for getting the poo in the hole.  See note below.

Overall funkana winner:  Dave Johnston “driver” and Chuck Denlinger “navigator”.  Dave was driving Chuck’s TD – first time ever driving a TD!

Attendees were (in no particular order):
Louise Story, Dave & Gloria Schwab ,Dave Johnston, Chuck Denlinger, Jim (Chuck’s friend), Steve Albright, Sue Dougherty, Jim & Diane Sanders, Jeff & Robin Rose, Adam & Eva Ilnicki, Pat & Patty Cawthorne, Bill & Linda Boorse, Paul & Evonna Phillips, Dick Suffredini, and Jim Taylor stopped by for a little while as a spectator.

During the short trip from the park to the ski slope, Dave Johnston had trouble with his MGB.  He has an electrical problem and the car was not charging.  During the funkana, his battery was on charge and his car started so he could head home.  Unfortunately he only made it up to the top of the hill, stalled it and then it wouldn’t start.  A bicyclist came into the parking lot and told us our friend was broke down at the top of the hill.  We told the biker to go back and tell Dave we had already left (haha), but said he was heading in the opposite direction.  So Steve and Tom went up the hill and got Dave started. We found out he made it to within 2 miles of his house till his car died again, so he called his wife who came out and gave him a jump and he finally made it home.  Sounds like an “O’Ward” to me!

A lot of DVC’ers have never experienced a funkana.  We haven’t done one since our QVR days in Wildwood.  I hope everyone enjoyed themselves as much as we enjoyed coming up with the games.  A big thanks to Steve for picking up those DVC tarps from Dave Schwab so we all had much needed relief from the sun that day.

Note:  We had three teams get the poo in the toilet seat hole, so since we had only one prize, we put the names in a hat and drew Paul and Evonna Phillips as the winner.  The other teams who got the poo in the hole were Jim and Diane Sanders and Dave Johnston and Chuck Denlinger.  By the way, next time you see Paul Phillips, ask him what he won…

Jaimee & Tom

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Yuengling Tour & Picnic – 2013

wp_Yeungling-Tour-line-up-0133-wID-and-photoJuly 6, 2013

On Saturday July 6th, at 7:15am a team of 7 cars strong started rolling out of Harleysville towards Pottsville, PA.  We drove the beautiful scenic back roads of Pennsylvania, and after a quick pit stop at the Hamburg Wawa, we were rolling again.  During our two and a half hour trip other DVC members join in.  As we reached the Yuengling parking lot, we had grown to 12 cars strong!

Our private tour of the brewery was a huge success, thanks to Lisa our “hot shot” tour guide.  We learned a lot about the history of Yuengling as well as the production process of their beer.  At the end of the tour, Lisa switched her roll from tour guide to bartender and we enjoyed some samples of Yuengling beer.

After saying goodbye to our hosts at the Yuengling Brewery, we started our trip back to Harleysville for our 4th of July picnic.  Our trip back was a non-stop two hour journey in extremely hot and humid conditions.  Needless to say everyone was ready for food and “refreshments”.  By the time the food was ready to serve more people had shown up and the party was in full swing.  There was a lot of talking and laughing as everyone enjoyed each other’s company.

Eva and Adam would like to send out our deepest thanks to everyone that attended our event.  A special thanks to Tom and Jamie Rippert for helping us prepare the beautiful routes we took to and from Pottsville.  Without them our trip would have had much more twists and turns in the road!

Those who drove along side of us were:

Dave and Gloria Schwab – MGB/GT 1972
Paul and Evonna Phillips – MGB/GT 1973
Dick and Sandy Suffredini – MG/TD 1952
Tom and Jamie Rippert – MGB 1976
Pat and Patty Cawthorne – MGB 1977
Warren and Nancy Doerner – MGB 1977
Mark and Janet Singer – MGB 1971
Peter and Nancy Yaskowski – MG/TF 1954
David and Chris Johnston – MGB 1977
Rich and Brenda Mooers – Porsche Cayenne S
Chuck Denlinger – Pickup Truck
Adam and Eva Ilnicki – MGB 1973

Those who joined us for the celebration:

Jim and Diane Sanders
Jerry and Lee Keller
Patrick and Carmita Alzamora
Garth and Susan Gill
Donna Bristol
Louise Story

I hope I did not miss anyone on the list!  If I did my apologies, I have a good memory, just short!

Adam

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Golf Outing and Picnic – 2013

wp_IMG_1214   June 29, 2013

Once again DVC members named Phillips hosted the popular golf outing at Waltz’s Golf Farm followed by a picnic. Lew Phillips took charge of the Golf Farm making sure everyone had their meal and ice cream tickets and scorecards for the various courses.  A bonus was a visit with movie and TV actress, Lisa Waltz (MGB) whose family has run the Farm for years.

When the scores were all tabulated and burgers, hot dogs and ice cream consumed it was time for the 9th Annual P&P Non-Rallye drivers meeting. A harsher test of odometers is unknown to man. The Rallye Master gave his instructions and sent the participants on their way. Meanwhile he hustled to the end point, the Paul and Evonna Phillips place, where the picnic was held. Not too long finishers arrived but revealed the Rallye Master made a serious  error in the instructions, i.e., leaving out a turn near the end of the course. Some teams soon abandoned the course when they felt there had to be something missing but others placed faith in the directions and end up with a much longer ride through the countryside. After all the teams staggered in the Rallye Master was duly berated and a decision made to draw names from a hat. Jim and Diane Sanders were declared the winners of this year’s running. Although it must be noted that Team Rippert did provide the exact distance asked.

With that out of way all settled in for an afternoon in the shade and doing what DVCers enjoy most other than driving MGs;  eating  the various goodies provided by members and drinking a beverage of their choice. Thank you all for making this year’s event a successful one.

Those who started the day at Waltz’s were Paul and Evonna  Phillips (’74 Midget), Lew Phillips (’80 MGB), Earl Wanklin (’70 Porsche 9117), Tom and Jaimee Rippert (’53 TD), Jim and Diane Sanders (76 MGB), Lyn and Bobbie Hughes with grandkids, Liam and Ceris(’05 Explorer), Bill and Evelyn Webb (MGB), Dick and Sandy Suffredini, (’05 Jaguar), Peter and Nancy Yaskowski (’54 TF), Dave and Gloria Schwab (’50 TD), Jerry and Lee Keller (Honda Pilot), Chuck Denlinger (Chevy PU), Mark and Janet Singer (’71 MGB), Bill and Anne McCurdie (’71 MGB GT), Warren and Nancy Doerner (’77 MGB), Pat and Patty Cawthorne (’77 MGB) and Lee Wesner (‘56 MGA).

Those welcomed at the picnic include Adam and Eva Ilnicki (MGB),  Louise Story (TD), Chuck and Judy Goelz (MGA), John and Pat Hunt (Miata) and Pat and Carmita Alzamora (Sebring Convertible).

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Wildwood Weekend – 2013

wp_IMG_0325   May 17-19, 2013

Arriving in Wildwood in Friday we were met with wonderful sunny weather and a great crowd consisting of Wolfie and Gudie Fischer, Fran and Paul Holl, Adam and Eva Ilnicki, Mike and Karen Kearns, Dave Schwab, Bob and Terri Tilley, Jerry Russell and Michele, and Bill and Evelyn Webb.

As always, Wolfie and Gudie had a busy and exciting weekend planned for the DVC’ers in this haven of sunny beaches and great places to visit, enjoying many fine hours in the back of the motel eating snacks and drinking wine, beer, Jack Daniels and Gin.

On Friday night, the group got together and enjoyed some fine seafood and good fellowship at the Crab House in Cape May.

After breakfast at a  nearby restaurant, we all met in the parking lot of the MarLane Motel  and left for a day of sightseeing in our British cars.  The weather was cloudy but not a drop of rain.   First, was a very informative trip to the Naval Air Station (NAS) Wildwood Aviation Museum in Cape May County, where we were able to see many planes that were involved in World War II.  Things to do included educational interactive displays, climbing a real air traffic control tower, and seeing 26 planes and helicopters on display.  The exhibits were nicely displayed and we were able to leisurely stroll through the museum and learned more about life in the 1940s.  Outside was a collection of fine-looking British Cars from New Jersey who happened to be visiting the Museum at the same time.

After the museum, we journeyed over to the Cape May Brewing Company where we could enjoy a selection of beers and fine crab sandwiches from the Crab Truck parked in the back of the Brewery.  Tours of the brewery were also available.   Since opening the doors in 2011, the brewery has grown from a homebuilt 12 gallon homemade setup to a 15-barrel system (that’s about 500 gallons), won Best IPA at the 2012 Atlantic City Beer Festival and was granted an economic development loan from the state of New Jersey. Additionally, the brewery was awarded the 2012 Conservation Award and the 2012 New Business Venture Award by the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce.  And, how many beers can the DVC’ers put away!!

After some more sightseeing along the countryside, a stop was made at a winery for some fine wine testing at one of Cape May’s wineries and an opportunity to purchase and bring home some locally produced wine.

On Saturday evening, the Wildwooders all got together and either drove or walked over to Neil’s Steakhouse, about 8 blocks away from our motel.   We all enjoyed wonderful and tasty dinner dishes from their menu and enjoyed stories of the weekend.   At one point during the weekend, Paul Holl  was driving in a mini caravan and was dive-bombed by a rather large seagull, being bombarded with a blessing of bird doo-doo!!!

On Sunday morning, as has been the case for a few of our Wildwood weekends, we had a somewhat rainy morning, but again we went out to the famous “Star” Diner and enjoyed some wonderful breakfast dishes, including some delicious fresh strawberry crepes.  Yummy!!

Then, after saying our good-byes, we headed home with a little on and off rain, with thoughts of coming back again next year for another terrific DVC weekend, wonderfully hosted by Gudie and Wolfgang.

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