Camaroists helping Silence of Mary Home

Silence of Mary Home Logo

Camaroists helping Silence of Mary Home

Tags :

Category : Uncategorized

Camaro Comrades,

It has been a while.  A while for everything, it seems.  Due to social distancing, it may have been a while since your last cruise or car show. It’s been a while since a club get together, and it may even have been a while since you have seen your family members.  (A look in the mirror lets me know it’s been a while since I had a haircut.).

Normally about now, I would be going through my checklist….awards, tee shirts, goody bags, judging sheets, volunteers, tents, security, checking up to see how the auction items were coming along…..but this year, not so much.

Here’s something we can do now – even from a distance!

Many of you have been to the Camaro Nationals at some point or another, and are aware that the Charity Auction mainly supports the Silence of Mary Home.  This is a shelter home run by Vern and Sue Rudy in the Harrisburg PA area, and takes in disenfranchised children who have fallen thru the system and have no way to get traditional methods of help.  Vern & Sue keep them for as long as the need exists…from birth to teens…some have gone all the way to graduating high school.    Our Auction averages a donation of $7000 to $8000 a year for the last many years; and obviously there will be no auction this year.  This donation has been a VERY large part of the monies that the home subsists on, and it will be sorely missed.

I would suggest that anyone who has the ability, could take a portion of what they would have spent on attending the Nationals, and make a donation to the home.  Tax deductible donations can be mailed directly to the home, or or sent to the nationals, and we will forward it to the home. 

We also set up a “Go Fund Me” account allowing you to donate directly on-line with your credit or debit card. (There is a fee for GoFundMe.)

https://www.gofundme.com/f/silence-of-mary-fund-drive

Checks can be sent directly to “Silence of Mary Home”.  Make your check out directly to “Silence of Mary Home, and send to:
Silence of Mary Home
850 State Street
Lemoyne, Pa 17043

or

Camaro Nationals
1116 Laurelee Avenue
Reading PA 19605

Thanks, and “See you Soon” –

Karl Scheffy
Marla Scolastico
April Alderson
Cathy Newman

Image of Camaro Indy 500 Pace Car

2019 Camaro Nationals Re-Cap

Tags :

Category : Event Re-Caps

The 2019 Nationals will be an event I will remember for quite a while. First and foremost, was the absence of our dear friend Bud Scolastico. Time will heal wounds, but this first year without him was extra tough a couple of times. Marla and Crystal both made comments that Bud would be taking care of the weather for us, and it appears he did. This was the first dry year in a while; and the “Day of Show’ cars came out strong….over a hundred; bringing our total to just under three hundred beautiful F-Bodies.

Things started off with our Thursday evening rolling cruise…this time to the restored train station and home-made ice cream shop….needless to say, we filled the parking lot at the dairy bar. Returning the new host hotel, the parking lot party commenced.

Friday opened with indoor concours judging and car clean up on the show field. This was the first year I handled the indoor cars, so Building 9 – the conours building was a learning curve. I did not have the contacts that Bud had, but put together a nice display to compliment the BowTie and Legends cars. Things ended up pretty nice, I think….generations one through 4 were represented….and lots of Z’s. I’m not talking about falling asleep, of course, but Z/28’s. They were everywhere, including a Teal Blue 68Z, and a pair of original Maryland Z/28 dragsters….QuickSilver and SeaDragon. Thanks to everyone who helped put the display together, and especially for the car owners who took the time to bring and set up their Camaros. As evening approached, we headed back to the hotel, and cleaned up for the Dinner and Auction. Check out the photos on the Gallery page.

Food for our dinner was good, but we need them to improve their clean up afterwards, and dessert timing. It turns out we were the largest group they ever had, and were unprepared for the logistics involved. The auction went well, and we donated $7200 to the Silence of Mary Home, bringing the total the show has donated to charity, to over $125,000.00. Even Bobby Banana was there….volunteering to auction himself off again, the highest bidder getting to put up with his shenanigans for the next year. (Maryland may have it’s hands full….Bobby picked up some bad habits while spending the last year with Long Island. Thanks to everyone over the last 21 years for their support of the auction….and again I want to thank members of the Lehigh Valley Camaro Club for acting as runners during the auction, and a special shout out to Scott Settlemire and Drake Donovan, our fantastic auctioneers. After everyone left the ballroom – it was back out side for………wait for it……..a parking lot party!

Saturday again brought nice weather – nice and sunny, but not too hot. We had a different photography vendor, who superimposed images of our cars on posters, mugs, license plates, etc. He was busier than he planned. Th moon bounce and slide were busy all day…lots of smiles on the children’s faces…..”Bring a Kid to a Car Show!”. Judging wrapped up on time, as did the awards…..although the day of show turnout ended up goofing up my awards needs….we ran out! I had to order 8 more plaques when I got home. Things wrapped up, building 9 emptied, everyone found a place for dinner, then back to the hotel for a parking lot party!

Please remember that this is a volunteer non-profit event. I want to thank everyone who helped, donated, and otherwise supported this and our past events. The Maryland Camaro Club is indispensable, and the show could not currently exist without the hard work of their members. Bill Morice and Billy McKee made my life easier, without a doubt. Our judges come out year after year – Legend, BowTie, and Heartbeat. The judging is one of the things that makes the Nationals different than other Camaro events. Again, the event would not have continued all these years without the time and support of all the judges. And, the CLUBS! Long Island Camaro Club, New York Third Gens, Lehigh Valley Camaro Club, Maryland Camaro Club, Northeast Ohio Camaro Club, to mention a few….the individual members always are ready to pitch in where and when needed.

Thanks!

See you next year!

Karl Scheffy

 

 

LS1 or LS6?

Tags :

Category : Uncategorized

Scott Settlemire 3/12/19

A few of you have asked me about the “LS6” block versus the “LS1” block. Very simply, we could not supply enough LS1 blocks back in, as I recall, 1999. Thus, the corp (GM) made the commitment to build another plant to produce more V8 ‘blocks’ — the difference is that if your block is bright silver (finished edges) it’s a St. Catherines Block. If it’s a bit darker gray, then it’s what some call the “LS6” block — built in Mexico — the difference is that both blocks are LS1/LS6– same design — but my hat is off to the people within GM Powertrain — they made the decision to build the additional plant for additional V8 engines — the rumor was that we’d only get a V6 engine for model years 2001 and 2002 as I recall – and the team made the call to ‘kill the car’ at the end of 1999 production as we could not profitably sell Camaros with only V6 engines — the program would once again start losing money as we did not make anything (…in fact we lost money on all but ultra-loaded V6 Camaros and Firebirds) — and the team won. Thus, the ‘story’ of the “LS6” rumored block……..

Image of Bud Scolastico

Bud Scolastico 1948-2019

Tags :

Category : Uncategorized

I will always remember Bud as a real car guy and a devoted grandfather. I first met him and Marla, with his recently purchased 1968 SSRS big block, back in 1999 at the first Camaro Nationals. He really got off on how everyone was so friendly and talked to him about his car. At the awards ceremony, his name was drawn as the winner of an advanced driving course at the Bragg-Smith / Stone Mountain track in Nevada (courtesy of GM).

“Mr. Bud” was hooked. He dug into the Camaro hobby with gusto. Later, when asked to help out with the Nationals, there was no hesitation, and he never backed off; becoming the show chairman when the event moved to Maryland.

When I first met their grand daughter Crystal, she was about a year old…and there was no doubt that her grandparents were smitten. Bud always promoted “Take a Kit to a Car Show”; and he lived by that adage. Crystal went to every show Bud and Marla did – from New Jersey and Delaware – to Tom Henry’s in Bakerstown. She would frequently make passer-by’s head turn with her knowledge of Camaros (and of course big blocks). “How did the knowledge come out of that little girl?” Boy, would Bud grin when that happened.

Bud was determined to see Crystal graduate High School this June, and then hang out with his Camaro friends at this year’s Nationals, but it was not to be. Things happen way to suddenly.

 

  • September 25, 2018
  • admin
  • -

The Day the Panther Died

Tags :

Category : Uncategorized

The Day the Panther Died,   by Scott Settlemire

June 28, 1966 was a day of firsts.
It was a day where 200 journalists were inducted into SEPAW (more about that in a minute)
That day, the first and LAST meeting of SEPAW took place.
It was the first time in history that 14 cities were hooked up ‘real time’ for a press conference via telephone lines. (Something that seems so very simple today, but so very complicated back then……)
And it was the first time that the world found out that a new Chevrolet would be called “Camaro” – rather than “Panther.”

On June 21, 1966, approximately 200 journalists from around North America received the following Telegram:
“……….Please save noon of June 28 for important SEPAW meeting. Hope you can be on hand to help scratch a cat. Details will follow……………….(signed) John L. Cutter – Chevrolet Public Relations – SEPAW Secretary.”
……….as you can imagine, there were many befuddled looks upon receiving such a telegram.  The next day, (June 22) – the same journalists received this telegram:
“………..Society for the Eradication of Panthers from the Automotive World will hold first and last meeting on June 28. (Insert city here) chapter will meet at (insert hotel name here) and join national 14 city telephone hookup with meeting in Detroit at which national president E. M. Estes will preside. Please telephone acceptance to Frank Faraone, (Telephone # ) Delaware 7-4601……….. (signed) John L. Cutter – Chevrolet Public Relations SEPAW Secretary………”

Well………that certainly gave the journalists something to think about…..and the best part is that they would not have to travel around the country to attend this “SEPAW Meeting” – rather, they only needed to travel to one of 14 cities.

This was truly a technological undertaking…..
The Bell System (the only telephone system back then for those of you who are under 40 years of age….) call arrangement included 14 cities and originated from Detroit’s Statler-Hilton Hotel (sadly demolished several years ago after sitting in ruin for nearly 25 years) where Chevrolet General Manager E. M. “Pete” Estes made some announcements.  There were more than 100 persons involved in providing the two-way communication system over  13,715 miles of telephone circuits, including 9,259 miles of microwave radio and 4,446 miles of coaxial cable.

The announcement over the wires was heard by approximately 150 of 200+ journalists in the cities of: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, St. Louis, San Francisco, New York, and Washington.
Amplifiers and microphones were installed in each of the 14 meeting rooms across the country so that newspersons could hear Mr. Estes’ remarks and direct questions to him. The questions and answers were heard simultaneously in all cities on the circuit.  GM was insistent that the system be tested – so a test call was made on Tuesday and was further backed up by an auxiliary circuit in case difficulty developed anywhere within the system.  It’s interesting to note that we think nothing of linking friends on a conference call at will from our homes or offices – without any real forethought. It was a different world 40 years ago…..and as you can see by the above figures – it was quite an accomplishment.

The REAL story, however, was in what Mr. Estes was about to tell the journalists.
Looking through notes that survived 40 years within Chevrolet files, I’ve managed to put together some of what Mr. Estes talked about that day. He gave a brief review of sales, model-year-to-date sales lead, and talked about his optimism for great June sales figures. He made it very clear that Chevrolet intended to remain America’s
number one selling cars and trucks.  Mr. Estes started the press conference with:
“……..SEPAW stands for the Society for the Elimination of Panthers from the Automotive World – and by your presence, you are automatically charter members…………July 1 marks my first anniversary (As General Manager of) Chevrolet. It’s been a fast and highly competitive year……..’

He went on to mention the many travels he made to dealers and plants – and mentioned milestones such as the 3 millionth Los Angeles produced Chevrolet passenger car—and the first Passenger car to roll off the newly opened Lordstown, Ohio assembly plant. Mr. Estes continued with:
“………..it is also a year in which Chevrolet has gotten into the hottest sales race since 1959……”   “………one of the reasons we’re going to stay number 1 is also a reason for this meeting.  Chevrolet is definitely going to have a new car included in the new models for the 1967 model year – and this car will be introduced on September 29, 1966………….This is NOT news to many of you! As far back as April 8, 1965, A Detroit newspaper had page-one headlines proclaiming that Chevrolet had a “Panther” car to answer the horsy offering of a competitor.  The question of  ‘who was answering who’  has been discussed frequently, since the four-footed competitor really
answered the Corvair. And the Corvair actually followed up the Corvette which was the real pioneer of the sporty-personalized car in this country…..”
“…..in the two years since then, you gentlemen of the press, radio, and television have literally designed, built, and marketed the Chevrolet “Panther” to the point were we get irate letters from customers plus phone calls demanding all specifications and price so they can place orders!”

(Note from Scott: — wow –some things pretty much stay the same, don’t they???)

Mr. Estes continued: “………We have frequently said ‘what Panther?’ and there have been many other names suggested ….citing Chevrolet’s preference for names starting with the letter ‘C’…………..”     “………….the personal sized car market is big …..” He went on to give current market figures and projected figures. “…….Corvair will remain in this market …….handing the family-type small car business……..” “…….with the 1967 line, Chevrolet will offer what we feel is the last word in personal sized cars……” He went on to describe the size of this new car in terms of comparison to both Corvair and Mustang – and some general details.

He announced that this new Chevrolet would be built in two assembly plants – one in Los Angeles (Van Nuys) and one in the suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio (Norwood.) He also mentioned that Chevy II production would be switched to Willow Run (Ypsilanti) Michigan where they would be built alongside Corvairs.
He then invited all news people to drive this new Chevrolet – and in fact all of the new Chevrolets, at a Press Preview in Detroit on September 12 and in Los Angeles on September 19.

Mr. Estes then said: “………..Oh yes! I almost forgot!   The purpose of this meeting! Gentlemen:  much as we appreciate the tremendous publicity given “Panther” we ask you to help scratch the cat once and forever. And as such, this will be both the FIRST and LAST meeting of SEPAW.
…………Chevrolet has chosen a name which is lithe, graceful, and in keeping with our other car names beginning with the letter C……….it suggests the comradeship of good friends……….as a personal car should be to its owner……..Above all, it is the name of our new car line to be introduced on September 29……..and to us, the name means just what we think the car will do:     GO!         ….and here it is!……..”
At that moment, five very pretty girls came onto stage – each holding a letter……Mr. Estes held the sixth letter – and while a narrator described to out-of-towners what was going on, Mr. Estes placed each girl in order and then lined up with them for all to see the word “CAMARO.”
………and thus was the day the Panther died.

Now – many of you may have heard me talk about this day at various Camaro and Firebird shows. For those of you who have not heard this story, I believe it merits repeating: I often wonder, as Mr. Estes picked the name “Camaro” from a list of over 2,000 words – a name that means “Friend, Pal, or Comrade” — I just wonder: Did he EVER imagine that this wonderful car – would bring so many ‘friends’ together all because of the love of the Camaro?
When asked a year later how he came up with the name “Camaro” – Mr. Estes laughed that he locked himself in a closet and he came back out with “Camaro”.

                                                                                                                                       S. S.

  • September 17, 2018
  • admin
  • -

Camaro Advertising

Tags :

Category : Uncategorized

I got my first Camaro Brochure in early September of 1968.  I was at the ‘Great Allentown Fair’, and drooled over what I  thought was a new model of Corvair.  There was a line of people in front of a tent – and the sign said “FREE” – so my brother and I stood at the end, and eventually ended up inside – for the ‘Chevy Show’.  The Chevy Show was a small theater style set up with a movie screen showing a close up view, looking out the windshield of various Chevrolet models while on winding roads, and beautiful panoramas.  The seats vibrated over the imagined bumps – unheard of at the time…..it made you think you were driving the car.  Although I spent countless hours as a kid, playing with models and ‘Matchbox’ cars; I was now seriously hooked on cars.  Damned GM!  Afterward, there was a stack of various brochures at the exit, and I grabbed a Vette brochure along with one of that new Corvair.  It turned out  not to be a Corvair, but a relatively new model of Chevrolet – the Camaro.  The cover was an RS….red….ralley wheels…going around a corner.  Love.  A year after picking up that brochure, I had my junior driver’s license; and before my license was a year old, I was driving a ’68 RS.  Sure, I had it towed home from a junkyard, but I fixed it up, and it looked great.  Still hard to believe, as I am not that good of mechanic.

1968 Camaro Magazine Ad

I still have that brochure, and about a hundred more.  I have at least one copy from every year up to 2002, including a year or two when GM only made a large combined catalog including all the Chevrolet models.   Most of the 5th and 6th gen brochures are there also, waiting to be put in order.

Other related Camaro collectibles are old magazine ads, dealer posters, and the Camaro record that was available from Cheverolet Dealers back in first gen era. Dealer flags are great collectibles…there are a few from the late 60’s and early 70’s….and also a few from the 4th gen period, including a black flag with the 35th Anniversary logo.   Around 2003, some full size highway Camaro billboards made their way into flea markets (there is one in all it’s glory on my garage wall). 

One of my favorite and rare pieces is a dealer poster from 1997.  The 3oth Anniversary Camaro brochure had a fold out of of an antique Gilmore gas station with the famous white and orange ’69 Pace Car on one side of the pumps,  and a ’97 white and orange LE convertible on the other side of the pumps.  Very frame-able.  The rare dealer poster, however, is the same scene in front of the same old gas station, but has people in it!  A twenty-something gal and guy are chatting, comparing their Camaros, while the station attendant leans out of the doorway, drooling over the beautiful cars.

Sure, driving Camaros is more fun, but on chilly winter afternoons, it is still great to get out the boxes of brochures and pamphlets, and bring back great memories.

 

Karl Scheffy

 

  • August 25, 2018
  • admin
  • -

2016 Camaro Nationals Re-cap

Tags :

Category : Event Re-Caps

WOW! What a show. After two years of rain we finally had good weather for the Nationals. There will be many articles written about the 18th Annual Camaro Nationals including Facebook and U-tube, so I will keep my article about thank you, congratulations, and important facts. A special to all the sponsors of the Camaro Nationals for their continuing support of our show their support makes the show grow and continue to improve.

I want to thank the people on the committee April, Karl, and Cathy for all their help this past year for helping put the show together. Without them it would not have come together. To the members who helped to get the fairgrounds setup for the Nationals on Wednesday an outstanding job. The crew has this down to a science, and after watching them over the last 6 years, it shows. The show would not be possible without the great handling of the cars being placed in Building 9 and the controlled parking of trailers on Thursday. To the crew directing the spectator parking – special thanks. Watching all the pieces come into place is like watching a fine clock’s movement.

Speaking of Thursday if you missed the Annual Cruise on Thursday Night you missed one great time. April did a great job of laying out the route and even arranged for not one but two trains to meet us at Point of Rocks. Who would have thought that was possible. The scenery was wonderful.

Friday was a very busy day at Registration but nothing like Saturday. Camaros were lined up four abreast and parked in an over load area waiting to register. The people under the tent did a fantastic job of handling everything. You could see the years of experience and knowledge they have. Many people stopped me to comment how well and smoothly registration ran. Thank you to the judges who help judge all the cars. Yes, there were a few hiccups but that is being corrected and things still ran smooth.

The club members who displayed their Camaros on Saturday made a beautiful site. The support and club loyalty was noticed by all and the comments were flowing from all over the show field. Congratulations to those of you who took home an award but I feel that every member was a winner. Congratulations to Billy McKee and his fine 1969 Rallye Green SS Coupe receiving Mayor McClement’s favorite car of the Nationals.

Speaking of Mayor McClement I have attached the Recognition Certificate presented to the Camaro Nationals at Friday’s Dinner for the shows contributions to the City of Frederick and Charitable organizations it supports. No other show in the United States has the support of the local community like we do. Congratulations to everyone one of you.

I must also thank GM for bring 4 outstanding 2017 Camaros not in production as yet. There are only 4 ZL1’s and 2 1LE’s built to date. Scott Caradonna and Matt Smith from GM were a big help explaining the cars and answering questions, their knowledge of the new models was very clear. But things really opened up to the show goers when Todd Christensen showed up Saturday. He inserted not only enthusiasm to the GM display but additional information and future options and what lays ahead for the Camaro.

Now for the facts; we had 357 Camaros on the site. Many people will be back next year; they had a great time and felt they were treated to a very good experience that they don’t receive at lots of other shows. We parked 200 Spectators cars in the infield and that is a record. The Food Vendors all did very well thanks to the attendance and weather. They all had long lines in front of their areas.

The Show again raised a lot of money for Charities. The Annual Dinner and Charity and Raffle raised $9,229.00. When you include the Silent Auction, 50/50, and Win Kelly the Camaro Nationals raised a Total of $10,134.00. Money to be shared by several charities in and around the Frederick area. There are still t-shirts available if you would like one, contact April.

I must again thank everyone who helped with the show. Without them it would not happen, they made me look very good. The appreciation plaque given to Marla and I was totally unexpected and really caught us by surprise. That really got to us and I still choke up when I think of it.

Finally I want to thank the Maryland Camaro Club and its members helping to put on the show. You all can be very proud of what has been accomplished over these six years. We had 30 states represented and many Canadians who thanked us over and over again during and after the show. JOB WELL DONE. On to 2017 and the 50th Anniversary of our beloved Camaros. Look forward to some exciting things to take place at the Nationals.

 

God Bless and good health,

Bud Scolastico

  • August 24, 2018
  • admin
  • -

2018 Camaro Nationals Re-Cap

Tags :

Category : Event Re-Caps

Hmmm, Global Climate Change?  This was another year of Dancing with Raindrops. 

The Thursday Cruise went great – I can’t believe the number of bridges April found in such a compact area.   Cathy Newman assisted by George Warner again took pictures of cars exiting the Covered Bridge, and posted them on Facebook for everyone to see and download.  In the parking lot that night, reports started getting more serious about remnants of a tropical storm making their way up from the Gulf of Mexico. It was looking like we were in the path.  The rain did end up messing up our Friday…and a bit into Saturday morning…but it cleared for the judging which started at 11AM on Saturday.  Weather reports kept day of show registrants away – which was a shame, because by about 10AM it became a nice day.  The Concours classes were nice and comfy in building 9…and a nice collection of Pace Cars and Invitational Camaros filled out the building.  Additional Pace Cars, LE’s and vendors completed our other two display buildings.  In the end, we had over 225 Camaros, and a handful of Firebirds.  Registrants hailed from 22 states, and 2 Canadian Provinces.

The Dinner and Charity Auction was well attended with just under 200 people. The food was very good after a wet day on the show field. (Warm showers helped, too.) Scott Settlemire, doing well after his scare, volunteered to be our Auctioneer, and raised just under $8,000 for charity. The Lehigh Valley Camaro Club pitched in again as runners for the auction items.  A 50/50 was held and a huge pile of cash went to a very lucky winner. Oh! April brought Bobby Banana along, and he decided he wanted to see a bit more of the world.  A bidding war started to see who would be his “foster family” for the year, and in the end Bobby returned to the Great State of New York – specifically, Long Island. He isgoing to have a very scary summer ahead of him; you know those “Islanders”.  There were already photos of him tied to a target in Bakersfield, with some weasel throwing a hatchet at him.  Poor Guy!

Saturday went by quickly. As the lingering showers tapered off, a few day of show cars registered, and judging got started at 11:00.  We learned from the last few years that if it was not the rain, the heat made outdoor awards a bit rough, so we decided to move them into building 13.  The rain was not an issue, but the decision was a good one, I think.  Everyone could hear better, and winners did not have to walk as far, so the awards went more smoothly and quickly.   Plus, Karl only made a few blunders this year in presenting!

The event was well planned, and the MCC Set-Up Crew did a great job as usual.  These guys are the best….the unsung heros of the car show scene.  The tear down crew did another fantastic job. We are all getting older – 20 years older than when we started this thing – but I think everyone still has energy like they did years ago.

From April, Cathy, Karl, and Bud

God Bless and good health.

 

2015 Camaro Nationals Re-cap

Tags :

Category : Event Re-Caps

The 17th Annual Camaro Nationals came in with beautiful weather and went out in a heavy downpour, but the rain didn’t damper the enthusiasm or excitement of the event. Everyone had a good time both Friday and Saturday.

The Thursday Night Cruise ended in downtown Frederick, where everyone split up for dinner at the various restaurants and cafe’s.   It rained later-on, and many of us got wet getting back to the cars for the ride home.

Attendance for the Nationals was not too bad with 302 cars. Most were preregistered and some the display cars of our sponsors filled in the show. There was a good turn out on Friday and even Saturday had several people register “Day of Show” despite less than ideal forecasts.   The rain started as we headed toward lunch time, but we still received many good comments about how the club handled the show in spite of the weather. The judges received many kind words even though all the Heartbeat judging was done in the rain.

The event raised $10,350 for charity which was a great amount for the event. We had some very nice items to auction off and the response was good. Several items brought very spirited and competitive bidding. The club can be very proud of what has been done for the charity over the years.  Bobby Banana even showed up for the auction.

The Nationals Committee would like to thank all the Club and all the MCC members who helped make the Nationals what they are. Without the MCC members this show could not be put on. The MCC setup crew did a great job on Wednesday and Thursday. Thank you again, to all that helped with the show, and thank you for your help and dedication.

Best of health and God Bless.

Sincerely

Bud Scolastico

2017 Camaro Nationals Re-Cap

Tags :

Category : Event Re-Caps

WOW! Another great Camaro Nationals. Maybe the best one yet held in Maryland. The weather could not have been much better….it was raining all around, but not in Frederick. That may have hurt the Day of Show entries, as some were hesitant to leave their home town in the rain, but we all had a good time. The cars were the stars – from Concept to everyday drivers. It was awesome.

Starting with the Birthday Cruise and BBQ on Thursday evening, the Nationals were off and running. April did a great job with the route to the park and the cruise itself. The BBQ was great, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. 80 cars participated in the rolling cruise, and 221 people enjoyed the pork and chicken BBQ with all the fixings. Cathy Newman assisted by George Warner took pictures of most every car as it exited the one covered bridge, and posted them on the MCC facebook page.

Friday started off with cars rolling in to register and pick up their goody bags; and to get thier info for the weekend. Building 9 was full with many outstanding cars. Building 14A was full of vendors, and the outside vendor area was filling up as well. We even had cars in the Auto Corral on Friday. The Dinner and Charity Auction was well attended with a record 226 people. The food was very good, especially after a long day on the show field. After dinner, Tom Henry gave us an update on our friend Scott Settlemire’s situation. We have all be reading bits on facebook; so it was really nice to hear things in more detail from cousin Tom. Next, the Live Charity Auction raised just over $10,000 – bringing the total the Nationals has donated, to well over $100,000…the lion’s share of which as gone to “The Silence of Mary Home” for disenfranchised children.

The auction itself had a new twist……in addition to the live portion, 50/50 tickets were sold, and about 75 numbers were pulled to pick an item of choice from our “Second Chance” tables. Mayor McClemment and his wife couldn’t keep up counting and tearing the tickets, as Bunny Fox did a wonderful job of selling the tickets. After the live auction, Garry Dammons was the lucky winner of the $1,030.00 prize. During all the frenzy of the auction, Bobby Banana was adopted by April Alderson. April promised him a great year traveling between Maine and Maryland – with lots of car shows, outings, and general trouble making. He as already been posting some great (and not so great) photos. I am not sure what he learned living with Rick Hoffmeister in NY; but that night next to the cooler with Alf and the Hulk?? It looks like Bobby is going to have a busy summer ahead of him; I hope he doesn’t run out of air.

Saturday was very busy and moved by very quickly. The 50th Anniversary Display was very impressive. Several cars we needed showed up at registration, and filled in the voids very nicely. Judging got started at 11:00, and before you know it, it was time for Awards. Everyone at Awards was offered a 50th Anniversary Cup Cake – they didn’t last very long! The club members cleaned up the show field, and it was time to wrap up the 19th Annual Camaro Nationals. Gary Sommers, April, Karl and myself are working on getting everything buttoned up for the year.

Once again, I have to thank the workers, club members, other Camaro Clubs, etc. The set-up and tear-down crew did another fantastic job. They are another year older and a half step slower, but I would not trade them for the world. The crew that set up the buildings and vendor areas – again a job well done! The gals and guys under the Registration Tent are like energizer bunnies – they just keep on going and going.

A big thank you to the Lehigh Valley Camaro Club members who helped out with the Auction. they noticed that we were short on help and/or exhausted; and they jumped in as runners and flaggers to keep the auction moving quickly. Thanks to Upstate New York 5 members and Long Island Camaro Club members, who jumped in and helped wherever they were needed….and thanks to all the other Camaro Clubs who came to help and support the show.

The official car count for this year’s show was 325…a very solid number considering it was raining in almost every other location in Pennsylvania and Maryland. We have heard from many who were planning on attending, but backed down due the storms they would have been passing through. Even the Ice Cream truck missed a huge sales day on Friday, because it was raining in PA, and he assumed we were wet, too.

This year, the Nationals gave away several items to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Camaro… starting with the free BBQ on Thursday, and including a few suitcases and coolers with the show logo. Everyone who pre-registered received a commemorative blanket and a hat/lapel pin to mark the occasion. As mentioned earlier, cupcakes were given out at the BBQ and prior to the awards ceremony. People asked me why we did all this extra stuff, and not just keep the profits for next year. One of the National’s sponsors, who is now retired, told me every year when I contacted him, “you have to give back.” He has a very good life and he always tried to give back to the hobby….so that is what we did; we gave back to the hobbyists who have been so good to us.

We have been coming up with some unique ideas for the shirts and awards art for the last few years…so I wanted to expand on the background of this year’s art. First, the group of seagulls is Gilbert and the Gulls, from Ocean City Maryland. (I think they are friends of Bobby Banana,) On the front of the shirt, they are from left to right; Gigi, Gilbert, Gaston, and Gale. Yes, that is a Mustang banner being pulled from under the front tire of the 1967 Camaro by Gilbert. The artist did a fantastic job with the license plate on the front fo the ‘67. The sign in front of the Kite Loft is hard to read, but it says “Happy Fiftieth Birthday Chevy-Camaro 1967-2017”.

The Nationals have been known as a great place to meet new Camaro people and enjoy long friendships. Back in 2000, when I attended my first one, and met Karl, I left having met a nice handful of Camaroists. Now, these many years later; I can count scores of truly great friends. 2018 will mark the 20th Camaro Nationals. Let’s see what happens for next year’s show. Mark your calendars for June 22nd & 23rd, 2018, have a great year, and we will see you next June.

From April, Cathy, Karl, and myself; god Bless and good health.

Bud Scolastico

Cart

Recent Posts

© Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved. Developed By Karl Scheffy. info@camaronationals.org