VETTE NEWS Volume 32, Issue 6 President s Corner Hello everyone, Seems like corvette season is upon us! All the cruise nights have begun, so make sure you check your calendar of events for the month of June. There are a lot of great things happening in June, like our first Ice Cream Social at Country Peddler on June 19, check with Ray Schafer for more details. Also we have the Louisville trip June 26-28 hosted by Dick and Sue Brownlee, sounds like it s going to be a fun trip. Our bigger trip is to the NCCC convention in Bowling Green, KY. June 23-28. We have a good size group going to the convention about twenty of us. With all of the events that are being held some of my favorite ones are: drag racing which as luck would have it I m signed up for, I don t plan on taking any awards home but a lot of memories. Another event I enjoy is the Valve cover races where I am also signed up for. I am hoping to do better at the Valve Cover Races than just showing up. Other events are low speed racing which a few of our members are signed up for. There is going to be a Wash and shine contest for awards. There is an event called Funkhana for an explanation to what this is you just have to make a convention. There are a couple of theme night events, Awards dinner in the main Ballroom, and lunch at Lost River Cave and a Breakfast last day of convention. I have probably missed a couple of events but all in all everyone attending should have a great time! As always if you have something you would like to put together for the club to do please bring it up at our monthly meeting or contact me and we could discuss it and then present it to our members. Drive S afe Mike Buccilli June 6 Akron Corvette Cruise night Dan & Deb Hosting (meet at McDonalds 5:00 pm) June 7 Deca Cruise & Car Show Depew HS 6pm June 7 Springville Classic 60 s Cruise -290 N. Buffalo St. Springville, NY 5:30 pm June 8 COB Club Meeting Clarence Church 7 pm June 9 Street Machines of Rochester Badgerow Park 9am 4pm June 11 Uncle Joe s Cruise Night of week 5:30pm June 12 Texas Roadhouse Super Cruise 900 Youngs St, Tonawanda, NY (rain date 19th ) June 13 Lewiston Cruise Academy Park 4:30 pm June 14 Dave Smith Super Cruise Transit Rd. Williamsville, NY - 5:00pm June 18 Hamburg Casino Fairgrounds 5pm-9pm (rain 6/25) June 23-28 NCCC Convention to Bowling Green, KY June 25 Variety Club Cruise 6114 Broadway Lancaster, NY 5 pm every Tuesday June 26-29 Louisville Trip See Dick Brownlee June 28 Wilson Super Cruise Rt. 425 5:30 pm June 28-30 Bloomington Gold Show Illinois June - 2013 What s Happening June 29 Car & Craft Show 10am-4pm Steel Plant Museum, NY - 100 Lee St. Buffalo, NY OFFICAL PUBLICATION OF June 30 Boston BBQ Fest & Drifter Cruise - Hamburg Fairgrounds, 12pm-5pm www.corvettesofbuffalo.com CORVETTES of BUFFALO pg 1
Officers President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Mike Buccilli 716-648-2037 Lowell Rothenberger 716-675-9467 Skip Polowy 716-201-1889 Larry Ienco 716-570-7110 Board of Directors Sue Brownlee 716-693-4654 Frank Pastore 716-694-9024 Jim Brett 716-684-9364 Mike Erdey 716-634-4975 Mel Skeide 716-876-1194 Dan Wroblewski 716-542-2041 Rich Zahner 716-225-1188 Committees Membership Newsletter Phone Comm. Sunshine Comm. Webmaster Activities Dir. Club Photographer Or Barbara Lipome 716-691-8845 Richard Kirkland 716-304-1818 Sue Brownlee 716-693-4654 Karen Rothenberger 716-675-9467 Diane Skeide 716-876-1197 Jim Bonus 716-695-7643 Patti Parrish 716-834-0729 or 716-432-7280 Dan Krakowski 719-675-5880 Meeting every second Saturday of the month at First Presbyterian Church 9675 Main St. Clarence, NY, 14031 Meeting starts 7:00 p.m. Corvettes of Buffalo is open to all Corvette owners and enthusiasts over the age of 21 Visit us at http://www.corvettesofbuffalo.com/ Send Articles To: Rich Kirkland, 10318 Loretta Drive Niagara Falls, New York 14304 E-Mail : mailto:razzor888@roadrunner.com Submissions must be in by 24 th Birthday s 1 st Marie Fetes 4 th Bob Blandford 9 th Mary Reisdorf 13 th Jim Fetes 21 st John Meyerhoff 22 nd Robert Boyle 24 th Pamm Seifert 25 th Diane Skeide Anniversaries 4 th Nancy & Reas Graber 5 th Maureen & Skip Polowy 13 th Mike & Lee Buccilli 20 th Sue & Dick Brownlee 28 th Karen & Lowell Rothenberger 28 th Mary & Robert Boyle COB MEMBERS... To all my friends at Corvettes of Buffalo: YES, I'm home from the hospital and starting the tasks of recovery and regaining strength!! I have been flabbergasted at the outpouring of cards, emails and phone calls from so many at COB! Then today, I received the beautiful basket of fruit and goodies from you. What a pleasant surprise! I want to send you all my heartfelt appreciation for all your expressions of concern and support. I can't tell you how uplifting it is to know I have such a great group of friends, and of course, it just makes me want to get back to WNY and COB activities as soon as possible!! Thank you all soooo much! Save the Wave! John Mey erhoff CORVETTES of BUFFALO pg 2
Items For S ale For Sale 1980 White Corvette Coupe, 350, auto, Burgundy interior, new tires, mirrored T-tops, Ps, Pb, AC, only 33,000 miles, excellent condition $18,995 Call Mark 716-578-5525 Full Size C-5 Wall Mounting Actual C-5 Rear Fascia - Torch Red Tail & license plate lamps are illuminated Includes wall bracket $2000 Call Bruce at 716-864-8459 Car Capsule Like New - used one Season The CarCapsule is a clear vinyl bubble (18' x 76" x 68") that seals your car from dust, dirt & moisture. A built-in fan circulates filtered air within the bubble to eliminate that musty, damp smell that can ruin your stored car. The super-tough vinyl bubble is made from anti-static, 10 mil PVC. The durable zipper is 100% nylon, so it won't scratch your vehicle. The CarCapsule is impervious to oil, gas and antifreeze and is mildew-resistant and flame-retardant. $350 Call Bruce at 716-864-8459 1964 Corvette Coupe for Sale Original with matching numbers. L76 327/365hp, 4 speed,3.70 positraction rear end. Saddle tan $ 49,500, or best reasonable offer Call Gene at 716 754 7346 for more details. Tires: 285/35 ZR19 & 245/40 ZR 18 Michelin Run Flats Brand New less than 100 miles Rims: OEM C6 Corvette Rims Call John Price $2,200 716-969-3821 CORVETTES of BUFFALO pg 3
1972 Corvette Coupe For Sale This corvette has had a complete frame off restoration. Just completed May, 2013. Everything in the car works. 350 cu in, 4 speed, PS, AM/FM Stereo, Panited Blue with a Black Interior. Asking 31,900 or BO Call Peter at 716 634-6101 Miss Buffalo Cruise The cruise is booked for Weds July 24th. Everyone is to board at 11:15. Luncheon is scheduled for 11:30-12:30. 12:30 to 2:30 will be a narrated sightseeing cruise around Buffalo. The menu will consist of Caesar salad, pulled bbq pork sandwich, herb roasted chicken, pasta salad, dessert & coffee service. Water, soda & bar is cash. I have reserved for 30 and already have 18 signed up so those interested will need to contact me at 542-4950 ASAP. I will be collecting the $28 per person at the June meeting for all those interested in going on the cruise. If you can't go to the meeting I'll need a check made out to Mary Mangan & sent to me at my home prior to the next meeting. Otherwise I'll be collecting at the June meeting. If we have enough interest we could expand the group to 40 people. I think this could really be a great time as it is co-ed or singles and with our group, on the water, on what would hopefully be a beautiful warm afternoon, I think it would be memorable. Thank y ou Mary & Pat Mangan Super Cruise Door Prizes Members and Prospective members: please gather any door prizes you have collected and bring them to our June meeting or any other activity. If you can t get them to the meeting, just give me a call at 675-9467 and I ll be happy to pick them up. Let me know the names of those who have donated the door prizes so we can give them credit at the show. Thank you in advance for helping secure all our door prizes. Lowell Rothenberger CORVETTES of BUFFALO pg 4
Special Note for COB Members It has been brought to my attention that the Birthday and Anniversary list may not be totally up to date. So at the next meeting I will have my list so I can go over it with the members I don t have and get it up to date. Thank You, Rich Kirkland Newsletter Editor June 16, 2013 Articles From Prospective Members The first Corvette I saw was a brand new 61 Jewel Blue convertible sitting in my friends driveway. WOW! I knew then, that someday a Corvette would be mine. In September 1964, I ordered a 1965 Milano maroon, saddle tan 350, 4 speed with 2 tops, off road exhaust Corvette. Unfortunately, GM went on a lengthy strike soon after and the car was not delivered until late February. I can still see myself walking into Al Morgan Chevrolet in Lockport and seeing it in the wash bay. A dream come true! I had never driven a manual, but quickly learned without burning up the clutch. My girlfriend (now my wife of 44 years) and I had the summer of 65. With the draft calling, I enlisted in the Marines and not being sure how long I would be in the military and having to store the car for many years, my Dad sold it for me. ( I paid $3,971.19 for it and even though I do not have the car, I still have the paper work for it.) Once out of the service, I got married, had four children who went through college, 3 weddings and now have 5 Grandchildren and still yearned for another Vette. One of our sons on his way home from the Finger Lakes went past Turner Automotive in Victor and saw all the Corvettes out front. I had been looking on line at cars and knew the time was right and took a drive to Victor. There I purchased a 2006 Monterey red, 6 speed manual convertible with 11,000 miles on it. That took us back to the summer of 65. Robert & Donna Harrer CORVETTES of BUFFALO pg 5
We purchased our 1981 (C3) last August from a private owner. It's a metallic charcoal coupe with silver interior. The stingray styling is my favorite and the T-top is very easy to handle. After attending a couple of the meetings I bought Sally a 1988 (C4) coupe. It is red with a red interior. We haven't been farther than 20 miles from home on any single ride so we are very enthusiastic about going on some adventures with the COB. Let the good weather begin! Way ne & Sally Scudder I have always had a love affair with cars and motorcycles. From getting my hands dirty working on them in the garage, to sitting on the deck enjoying the latest edition of Hot Rod, automobiles are my passion. My fascination started very young, helping my father in our garage and even involved racing motorcycles at one point (back when my body could handle that). My very first vehicle was a 1972 Ford pickup truck. It was so loud, Tracy could hear me coming, a mile away. It was not the best vehicle in the world, but it was mine and I loved it. One of Tracy's first cars was a 1978 Camaro Z-28. We eventually sold it for the down payment on our first home. The difficulty of that decision speaks to how deep seeded my love of automobiles is. I have always enjoyed purchasing cars and working on them. By my estimate I have owned nearly 100 different vehicles, including many brands, both foreign and domestic. Some of my personal favorites have been a 78 Mustang, 83 Olds Cutlass, 83 Turismo, 87 BMW, 92 Firebird, and a pair of Triumph TR7s. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I have owned the same 1983 Kawasaki Spectre motorcycle for over 26 years. Even when we were dating back in high school, I always told Tracy that someday I wanted to own a Corvette. It is the pinnacle of car ownership, in my eyes; the perfect blend of American power and performance. Over the years, family has always come first for me and a Corvette has never been in the cards. Last year I reiterated to my wife that my dream of Corvette ownership was still burning inside me. As we talked about it, it seemed more and more like our lives had moved into a position where this aspiration might move from theory to actuality. I began my search on the internet, researching each generation of Corvette, horsepower, color choices, trim lines, 0-60 times, I enjoyed every second of reading that I did. The next step was to get some hands on experience. For this, I attended the car show at Salvatores. I inspected each generation and visually reviewed many different cars. The most helpful part of the show wasn't the cars though, it was their owners. I had always heard about the brotherhood of Corvette owners, but it was a new experience to be immersed in. When I mentioned that I was looking to buy my first Corvette in the near future, people would open right up to me and offer tips and advice about the different years and trim lines. This fact really gets to the core of Corvette ownership. It s as much about the people, as it is about the cars. Armed with my newly acquired knowledge, I finally decided which car I would pursue and found a 1995 with 37,000 miles, color code 05, dark purple metallic. I remember going to see it for the first time with my son. We both knew, it was the one, that day. After I had purchased the car, I knew that the next step was to become an active owner in the Corvette community, and the premier organization for that is Corvettes of Buffalo. From the 13,466 Corvettes produced in the 2013 model year, back to the one dark purple metallic car that rolled off the line one fortuitous day in 1995, I wonder if General Motors had any idea of the emotions and relationships that they were creating, when they produced the first 300 back, in 1953. Hopefully, with our inclusion in COB, my wife and I are starting a new chapter of our automotive lives; a chapter in the Corvette family. John and Tracy Kowalske CORVETTES of BUFFALO pg 6
Williamsville Memorial Day Parade You could not have asked for a nicer day for the Williamsville Memorial Parade. Corvettes of Buffalo were out in force with 24 sparkling clean corvettes for the Big Memorial Day Parade. We gathered at Williamsville South High School until it was time to line up for the parade. The crowds people along the parade route were especially large this year. There was not free space along the curb for the entire parade. It was just a great all around day. After the parade most of us headed over to American Legion George F. Lamm Post #622 on Wehrle Drive for hot dogs, hamburgers and cold drinks. The entertainment was provided by American Legion Post #264 Band from Tonawanda, NY. The food was good, the band was good, what more could you ask for? CORVETTES of BUFFALO pg 7
COB in Washington, DC On Sunday, May 19 th, 10 Corvettes left Western New York and headed for Rockville, MD and Washington, DC. Frank and Marianne Pastore led the way (with a short detour to see farm country around Orangeville.) We left early that morning and arrived at our motel by 4:30 PM. Monday morning we took the METRO into Washington and met Reas and Nancy Graber at Union Station. Most of us bought passes for the Trolley Tour buses and we were off! People went their own way to see the sights on their personal priority lists. Some of the more popular sights were The United States Capitol, The Lincoln Memorial, The Viet Nam Memorial, The WW II Memorial, various Smithsonian museums and Arlington National Cemetery. On Tuesday, a group of us took the METRO to Arlington National Cemetery. We took the Tram around the cemetery stopping at JFK s grave with the eternal flame, The Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers and the Custis-Lee Mansion. For our group, this trip was made more memorable because we found the graves of Bruce Mussehl and Bob Blanford s uncles. The afternoon was devoted to individual tours. Wednesday, several Corvettes traveled to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum near Dulles Airport. Lowell and I took the scenic route which included the airport and some suburban neighborhoods. In other words, WE GOT LOST! This museum was fantastic and worth every minute we spent there. Later that afternoon, many of us went to visit Criswell Chevrolet where Frank had arranged for us to meet with Mike Furman, one of their top salesmen. We toured the dealership and looked over the many Corvettes on the lot. There were no 2014 s there. The trip was great fun for all of us. The motel had a great breakfast so we started each day with full stomachs. We also had some great dinners together at nice restaurants. If you were too tired after touring Washington, you could also eat at the restaurant in the motel. Thursday, most of us headed back to Western New York. Some left at 7:00 AM and the rest of us left at 9:00 AM. The weather cooperated while we were in Washington on our tours. We did run into rain on the way home but it didn t spoil the trip at all. Next, we re looking forward to Bowling Green and the NCCC Convention. Can you guess what Lowell is getting for Father s Day? Hint, hint: A GPS. Lowell & Karen Rothenberger CORVETTES of BUFFALO pg 8
West-Herr Chevrolet All Corvette Show On Wednesday May 15, West-Herr Chevrolet and Western New York Corvette Club hosted an all Corvette show at the dealership on Transit Rd. Eighty-eight corvettes attended and were greeted with clear skies, warm temps and a few wind gusts. Corvettes of all six generations were represented. Chinese auction baskets, split club tickets, hot dogs and other goodies were in abundance. Awards were given to one car from each generation as well as a Best in Show award. Members of Corvettes of Buffalo who were in the winner s circle included Mike Macy (Best in Show), Rocco Buccelli (C-4), and Ray Zielinski (C-5). Rocco Buccelli C-4 Winner RayZielinski C-5 Winner Mike Macy Best of Show CORVETTES of BUFFALO pg 9
Ladie s COB Luncheon Wednesday May 15 six COB ladies went on a little excursion and attended the Decorators Showcase at Knox Farms and enjoyed the artisans and decorators ideas and furnishings. Afterwards, of course, we attended a luncheon at Rick's on Main St., E. Aurora, where we were met by other members. Please look for more events to attend in the near future. Men's COB Luncheon The Men's COB Luncheon was held on Thursday, May 16 at the Quaker Steak & Lube on Transit Road, in Lancaster. It was a all you can eat buffet for only $8.95. CORVETTES of BUFFALO pg 10
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COB SPONSORS CORVETTES of BUFFALO pg 13
COB SPONSORS Personalized Corvette Coffee Mug Beautifully etched only $14.95 15oz. choice of red, blue or black ceramic CORVETTES of BUFFALO pg 14
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