President’s Letter – Lakeshore Corvette Club

President’s Letter November 2017

Diane Colvin — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 23:46:24 +0000

One of the advantages of being part of any group or organization for a long time is the different perspective that history gives you. Amy and I have been part of LCC since 2004. Since joining there have been members who have come and members who move on. It’s part of the natural ebb and flow of an organization. It’s true with churches, workplaces, and even your circle of friends. Life changes, people move away, get transferred, or just want something different than everyone else. Our Corvette club is no different. I was reminded of that at our last meeting when we learned that the members had sold their car. It is sad to see friends leave.

This year we also had many new members join. It’s fun to see new faces, new cars and to begin build new friendships. I hope all the new members feel welcomed and included. I also hope that ALL the members feel encouraged to get more involved, whether it is leading a monthly cruise, leading a weekend cruise, joining the board, or being president. As I look forward to next year, I have no doubt some of you will be getting new or different cars, we will take some amazing cruises and a great time will be had by all. History tells me it will be true.

Brian Martinie,
LCC President

President’s Letter June 2017

Diane Colvin — Sun, 02 Jul 2017 16:20:57 +0000

Summer is here! I hope you are all taking the opportunity to get out on the road in your Corvette. Amy and I just returned from a “bucket list” trip. For years we have been participating in the St Ignace Car Show. It’s the last weekend in June and is usually between 800 and 1000 cars downtown St Ignace. But the week before is a lesser known car show called Antiques on the Bay. It is a much smaller show for cars 1991 and older. Well, this was the year we participated in both and it was worth it because we won a top 20 award. What’s on your summer of 2017 bucket list?

One other item I wanted to mention, 2017 is the 20^th anniversary of the Lakeshore Corvette Club. I have invited Dr. Patrick to join us at an upcoming meeting to share a little history about how and why the club got started. I will let you know once a firm date is set. At the July 11 picnic we will have cake and ice cream to celebrate. Don’t forget to RSVP to Barb and Ed if you plan to be there.

Save the Wave,

Brian Martinie

President’s Newsletter May 2017

Diane Colvin — Wed, 24 May 2017 20:28:54 +0000

Recently I was scanning E Bay and came across a 1976 JC Whitney catalog. It was “buy it now” at $3 with $3 in shipping, so I bought it. In 1976, the JC Whitney catalog was my window into the world of auto repair and customization. It was a big part of my automotive history. When I discovered a car I was interested in purchasing, I would research the catalog to see what repair parts were available. That search always led to accessories as well. I was looking for something to make the car stand out. Then there were the wish list items. And believe me, the number of items in the catalog that were one-of- a-kind were many. It was car guy heaven.

I remember one of my very first purchases from around 1978 was a digital tachometer. It was small and had a red LED readout. It was so futuristic and cool. It was also hard to read and had a huge delay, but none of my friends had one. Later I ordered a small toolbox with various tools to help expand my limited supply of tools. I don’t believe I have any of those original tools left in my collection. But I know I still have the hip roofed box, it’s under the workbench full of nuts and bolts. Over the years, the JC Whitney catalog has changed from hand drawn illustrations to color photos and from obscure items to the mundane. The store has also moved from midtown Chicago to along I-80.

Today I get catalogs from Ecklers, Mid America, and Corvette America. I still look through them to see what’s new or unique, something to make my car stand out from all the others. I can’t help myself, It’s part of my DNA.

Save the Wave,
Brian Martinie
LCC President

President’s Letter April 2017

Diane Colvin — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 20:44:48 +0000

Late last month, Amy and I visited the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. We have been there many times, but this was the first time since the sinkhole. It was truly amazing to see the damaged cars, especially the cars that had been repaired. I remember soon after the sinkhole happened reading a blog from someone who claimed the entire cave in was fake. They boasted that model cars were used to make it look real. When you see those damaged cars 3 feet away it becomes very real. In fact, the sink hole is still there, deep underground. To repair the building, they just put down dozens and dozens of concrete pilings and created a false floor 30 feet down, then filled in and compacted the dirt above until it was the same height as the original floor. Then they added a vertical tunnel with a window at the top so you could see down into the hole. I’m glad that they added that special feature. It probably didn’t hurt that the museum’s attendance is up 60% since the sinkhole.

Save the Wave,

Brian Martinie

President Newsletter March 2017

Diane Colvin — Sun, 26 Mar 2017 21:44:15 +0000

If you didn’t already know, I’m a car guy. I’ve been a car guy since I was a kid. It all started with hand-me-down Hot Rod Magazines and model cars. You know, the kind you had to break apart all the injected molded pieces and glue together. Sometimes the box would show you two different ways to complete the model. One was all original and the other was custom. Either way, my favorite part of each build was the paint and putting on all the cool decals. We kind of do the same thing today, but on a much larger scale. We make a decision to keep our Corvettes original or to make changes. Some changes are very subtle, like a new air freshener, while others over the top. Either way, you finish the car the way you like it. Don’t forget, April 11 is our first cruise of the year. I hope to see you all there.

Save the Wave,

Brian Martinie

President Newsletter February 2017

Diane Colvin — Fri, 24 Feb 2017 01:15:34 +0000

Winter is here. Hopefully your car is tucked away safe and sound, out of the weather. Some of you know I spent some of my younger days living in Phoenix. I always thought it would be great to live in a place where you could drive a Corvette year round. No more winter storage. No more StaBil in the gas. Sounds great! But the more I think about it, the more I like it this way. Five months of storage. Five months of planning what upgrades or changes you’ll make in the spring. Five months to plan out new places to see. Five months of anticipation and excitement to finally get the car out once the weather turns nice. Hopefully you are making plans to participate in as many car related activities as you can. If you have an idea for a tour or destination, send me a note.

Save the wave,

Brian Martinie

LCC -President

President’s Letter January 2017

Diane Colvin — Fri, 24 Feb 2017 00:18:27 +0000

It is again my pleasure to be club president for 2017. For those who didn’t know, I was president back in 2009 as well. As I look forward to the new year, I ask myself, “why do we have a car club and what is its purpose?” Certainly none of us need more meetings in our busy lives. We could easily find other ways to spend $51 each year. The bottom line answer is to have fun! To have fun with our Corvettes along with a group of people who also have Corvettes and like to have fun. The cool thing is that Amy and I didn’t know any of you before we joined the club. The club brought us all together and together we look forward to a great year of cruises, rallys, car shows, club meetings and of course, fun!

A special thanks to Randy for quickly making new arrangements for the January meeting. For those of you unable to be at the meeting, the Anchorage Marina had a staff change and was not able to host our group in January. We plan to again be at the Marina for the Wednesday, February 08 meeting.

Save the Wave

Brian Martinie,

LCC President

President’s Letter: December 2016

Diane Colvin — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 23:19:59 +0000

Thanks to all LCC members for taking an active role in OUR club. I believe participation was up this past year and a key ingredient to making 2016 a great year. Appreciation goes out to all cruise leaders (including the fall color tour) and their restaurant/destination choices and round of applause to all rally participants and volunteers. Kudos to our “soup and shoot” event along with our Indy trip and what is left to say about our new web page! Volunteerism takes a lot of time, thought and commitment. All of these volunteers made my job a lot easier.

Thank you to all the board members for their time, great ideas, commitment, and for taking on the necessary responsibilities and duties of their positions. I could not have done this alone. I owe you all a drink or ice cream cone. You will have to remind me of this next year (I may have short term memory loss)!

Looking forward to next year, 2017 should be another good year. The cruise leaders are already lined up. The “BIG TRIP” next year to Canada is in motion. Thanks to an eleventh hour volunteer the new board is ready for action. The competition director and governor will keep track of the new rally rules and dates for the 2017 rally. The new President and board will have almost nothing to do (but don’t tell them that, let’s make them feel needed). This leaves more time for cruising and fun!

Thanks to all LCC members. Have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

Craig Smith,
LCC President

President’s Letter: November 2016

Diane Colvin — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 17:35:31 +0000

Veterans Day is this week, Friday, so I will tart this month’s letter with a thank you to all LCC Veterans and all Veterans everywhere for their service. Also, thanks to their families for their support and sacrifices.

Additionally, I applaud Gary and Joy for a great fall color cruise. When corvettes, food and ice cream come together, life is grand. Gary is now working on a summer trip to Canada. He is in the process of reserving a block of rooms. This may be a Saturday thru Tuesday event with the ability for individuals to extend their stay when reserving their own room. If you are interested and have not signed up, please let Gary know. You will need a passport or an Enhanced Michigan license (check into this) to get in/out of Canada.

What a great venue for this November meeting. The marina was a good place for the meeting with great food at a reasonable price. Thanks to Randy K and John M for making the arrangements. The December meeting will also be at Anchorage Marina and Yacht Club. January’s meeting place has yet to be determined (may be at the same place if things work out).

We are still in need of a nominee or volunteer for the position of club secretary for next year. Please consider serving LCC!

The January meeting will be our annual Christmas Party. Each person brings 1 wrapped gift to be auctioned off. New or gently used and/or funny or practical! We will also be collecting non-perishable food or personal items for the Community Action House.

Craig Smith,
LCC President

President’s Letter: October 2016

Diane Colvin — Wed, 26 Oct 2016 20:18:08 +0000

President’s Letter –October

I would first like to thank Gary and Joy for the cruise this month, and all the cruise leaders this past year. It was greatly appreciated that you took the time to map out Corvette friendly routes to our dinner destinations. The routes were all enjoyable and the food choices were very palatable. Also, thanks to Barb and Ed for organizing the picnic this year. Again, thanks to Brian and Stacie for a wonderful Bloomington Gold weekend trip to Indy. Just a quick reminder that next year’s sign-up sheet for cruise leaders will be available at all the winter meetings.

Secondly, I need to thank all the volunteer/nominees for agreeing to be nominated for LCC Board positions next year. Sometimes we forget that the organization of club takes planning and time. A lot of work goes into planning various events from rallies, cruises and the long weekend event each year. We still need someone to step up and fill the position of Secretary. Hopefully before the end of the year!

Board positions filled for 2017 are as follows:

President…………………………………… Brian M.

Vice President…………………………… Rob D.

Governor……………………………………. Joy B.

Competition Director………………….. Roger S.

Membership Director…………………. Kay S.

Treasurer…………………………………… Cora M.

Secretary…………………………………… Open

One more thanks needs to be made to the person volunteering for a non-board and non-elected position with LCC. The titles of WEBMASTER and SUNSHINE PERSON go to Nancy. Thank you Nancy for undertaking both of these positions!

Loose Ends: Dues need to be paid by the end of the November Meeting, November 8^th, which is National Election Day.

Fall Cruise and color cruise is Saturday, October 22^nd, Departing at 8:00 am from Sam’s Club
The Annual Christmas dinner and Auction will be in January.
Food drive for Community Action House also at the January meeting

Craig Smith,

LCC President