President Charles Marchewka’s Outgoing Message for MARCOM. The 2017 year for MARCOM is now over. Our tours, meetings, programs and events are finished and many of us are putting our “A’s” away for the winter. I have been lucky enough to have been MARCOM’s President for a few years and I have enjoyed every […]
It was concerted efforts by Ken Trudel, his son Chris, and John Gosselin (a webmaster) that is bringing to fruition this new, redesigned MARCOM Website.
Countless hours have been spent in completely overhauling the website. The present website served us well for several years but it was time to make a big change in the design. Many thanks go out to Ken Trudel, Chris Trudel and John Gosselin who took on the daunting task of the website redesign.
Ken has set up the website to be a very important part of MARCOM. The redesign will allow us to add more functions to the site and will make our presence more widely known throughout the Model A community. I am looking forward to being a part of the website committee and hope that additional MARCOM members will join us in managing the site for years to come.
Chuck Marchewka, June 2017
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!
MARCOMs annual Christmas Party did not disappoint. An extraordinary amount of good food, gifts, and conversation including some Model A talk. Special thanks to Rick & Jerri Coffey for the beautiful raffle gifts and Dolores Marchewka for all the effort to provide the centerpieces and decorative table cloths. What a great way to end the year.
From a personal perspective, I would like to thank all who contributed their time and energy to make 2016 a year to remember. Our annual events such as the flea market and auction were record setting. Also, we had a few 1st time events like our Martha’s Vineyard tour and a Pie Extrav”A”ganza. Not to forget the 60th New England Meet and our own 60th Anniversary Celebration. It’s a good thing when there are just too many events to list.
As your outgoing president I leave you in the trusted hands of Chuck Marchewka as your new president for 2017. Members also elected Don Karp (VP), Sue Maynard (Secretary), Steve Pyne (Treasurer), and Rick Coffey as membership chairman. The Board of Directors includes yours truly, Dean Zwicker, Lou Zadra, Chuck Marchewka and Bruce Ketchen. We appreciate and thank these volunteers and wish for another wonderful year.
I could not possibly in this message thank everyone who contributed towards the success of our club this year. Please know that it is your efforts that make MARCOM an enjoyable club for all who choose to participate. Thanks again, and I will see you down the road,
Bill Brum
2016 President
Model A Restorers Club of Massachusetts
The month of November brings our frostbite tour to Wrights Chicken Farm. Thanks to Lou and Dean for organizing this annual event. The monthly meeting also brought our annual auction with Don Karp and Sir Charles leading the bidding process. It was a record crowd and bidding was brisk. We also had our inaugural Pie Extravaganza. Thank you to all the MARCOM bakers who took the time to share their creations with the membership. The membership also voted on next year’s officers and board members. We will announce the election results at our December Meeting. Also, in December we have our annual Pot Luck Christmas party. The December meeting will start at 7:00 PM. Please contact Dolores Marchewka at 781-585-8908 or email at cmarchewka@gmail.com and let her know what you would like to bring.
See you down the road,
Bill Brum
President
Model A Restorers Club of Massachusetts
As we head into fall, MARCOM members enjoy some of our traditional and not so traditional events and tours. The Myricks annual fly-in was attended by MARCOM and what a beautiful day we had for the event. Thank you to Laurie O’Conner for highlighting this event and hosting the after party at her home. October also brings the Hershey antique auto show and flea market. This world renowned event has become a tradition for many MARCOM members and was well attended this year. Over 9000 vendors and 4 days of hunting for the tools, parts, toys, anything automotive that you may need. Also, in October, a number of MARCOM members will head to Martha’s Vineyard for the 10th annual Food & Wine festival. This is a 1st for MARCOM and we look forward to experiencing the island in our Model A Ford.
Thanks to Don Karp for running the monthly meeting as I was in Hershey, PA. The Ford/Benson video was entertainment for the evening and many important announcements were shared with members to outline the remainder of the year. In November we will have our annual auction so please begin to search for those items you can pass on for other members to enjoy. Remember all proceeds go to our treasury for future events. Also, our 1st annual pie extrav”A”ganza will be held during the auction. Over 10 different pies baked by members for all to enjoy. You won’t want to miss this meeting.
Lastly, our call to members to participate in the leadership of our club. Nominations will be sought for all positions as well look to encourage our membership to participate in this wonderful organization. Volunteers will receive much help and support throughout the year. Please don’t hesitate to offer your support. In an all-volunteer organization everyone’s participation is important to support the club we all enjoy. Please email or speak to myself or any one of our officers to show your interest in participating.
See you down the road,
Bill Brum
President
Model A Restorers Club of Massachusetts
As we head into the fall season MARCOM members are preparing for several signature events. September will bring the New England Meet with close to 200 Model A’s registered to attend this year’s event. The New England meet will be hosted by the Minutemen in beautiful Westwood, Massachusetts. We hope to see many of you there. In October we will head to Martha’s Vineyard for the 10th annual Wine & Food festival which is the 1st visit to the island for our club. Please keep an eye on the newsletter for event details going forward.
The September meeting program was a “Show & Tell” format prepared by Bruce Ketchen. A number of MARCOM members shared their technical and non-technical experiences with the Model A Ford. It was fun to hear how many of our members and friends are engaged in the hobby. We also discussed our upcoming annual auction which will occur at the November meeting. So please begin to rummage around your home for items you want to pass on for others to enjoy. Remember all proceeds go to the club treasury and help support future events that we all enjoy. The November meeting will also bring our 1st Annual Pie Extrav”A”ganza! Club members will bring their favorite pie to share with others. So far we have 11 distinct pies to sample, don’t miss it!
Our 1st call for club officers & board members will occur in the month of September. All positions are open as we look to encourage member participation. A nominating committee will be formed to guide the process and the board will solicit members to participate. Our club has many capable members so please consider helping to sustain this vibrant club by offering your time and energy. Please reach out myself or any board member to offer your support.
Our website committee has met to outline a plan to maintain the site content going forward. Thank you to Bruce Madio and Bruce Ketchen for volunteering their time to support this effort. Our goal will be to insure all newsletters are posted in the member’s only section and maintain a fully populated events calendar. I have noticed many new inquiries of our club come via the website. Please take some time to visit the site and become familiar with the content and how to navigate. It will be a great source of information going forward.
See you down the road,
Bill Brum
President
Model A Restorers Club of Massachusetts
The month of July proved to be a good one for MARCOM. In addition to our annual blueberry picking tour, our club prepared to celebrate its 60th anniversary. On July 30th the sun was shining on MARCOM and its guests as 65 Model As and 128 people celebrated at the Holmes Transportation center in Norfolk, Mass. All of the hard work and preparation paid off as the local Model A community thoroughly enjoyed the sights & sounds of the day.
The goal of our 60th Anniversary was to bring out 60 Model As. As the morning progressed, it was evident we would make our goal. In addition to MARCOM members, other regional clubs such as the Cape Cod Model A Club, Blackstone Valley, Minuteman, Little Rhody, and MAFC of Connecticut members arrived to join the fun. When we reached our 60th car it was time to relax and enjoy the day.
The Holmes Transportation Center offers many ways to enjoy our hobby. In addition to the interesting memorabilia, toy cars, and tractors, the site includes a miniature train for kids young and old. Most of the attendees did decide to take a ride through the woods to another collection of transportation related antiques. Several unique tractors and a rare Ford school bus were on display for everyone to enjoy. Judging by the number of smiles, I would say the train rides were a big hit.
As the celebration continued, we all enjoyed our anniversary cake and picnic lunch under the tent and of course kicking some tires in the parking lot. Many photo opportunities were had as the event brought out many longtime members and their Model As. 8 past president were in attendance and a nice photo was taken of the group in recognition of their efforts to lead the club over the years.
Special thanks to the MARCOM board of directors for their efforts to organize and run the 60th Anniversary event. I also want to thank Pat Zwicker for her efforts on registration and Jane Ketchen for the wonderful cake provided for the event. And of course, all the folks who stepped up that day to lend a hand with the raffle, set up and clean up. Your efforts were recognized and resulted in a memorable event for all.
Our August meeting was a chance to learn a bit about the Model A distributor. Ed Hunt shared his experience and knowledge on this critical system. Ed also handed out a nice fact sheet to provide members with tips on this critical system. We thank Ed for his effort to share his knowledge with fellow MARCOM members. August will also bring some of us to Stowe Vermont for the annual flea market and car show. This is always a great event in one of the most beautiful areas of the country. Hope you can make it.
MARCOM will celebrate its 1st annual Pie Extrav”A”ganza! What is that you ask? Members will be baking/buying a variety of pies to enjoy at our November meeting. A signup sheet is available at our monthly meeting to list what type of pie you are willing to bring. Our goal is to have a wide variety to sample. Please consider signing up and joining in the fun.
Bill Brum
President
Model A Restorers Club of Massachusetts
The summer is proving to be a memorable one for MARCOM members as beautiful weather continues to entice members to drive their Model A’s and enjoy the many events planned for 2016. Our tour to Blithewold in Bristol, RI was an enjoyable outing as members experienced the luxury of a time gone by at this well preserved mansion and grounds. We also enjoyed the comradery of our friends from the Cape Cod Model A club and look forward to future outings with our fellow Model A’ers from the region. Our tour was followed by lunch at Blount seafood’s clam shack where we all indulged in the best summer has to offer. Once again we want to thank Charles & Gloria for their effort to plan this tour.
Despite the threat of passing storms MARCOM members showed up in force at our summer ice cream tour on July 1st at Crescent Ridge in Sharon, Mass. This family farm has been in existence since 1932 and continues to be one of the premier dairy farms in our region. Who doesn’t like ice cream? Just another reason to get out and enjoy the ride and a bit of tire kicking. Members also discussed upcoming parades in both Squantum and Duxbury as we look forward to celebrating the 4th of July.
This month MARCOM plans to celebrate its 60th anniversary on July 30th at the Holmes Transportation Center in Norfolk, Mass. We are all ready to go! Commemorative gifts have been purchased for all who bring a Model A. Please encourage all our Model A friends to attend as our goal is to bring out 60 Model A’s for the event. We are also planning to photograph the event for an article in the national magazines. We hope to see you all there. Don’t forget July is our blueberry picking month and that tour has always been a popular outing. Please look for further details in the newsletter.
Do you have an idea for a tour or monthly meeting program? We are always looking for members to share their knowledge and experience and welcome any thoughts or ideas. If you would like to share or suggest any ideas please let me know. We rely on our members to participate to make our events enjoyable for all.
Enjoy your summer,
Bill Brum
President
Model A Restorers Club of Massachusetts
Summer is here and MARCOM is in high gear. A great turn out for our June meeting as we all enjoyed the Edison-Ford video “Into the Wild”. As with everything these great innovators attempted, they combined their fascination with the natural world, business interests, and inquisitive nature to share ideas and advance their work. With 5 personal chefs and the company of the president of the United States, seemed like a nice camping trip to me. I hope everyone enjoyed the video.
Our touring season is in full swing. Charles and Gloria Jacobsen have prepared a tour on June 26 to the beautiful Blithewood mansion, gardens & arboretum in Bristol, RI. There is a $8 entry fee (discounted rate) to be paid to Charles & Gloria at the time of entry. July 4th parades are also on the schedule in both Squantum & Duxbury. The Duxbury parade is a paid event for our club if we are able to enter 5 cars. Please consider supporting this event for the good of the club. Look for further detail on these tours in the newsletter, website, and email.
Our July 1st club meeting will be transformed into an Ice Cream Tour. Members are encouraged to drive their Model A’s to Cresent Ridge Dairy, 355 Bay Road, Sharon, Ma. for 7:00 PM. There will be plenty of parking and from what I am told some great ice cream. We are asking everyone to tour from their home to Cresent Ridge as we will not meet at the church that evening. We hope to see many of you there.
MARCOMs’ 60th Anniversary is coming together nicely. Our venue is set, tent & chairs secured, and gifts purchased for everyone who brings a Model A. Our goal of 60 Model A’s is very achievable as we have invited other regional Model A clubs to join our event. To date we have 28 cars and 55 people registered and folks continue to sign up. Your board members continue to work behind the scenes to pull this event together. However, we are in need of several volunteers that day to assist with parking. Please let me know if you can help.
The 1st half of our year has been fantastic! I want to personally thank the MARCOM board members, and club officers for their efforts to administer club activities. We are always in need of your support to offer tours and programs. We also encourage our members to consider accepting board or officer roles going forward. Many hands make for light work and our goal is to have fun with our cars so please consider joining in.
Best Regards,
Bill Brum
President
Model A Restorers Club of Massachusetts
Wow! What a great turn out for MARCOMs first event of the season. 36 members enjoyed the Presidents’ Tour to Factory 5 Racing to visit the world leader in kit car manufacturing. Every step of the process was described during the tour from frame welding to body panel molding. It was easy to see the care and precision applied to build these fine American built kit cars. MARCOM would like to thank Factory 5’s Director of Engineering, Jesper Ingerslev for the personal tour through the factory and process. After the tour, members enjoyed lunch at Vel’s in Wareham and I received many complimentary comments afterwards on the meal and restaurant staff.
On May 7th MARCOM members attended the annual “Sticker Day” hosted by Paul and Kathy Lucchetti at the family business in Marshfield, Mass. MARCOM members enjoyed coffee and donuts and the comradery of other members in the car hobby. In addition to Model A’s, members were able to view Packard’s, Model T’s, Buick nailheads, T-birds, and a very rare Hudson Terraplane. Needless to say a little rain could not keep our club members from enjoying the day. We want to thank Paul & Kathy for continuing to host “Sticker Day” and supporting MARCOM and the local car community.
At the May meeting we were able to present the Richard L. Morgan award to Frank Dent for his extraordinary effort with the new MARCOM website. As with most Morgan Smith recipients, Frank will be leaving a lasting imprint on MARCOM and the membership thanks him for his dedication and support. As Frank will be relocating to the mid-west this year, we were proud to have his contributions recognized. Best of luck in your new adventures Frank!
MARCOM continues to plan several exciting events for the upcoming months. Our first ever tour to Martha’s Vineyard continues to shape up and we thank Ken Trudel for his efforts to date. Next steps are to book the Ferry ride and consider some of the activities we will be participating in during our stay. Please look for additional information via email over the next several weeks.
The club also voted to fund the 60th Anniversary of MARCOM which will be held on July 30th 2016. Many of our current club members have dedicated many years to MARCOM and we look at our 60th anniversary as a celebration of those individuals who helped sustain the club to this point. Board members have agreed to supply a tent/chairs in addition to a commemorative anniversary gift to everyone who brings a Model A. Remember our goal is to get 60 Model A’s at the event. Registration is required, so please sign up at the next meeting or email Pat Zwicker to register at a29lady@aol.com.
Thank you to Bruce & Jane Ketchen for providing the monthly meeting program. We all enjoyed the video of Luis Matar’s adventure of non-stop travel across the country in his custom Cadillac. A lot of laughs were had as we witnessed tires being changed at 35 MPH, running board showers, and a custom barbecue in the back seat. This was definitely a unique adventure not taken by many but revealed some ingenuity and brought a lot of smiles to all who witnessed. Next month we will show a video on Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Harvey Firestone vacationing in the wilderness as they pondered their next great innovations. Don’t miss this interesting American documentary of people who in many cases shaped our current lifestyle.
Many thanks to our members who continue to support our monthly meeting. We had over 40 people at our May meeting. Members contributed food items, raffle gifts, and most importantly their time to make our meeting fun for all. Your generosity and contributions are recognized and appreciated. We encourage all of our members to participate and are open to ideas and suggestions. Please reach out to me if you are willing to help in any way.
Best Regards,
Bill Brum
President
Model A Restorers Club of Massachusetts