From the President

Spring is finally here and the Model A’s are getting prepared for a full season of tours and events. Our monthly meeting was well attended as we continued to celebrate the volunteer spirit. We awarded a number of our members who were not able to attend the awards brunch with specialized service pins recognizing their contributions in 2015. We were also able to present Luke Dent with the Richard L. Morgan award for his efforts to rejuvenate our website. Our member’s generosity continues in 2016 as our April meeting had a great abundance of food and raffle gifts which made for an enjoyable evening.

MARCOM recorded its highest attendance ever for its March events as member enjoyed both the annual awards brunch and the flea market. Dean Zwicker reported on flea market success and thanked all the members for their support. Members participated not only as vendors, but by donating food items, staffing the food table, and setting up a membership drive. Thanks again to Rick Coffey for his effort which resulted in 5 new member families joining on that day.

Long time members Charles & Gloria Jacobson delivered the April meeting program. It was easy to recognize Charles & Gloria have a long history in the Model A hobby. Charles chronicled his involvement in the hobby and some interesting Model A’s along the way. We also reminisced over some older MARCOM events and member photos enjoying the various events and tours over the years. Thank you to Charles for taking the time to assemble the program and we look forward to seeing the second chapter at an upcoming meeting.

The touring season is underway with the President’s tour on April 30th. The club will travel to Factor 5 Racing in Wareham, Mass. to witness the construction of a number of kit cars and car haulers. This is a real factory tour were members will be able to get up close to the manufacturing process and actually sit, touch and feel the finished products. Afterwards, we will the enjoy lunch at Vel’s restaurant and look forward to a good turnout for this event.

Planning continues for two other major events as we plan for our 60th anniversary event and the Martha’s Vineyard tour. There is a lot of excitement for each event and we encourage you to participate. Please keep an eye on the newsletter for further detail over the next several months. If any member would like to offer a tour or meeting program please let us know. We encourage a variety of activities and are open to ideas and suggestions.

Best Regards,

Bill Brum
President
Model A Restorers Club of Massachusetts

The month of March has been very busy for MARCOM members. Our monthly meeting program revealed the inner workings of the Hershey Antique Auto Flea Market with a slide show of my walk through of 25 miles & 9000 vendors displaying parts/memorabilia and anything else you could have imagined. We also viewed the Hershey high wheeler races which are truly one of a kind. MARCOM members at the meeting recorded a cumulative 100 years of attendance to date. Our own MARCOM flea market recorded the highest attendance ever! 393 people paid to attend and thanks to the efforts of Rick Coffey setting up a membership table we were able to attract 5 new members. We thank the Holmes family for their support and Dean Zwicker for continuing to organize the annual event.

March also brought our annual awards brunch with 78 members in attendance. Thank you to Ben Johnson for providing an historical perspective on both Richard L. Morgan and Marie L. Smith. Frank & Luke Dent each received the Morgan award and Laurie O’Conner received the Smith award for their dedication and service over the past year. Also, many of our members received special recognition for their continued support throughout the year with a customized service pin. The Fireside Grille appeared to be a big hit and the food and feedback from members was excellent. Please congratulate our winners next time your see them at one of our events.

It’s time to dust off the Model A and get ready for touring season. What a great line up of tours and events on 2016. The Presidents tour will take us to Factory 5 Racing in Wareham, Ma. A remarkable company building a number of kit cars and car haulers right here in Massachusetts. Don’t’ forget our 60th Anniversary Event at the Holmes transportation center on July 30th. Our goal is to get 60 Model A’s at the event which will also have train rides, picnic, and a special gifts for anyone who brings their Model A to the event. And a 1st for MARCOM as we head to Martha’s Vineyard with our Model A’s. Please see the details within this newsletter and watch for update overs the next several months.

If you are interested in participating, running a tour, offering a program, or supporting our monthly meeting please jump in. We rely on our members to participate and your support is truly appreciated. We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting or event.

Best Regards,

Bill Brum
President
Model A Restorers Club of Massachusetts

Hello everyone,

It looks like Mother Nature has the final word as snow forced the cancellation of our February meeting. The snow however has not stopped all the work behind the scenes to prepare for a very busy year for MARCOM. On February 10th our club will host a tour committee meeting inviting all members to contribute their ideas and lead Model A tours which are fun for all who participate. Thank you to Lou & Rose Zadra for opening up their home to host this meeting. We are also preparing for our annual awards brunch on March 13th at the Fireside Grille in Middleboro, Mass. To enjoy a good meal and honor our fellow club members with the annual Morgan-Smith Award. The board has prepared guidance for the nomination process which can be found in this newsletter. I encourage you to take some time to nominate your fellow members for this prestigious award as the volunteer spirit is truly what makes our club work.

For all the treasure hunters out there, the MARCOM annual flea market is scheduled for March 6th at the Holmes Transportation Center in Norfolk, Mass. Yet another chance to find items you may need for your restoration or add to the collection of Model A parts and pieces you may need some day.  At our upcoming March meeting we will present a slide show of the largest antique auto flea market in the world, yes, Hershey. Please mark you calendars

Finally, the board has established June 11th for MARCOMs 60th anniversary celebration. The Holmes transportation center will be our venue. In addition to the potential of 60 model A’s on site, the Holmes family will open up their antique auto and memorabilia collection, provide miniature train rides for the kids and the open field for our drone photos. The board continues to investigate gift items for all who drive a Model A to the event. Remember our challenge is to get 60 Model A’s for our 60th Anniversary!

Enjoy the snow and I hope to see you at our next meeting,

Best Regards,

Bill Brum
President
Model A Restorers Club of Massachusetts

Welcome to 2016!  I want to introduce myself to members who may not know me. My name is Bill Brum and I have been a member of MARCOM since 2009. Born & raised in Dartmouth, Mass. I have lived in this region my entire life. I currently live in Raynham, Mass. with my wife Kerrie and two kids Carolyn & Bill. (Some of you have met my family at past club events and tours) The kids are 20 now and making their way in the world. It has been great to include my family in the Model A hobby and MARCOM members were very welcoming along those lines.

As a 30 year (and counting} Mechanical Engineer my interest in automobiles started as a teenager working in the family auto business. Spending the summers during my grade school and high school years doing both mechanical and body work and anything else that needed to be done in the shop. After a long hiatus through college, raising a family, and working in my profession I decided it was time to get back into the car hobby. There is just something about the Model A ford that attracts us all.  Whether it’s the styling, sound of the flathead, or just the fun of driving this era car, the Model A continues to lure car enthusiast. 

I hope to continue to lead MARCOM through another year of fun with our cars and the club. This year we celebrate our 60th year as a club. We intend to mark this celebration with a special anniversary event with a goal of bringing 60 cars out for our 60th anniversary. We will also prepare unique anniversary gifts to commemorate this event for all who participate. Trust me, you won’t want to miss this special event! (More detail to come in the upcoming months) 

I also want to thank Chuck Marchewka for his dedication and effort over the past few years as our past president. Indeed we thank all the volunteers in 2015 for their support during meetings, tours, and events. It is through your collective efforts that the club continues to attract new members and remain vibrant for all to enjoy. I want to encourage all of our members to consider contributing in 2016 and add to the fun and legacy of our club.

See you down the road,

Best Regards,

Bill Brum