Corvettes de Olympia

Minutes of the July 11th, 2007 Meeting

Overview

Brian brought down the gavel promptly at 7:00 p.m. As you will see from the minutes, it’s proving to be yet another busy Corvette summer. Opportunities for you and your Corvette abound!

Agenda

Introductions and Approval of Minutes
June Recap, Treasurer and Committee Reports
Bucking the Trend of “Bowling Alone”
Executive Board Summary
Other Business

Business Topics

A. Introductions and Approval of Minutes

Introductions were made for “you and your Corvette,” and the minutes were approved.

B. June Recap

Ocean Shores Flag Day Parade

12 CdeO cars participated. It stopped raining just in time for the parade—a fun crowd!

Tacoma Corvette Club (TCC)/Bret Chevrolet Car Show

Vinnie noted that it was a nice show held at the main sponsor’s dealership. There was a $20 entry fee, and both Meagan and Dee won trophies.

One Lap Around Mt. Rainier

16 cars participated. Three cars joined from the Corvette Forum—plus, one fellow spotted all of the Corvettes as he picked up his mail in Enumclaw and decided to join us. Just like the year before, it was a fun trip!

Tumwater 4th of July Parade

We had 17 cars for this event. Great weather and a good picnic afterward. Randy thanked everyone who stopped by and hoped everyone had enough to eat. There were about 50 people at the picnic.

Shadow of the Mountain (Hosted by the Tacoma Corvette Club)

Seven CdeO cars joined in a weekend of fun in Leavenworth—four won trophies. TCC put on an excellent event. A great hotel with a terrific breakfast. 88 cars in the Show and Shine —25 C5s alone. An all-around nice event that ended with a catered lunch at Icicle Ridge Winery to say goodbye.

C. Treasurer and Committee Reports

Treasurer’s Financial Report

Denny reported that there has been little activity except for normal expenses—we are in pretty good financial shape. He increased the newsletter budget since most everyone so far prefers a hard copy. We have fewer members than we projected at this time, but our miscellaneous expenses have been reduced so we’re balanced out.

Reports from Standing Committees-

Membership

Shoshanah Bain was voted in as a new member of the Club. Congratulations, Shoshanah, and welcome to CdeO!

Web site

Art posted pictures for the Shadow of the Mountain, Bret Chevrolet Show and the 4th of July Parade.

Sunshine

Everyone is well.

Sponsorship Committee

Nothing new to report.

Scholarship

Nothing new to report.

Historian

Nothing new to report.

National Corvette Museum (NCM)

Nothing new to report.

NWACC

Meagan asked that everyone take a look at the signup sheet. If you can come out and help with the September 9th autocross, it would be greatly appreciated.

Upcoming Events

JULY

Windy Ridge – leaves at 9:00 from the Royal Bean. At Randle, we are going to separate those who want to drive up front and press a little harder from those would like to enjoy the scenery.

Lakefair Car Show—if you have been there before, you know how much fun it is. It’s held down by Capital Lake. Meet at Tumwater Falls at 5:30.

Lakefair Parade—we will meet at 2:30 at the Tumwater Safeway. Immediately afterwards there will be a picnic at Vinnie’s and Tammy’s. Vinnie will be cooking chicken and hot dogs. We are in the front of the parade this year, so it should go pretty fast. Parade starts at 5:00.
Rose City Classic—we will meet at the Hawk’s Prairie Safeway parking lot. Leaving at 8:00 a.m.

AUGUST

Olympic Peninsula—we will be spending the night at Port Angeles. Let Lynus know if you need a reservation—his is available. We will be leaving at 8:00 a.m. from the Royal Bean. We’ll be going around Crescent Lake, and plan to make a run up Hurricane Ridge.

Car Display on August 10th—organized by a friend of Randy’s at Merrill Gardens. Includes: food, music, and a magician. A two-hour show from 6:00 to 8:00.

Operation Back Pack on August 16th—Peggy will send around a signup sheet and a supply list soon. Start gathering your back packs. North Thurston is doing a barbecue for us this year.

D. Bucking the Trend of “Bowling Alone”

Brian referenced a book by Prof. Robert Putnam titled “Bowling Alone,” in which the author described the declining participation in social activities (like clubs) over the last 25 years. Brian noted that we have good participation in terms of bringing our cars on cruises and shows, but probably about 20% of our members do most of the actual work in terms of organizing events. Brian thought maybe we’re just not asking the right way. We have a lot of events coming up that require many volunteers--the underlying trend is that it will be difficult to recruit volunteers. Brian proposed that we pick a “Champion” for upcoming events to market their event to Club members. More coming on this topic in August.

D. Executive Board Recommendations

All-City Rally (2008) – The E-Board has had several discussions about the future of the rally. After two meetings, the E-Board decided that something needs to change, but the decision is the membership’s to make. At tonight’s meeting, there was a lot of passion and discussion as to options for future rallies—including canceling the rally. A motion was made for a Go/No Go decision—the motion carried unanimously to continue holding the rally. The Club will be looking to everyone who said ‘Yes’ for participation. There will be communication going out soon. The official dates: the pre-run is set for April 6th, the official rally date - April 20th.

Corvette & High Performance Open House/CdeO Hospitality Day – Will be held on September 8th. A joint venture has never been done before—your support is still needed!

Other Business

Miranda gave an update on Eric—he is doing well other than it is hot and dusty. She has his address if we would like to send him a letter. He may come home in August for a couple of days and may be able to participate in an event.

Today’s Raffle

$18.50 went to Wayne with the black C6; he will bring the August door prize.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:17 p.m. due to a full agenda. See you at the next meeting on August 8th!

Submitted by Josette M.,
Secretary