John told me today that he had moved the table into the club house over the weekend. It’s a board room table from the old Deaconess Hospital. Pretty nice, huh? Now, he’s looking for some chairs to go with it.
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Sunny skies, homemade cookies, and an early Christmas present were the highlights of this year’s Ameren “Thanks-for-Giving” Day parade.
The weather was perfect for the parade, especially if you like temps in the 40’s. Good thing Corvairs have good heaters, because everybody struggled to keep warm. Chris James baked a selection of homemade cookies and other goodies to curb the hunger of those who had skipped breakfast to be in the parade. And, John Carter picked this event to break the news that the permanent clubhouse for the Show-Me Corvair Club was nearly ready at the Jefferson Underground. John gave the parade unit a tour while Kristy prepared Thanksgiving dinner in their apartment. You can read about the new clubhouse and the accompanying workshop in another article. Merry Christmas!
Congratulations to Jack Holahan, who finished the parade this year in his replica of a 1961 “fire chief’s car”. Jack has the distinction of being the only member of the Show-Me Corvair Club who has signed up to represent the chapter in every major parade since 2015. Multiple mechanical failures didn’t stop Jack from signing up for every parade year after year. This year’s Thanksgiving Day parade was only the second time he had finished. Jack’s wife joined him in the car in the middle of the parade. Maybe that’s why his car survived to the end this year. You gotta love Jack Holahan for his perseverance.
The Show-Me Corvair Club fielded three other cars in this year’s parade, and all of them belonged to John Carter. Tom and Chris James crewed John’s blue 1965 Corsa coupe. Mike Hall was behind the wheel of John’s steel blue 1964 Monza convertible, and John himself took the controls of his red 1963 Spyder convertible.
The chilly weather made the crowd a little smaller than usual and a little more subdued, but they responded well to the Corvairs with waves, smiles and sincere compliments. “Nice car!” Thumbs up. “That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” “Hey, mister, I like your car.” Of course, there are always a few in the crowd. People were heard to say “Corsair” more than once, and one guy yelled, “Unsafe at any speed!” as the unit passed.
At least Kent Ehrhardt wasn’t behind the mic for this event. Mr. Ehrhardt is the TV weatherman who covered the “America’s Birthday Parade” for Channel 4. He commented inaccurately two years in a row that Corvairs had a tendency to catch fire.
The Show-Me Corvair Club gives thanks to John Carter, Mike Hall, Jack Holahan, and the Jameses for giving up sleep, sitting in the cold, burning up gasoline, and sacrificing time with their families to represent the chapter in the Thanksgiving Day parade!
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BULLETIN! BULLETIN! BULLETIN!
John Carter asked me to tell members of the Show-Me Corvair Club that the space he promised us for an official club house is almost ready! John has also set aside a large area for use as a workshop. Both spaces are on the second floor of the Jefferson Underground. John is the owner of the Underground, which is a party venue/office building/storage facility at 2400 S Jefferson Ave, St. Louis, MO 63104.
The new club house includes a bar and kitchen area, a bathroom with a shower, and an intimate meeting room with a stained glass window. One wall is decorated with antique signs related to the auto hobby. John plans to move a 24-foot banquet table into the room soon. In the workshop, John plans to install a hydraulic lift so members will have a place to work on their cars.
John Carter has been extremely generous with the Show-Me Corvair Club over the years. The club has held meetings in various areas of the building for some time, and the Underground was the venue for the annual Christmas Party for several years. Much of the property owned by the club is stored there. All this at no cost to the club. Members have enjoyed a reduced rate to store their cars there as well.
When I praised John for his generosity, he told me that he wanted to do these things to give back to the club. He said that he still felt like a new member, and that he wanted to make up for all the things that others had contributed to the organization since he joined the club. Thank you, John Carter!
Here are a few shots of our new clubhouse and workshop.
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November 2023 Vair Views
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October 2023 Vair Views
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October Meeting and Tech Session
Plan and Prepare Now for October Tech Session – by Kent Goddard
What are you planning to do on Saturday October 28th?? I hope your answer is that you’ll be attending the Tech Session that Kris and I are hosting at our new house in Wildwood. We have space to get 3 cars into the garage for service so it’s a rain or shine event.
Arrive at 9:30 or later, whatever fits your schedule and desires. Potluck lunch (chili, dogs, brats, etc.) at noon with our monthly meeting as soon as we finish lunch. Hang around into the afternoon if desired.
If you plan to attend: Please let Kent know what food you plan to bring. Kent’s contact information and email are in the latest Vair Views.
If you plan to work on your car: Please let me know what you plan to work on and get your parts on order now. Of course we hope all will attend, whether working on a car or not.
Mark your calendar and let me know ASAP!
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December 2023 Holiday Lunch and Meeting
Please mark your calendars for the SMCC Christmas Luncheon: Saturday Dec 9th from noon – 4 pm at Rich and Charlie’s in Crestwood. We’ll eat at 1 pm and have a short business meeting after lunch.
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September 2023 Meeting
The September meeting is at the Jim Butler Chevy Show on Sunday June 24 at 1pm.
Jim Butler Chevrolet
759 Gravois Bluffs Boulevard
Fenton, MO 63026
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August Meeting
Our August meeting is at 10 am on August 26, at the St. Louis Underground.
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July Meeting
If an effort to garner more attendance and participation, we are going to move our next meeting up to 10 AM, at the Underground, Saturday, July 22.
The meeting will be on the second floor. Bring a chair!
2400 South Jefferson Avenue, Saint Louis MO 63104