February 2015 President's Message I am honored to serve as your president for 2015. I purchased my first Model A over 34 years ago (has it really been that long already?). Thanks to many of you, I have had more fun, driven more Model A miles, and learned more about the Model A since joining the Meadowlarks six years ago than in the previous 28 years combined. You have elected a fantastic and energetic group to serve with me as officers and board members this year. We are already working hard to schedule events and activities that give you the opportunity to have fun and drive your Model A. The key word is opportunity. I encourage each of you to make the choice to participate in your club's activities as your own schedule allows. If you have a suggestion for a group activity, or anything else regarding the club, please don't hesitate to mention it to myself or any officer or board member. We will discuss your concerns or ideas at the next board meeting, and give you feedback. I look forward to an exciting and eventful year. See you down the road, Greg Bowden Meadowlark Model A Ford Club, Omaha, NE Contents: Upcoming Events Eat-out Tractor Museum Tour Boone Iowa Tour More Upcoming Events Door County WI Tour Greenfield Iowa Tour Past Events Banquet Eat-out at Azteca Indoor Air Show 2015 Committees Barney s First Model A Member News Ads TECH TALK for February The Tech Talk following the February meeting will be on front floor boards of the Model A. We will check out the differences through the four year period and see what attachments the boards had. DG Hen s Nest First Hen's Nest of the new year. Lets put our thinking caps on. Nancy and I thought we would talk about some things we can do for this year. Would like to come up with some ideas that would bring more Ladies to the meetings. So hope fully we can come up with some great ideas and maybe put a schedule together for the up coming meetings. Maybe some crafts, speakers, games and etc. If you know of some one who could do a demo or you want to do a demo for us let us know. If you are unable to come to the meeting and have some idea's please give us a call or send an email. Nancy Hanshaw 1-402-423-4448 vghanshaw@aol.com Anne Krueger 402 393-8274 akru@cox.net Hope to see you at the next meeting. Nancy and Anne Treats for the February Meeting: Melody Grigsby and Suzanne Earnest Please sign up for the up-coming meetings. Sign up sheet will be at the February Meeting. Denkers are missing a butter knife that they brought for treats at the December meeting. 1
Upcoming Events Upcoming Activities Mark your calendar Feb. 6 & 7 Wichita Swap Meet http://www.wichitaas.com/swapmeet/swapmeet.html Feb. 14 General Meeting Feb. 20 (FRIDAY) Eat out at Buccaneer Bay (see below) Feb. 21 Board Meeting 5PM followed by Bunco Party with Soup Supper (see below) Feb. 28 Tour to Tractor Museum and Quilt Museum in Lincoln (see page 3) March 14 General Meeting March 8 ENWI Car Council Swap Meet in Lincoln March 15 Bowling at Wildcat Lanes, Papillion, followed by Board Meeting (more next month) March 19 Eat out at Brazen Head Irish Pub April 11 Highway Pickup April 11 General Meeting April 17 (FRIDAY) Eat out at Twisted Tail Steakhouse Regularly scheduled meetings and Eat-outs not added below May 17 Tour to Alpacas of the Heartland May 31 Breakfast Picnic July 18 Gretna Parade August 29 Club Picnic Big events this summer: June 6 Skills, Grilles, and Grills Car Show at Gretna High School June 8-12 2015 Regional Meet in NW Missouri (see page 3) August 16 Vintage Wheels at the Fort Car Show Tentative dates for summer tours and events: June 25-28 Tour to Boone, Iowa (see page 3) July?? Possible Tour to Door County, Wisconsin (8-12 days) (see page 6) July 30-Aug. 2 Tour to Greenfield, Iowa (see page 6) Eat out at Bay Hills Golf Club at Buccaneer Bay February 20, 2015 6:30PM Ken Grigsby has been raving about the Prime Rib at this place, so we are going to try it out. Peek at the menu at http://www.bayhillsgolfclub.com/facilities/ and then scroll down to View Menu. Other entrees, sandwiches, and salads are available also. Ken says it s a very casual place and also has an extensive bar. Take HWY 75 south from Omaha, turn RIGHT on Bay Road (just south of the Platter River). Turn RIGHT on Buccaneer Blvd. The Bay Hills Golf Club is at 3200 Buccaneer Blvd. Be sure to sign up or let Ken Grigsby (402-296- 3690) know if you will be attending. February Board Meeting 5PM on Feb. 21 at Douglas County Health Center Town Hall BUNCO PARTY & SOUP SUPPER February 21, 2015 Supper around 6:30PM Bunco starts around 7:30PM at the Douglas County Health Center. This promises to be another great time. A sign-up sheet will be at the February general meeting for you to sign up and indicate the dish you wish to bring. Prizes will be awarded to the top Bunko performers and the biggest losers. If you change your plans or don t sign up at the meeting, please contact Greg Bowden (402-210-9146). 2
Upcoming Events Tractors, Quilts, and Ice Cream Tour February 28, 2015 Go back to School for a day. Join us for a field trip to the University of Nebraska Lincoln East Campus. We will be taking a tour of The Larson Test and Power Tractor Museum and the International Quilt Study Center and Museum. We will have lunch and recess at the UNL Dairy Store. We will also be taking a tour of the Dairy Store where they will show us how they make cheese and ice cream. We will meet at The Flying J s Truck Stop (exit 432) South West Corner at I-80 and Hwy 31 (Nebraska Crossing Exit) At 8:45 to Depart at 9:00 AM. Contact John Leddy (402) 706-8140 for questions or more Information. Please sign up at the meeting or let John know if you plan to attend. Tractors: Suggested donation of $3.00 per person Quilts: $6.00 per person or $12.00 per family http://tractormuseum.unl.edu/ http://dairystore.unl.edu/ http://www.quiltstudy.org/visit/ PS: If it s a nice day and you decide to drive your A, talk to John about where and when to meet in Lincoln. Regional Meet News There is lots more info on the NW Missouri Web site. See http://2015regional.com/ There will be lots of tours plus Technical Seminars, Car Games, and a Hubley Derby. The Registration Form and hotel information is available on the web. They are having a raffle for a gas pump from Gas Pump Heaven. It is a Wayne 615 6 Gallon *Replica Visible Pump that is 7 6 inches tall. Mark your calendar for JUNE 8-12 3 Come and Blow off some Steam June 25 June 28 We will be taking a 400 mile tour out to ride the Boone Scenic train in Boone Iowa, and touring some of the local attraction in Boone and Ames Iowa. So mark your Calendars, and ask your boss for a couple days off. We are planning an A great trip. More details to follow. Contact John Leddy for questions (402) 706-8140 http://www.booneiowa.us/en/ convention visitors_bureau/plan_your_visit/ We will be staying 3 nights at the American Inn in Boone June 25, 26, 27 and check out on the 28 th. To reserve a room, call Kathy at (office) (515) 432-4322 and mention that you are with the Meadowlark Model A Ford Club. Rooms have been blocked off for us, so you need to reserve one of the Meadowlark rooms under your own name. http://www.americaninnsuites.com/ Tickets for the train are sold on a first come first serve basis. Please call 1-800-625-0319 to purchase your tickets as soon as possible. We will ride the steam train June 27, 2015 at 1:30pm. The price is $20 for Adult, $7 Kids 3-12, and kids 3 and under are free if they sit on your lap. http://www.scenicvalleyrr.com/ If you are a little computer savvy, there is a thing called a Groupon where you may buy two Adult tickets for $32, which is an $8 savings. It works good, but you still have to confirm the date (June 27) and time (1:30pm) and voucher number with the Boone station. https://www.groupon.com/biz/boone-ia/ boone-scenic-valley-railroad-museum Hope you can come with us. It should be a fun trip. More upcoming events on page 6
Past Events Annual Banquet January 2015 Left: one of the groups enjoying the cocktail hour. Right: outgoing President, Doug Heeren, is showing off the gift presented to him by incoming President, Greg Bowden. Greg Bowden receives the presidential plaque that lists all the presidents who have served since the Meadowlark Club was formed in 1962 from Doug Heeren. Installation of board members and officers who are new or changing positions: Mike Tritsch, Esther Miller, Dave Miller, John Leddy, Ken Grigsby, and Greg Bowden. Mike Cahalane could not attend. Left: Doug Heeren presents Family of the Year award to Anne and Ken Krueger. Right: Suzanne and Charlie Earnest show off their award for driving the most miles in 2014: 3,981 miles! 4 More banquet pictures on page 5 >>>
Past Events Naughty Santa Gift Exchange at the Banquet. Janet Benton and Mike Tritsch were delighted with their gifts, which were some of the most highly sought. Barney and Patty Deden (middle) are choosing their gifts. Indoor Air Show On January 17th, 14 Meadowlarks enjoyed a great lunch at Parker's Smokehouse near Ashland, followed by a tour of the Strategic Air and Space Museum. Besides the normal aircraft displays, also featured was the annual "Indoor Air Show", where the massive restoration hanger was open for local flying clubs to demonstrate their flying skills of their small (and some not so small) airplanes, helicopters, and other flying machines. Those attending included Bob Benton, Lee Hendrix, Dale Jergensen, Ken and Melody Grigsby, Ed and Sue Dellinger, Greg, Priscilla and Julia Bowden, and John, Kristy, Daniel, and Emily Leddy. Eat out at Azteca Seventeen Meadowlarks enjoyed a great Mexican dinner at Azteca on January 15. Lots of fun things happen at eat-outs. At this one, the McKinney s presented Dale Jergensen with a six-pack of a new beer brand: Dale s Pale Ale. 5
More Upcoming Events Tour to Greenfield, Iowa July 30 August 2 Where can you experience a restored 1896 Opera House, a renovated 1940 s hotel, a farm which was owned by Vice President Henry Wallace (FDR s VP from 1941-45) an aviation museum, an antique car museum and more? Join us for the cruise to Greenfield, Iowa and experience the E. E. Warren Cultural Center, Hotel Greenfield, the Iowa Aviation Museum and the Schildberg s Antique Museum plus some surprises! Gayle & Nancy Hanshaw Tour to Door County, Wisconsin July?? We are planning a longer Model A driving tour to Wisconsin some time in July. Door County is in the Northeast corner the little peninsula that juts out between Lake Michigan and Green Bay. There are lots of attractions there, including lighthouses, state parks, lake views, antique stores, etc. We are thinking this will take somewhere between 8 and 12 days. The date details are not made yet because we need to know who wants to join us. Then, we can get together and decide on the details. If you are interested, sign up at the meeting or call Don & Janet Graves. Regional Planning Committee for 2017 Regional Co-chairs: Dale Jergensen & Greg Bowden Car Show Committee (Gretna Skills) - Dale Jergensen, Anne Krueger, Charlie Earnest, Ken Grigsby, El Gertner, Greg Bowden Car Show Committee (Fort Omaha) Barney Deden, Don Graves, Bob McKinney, Noodells, Heerens White Elephant Sale (Nov 2015 meeting)- VP and Treasurer (Ken Grigsby and Mike Cahalane) Breakfast Picnic (May)-Dave & Esther Miller Club Picnic (fall)-need to fill Highway Pickups- Howard Denker Annual Banquet (Jan 2016) - Need to fill Food Bank Chair- Don Noodell Sunshine Reporter - Mary McKinney National Newsletter Reporter - Greg Bowden Post Office Pickup- Ken Grigsby, Barney Deden, and Mike Cahalane Parade Chairman (Gretna Parade)- Bob McKinney Tour Committee Appointed as needed, based on particular tour Sgt at-arms- Steve Anderson Volunteers and Committees for 2015 6 ENWI Car Council Representatives Gayle Hanshaw and Howard Denker General Meeting Treat Organizer- Anne Krueger Newsletter Ad Manager- Don Noodell Historian- Janet Graves Club website - Janet Graves Photographer(s) Greg Bowden, Dale Jergensen, Karen Noodell, Vicki Heeren, Janet Graves, and others Librarian - Mary McKinney Newsletter Editor- Janet Graves for 2015/Mike Tritsch Newsletter Publisher - Janet Graves Tech Talk Chairman- Don Graves Hen s Nest Topics- Anne Krueger and Nancy Hanshaw Kitty Keeper- Nikki Anderson Membership Chairman Don Graves Monthly Eat Out Chairperson - Anne Krueger Annual Mileage Chairman Dale Jergensen Club Store Don Noodell
MY FIRST MODEL A by Barney Deden In 1957 while a Sophomore in high school and growing up on a farm, my younger brother and I gave a neighboring farmer $5.00 for a 1929 Model A which I found out later was a Special Coupe. The farmer had converted the A into a field wagon. He had removed the trunk lid and rear panel and slipped a small pickup box into the opening and used the A to drive to and from his fields and carry 5 gallon cans of fuel for his tractor. At the end of the farming season the engine failed him and he parked the A under a tree and used a tree branch to hoist the engine out of the car. He decided to give up on the repairs and sold us the car where is and as is. After closing the $5.00 deal my brother and I took a farm truck to the shade tree garage and used the truck hoist to lift one end of the A. We took 2 wheels and tires from a piece of our farm equipment, mounted them on the front of the A and towed it out from under the tree and sifted through the dirt to find the engine parts where the farmer had dropped them as he tore down the engine. We towed the car and took several bushel baskets of parts back to our farm shop. Everyone except my brother and I thought this was nothing but a piece of junk. We spent most of our spare time the following fall and winter putting the car back together. A piece of sheet metal was used to cover the missing roof, several colors of leftover paint covered the bare metal and old parts scavenged from friends and neighbors were life savers to two teenagers who knew nothing about Model A Fords. During the remainder of our high school and college years we drove the A whenever we had the opportunity, through mud holes, across fields hunting pheasants and rabbits, to country softball games and to many events when we were home from college. After graduation I went back to my home community to teach in the local high school. I was so busy I did not have time to drive the A and it sat beside an obsolete manure spreader in an unused granary on the farm until 1998 when I brought it to Omaha and began what would be a 3 year restoration project. I stripped it down to the frame and built it back to its original condition with the addition of a rumble seat and a fender mounted spare tire. I did all the restoration with the exception of the body and paint work and it was truly a labor of love. Only those of us who love old cars and get great satisfaction from transforming junk into beauty understand how the time, frustration and skinned knuckles are justified by the final product. When I finished the restoration I sold the Model A to my brother for my out-of-pocket cost on the project less $2.50 (his half of the original purchase price). It is back on the family farm where we towed it in 1957 but it now enjoys a parking spot in a cozy garage next to a modern car. Editors Note: Thanks to Barney for submitting this story. We would love to hear from more members. 7
Member News Birthdays and Anniversaries February Day Name Event 18 Bob Benton Birthday 19 Lucy Lorence Birthday 23 Leroy Rima Birthday March Day Name Event 1 Larry & Elaine Blecha Anniversary 1 Shizuko Chase Birthday 8 Esther Miller Birthday 15 Dot Gertner Birthday 15 Melody Grigsby Birthday 18 Ron Peterson Birthday 18 Lee & Carol Hendrix Anniversary 18 Bob & Trish Rand Anniversary 22 Paul & Shari Briese Anniversary 27 Dale Freyer Birthday 29 El & Dot Gertner Anniversary 30 Delmar & Barb Bunch Anniversary 30 Dave Miller Birthday Sunshine Report No News is Good News. We have heard a few reports of flu, but everyone seems to be surviving. If you have Sunshine news about any of our members and would like to share it, please call Mary McKinney at 402-332-3993. That includes good news, too. It s time to sign membership forms again. Be sure you know your membership numbers for the national clubs. They are shown on the address labels of the magazine mailers as shown below. MAFCA (The Restorer) membership # is printed on outside of the plastic mailing envelope. MARC (Model A News) membership # is printed on the address label inside the mailer. In Memoriam Frank Cooper Long-time Meadowlark member, Frank Cooper, passed away on January 9. Frank and his wife, Madeline, belonged to the Meadowlarks for over 50 years. He served as Vice-President in 1974, was on the board in 1973 and 1975, and was the club librarian in 1980. Frank and his roadster logged many a mile to all types of club functions. He was a tool and die machinist for many years and one of his masterpieces is the Model A cut-away engine he built out of junk and broken parts. Frank was pleased to have that engine displayed in Kearney at the Taulborg Auto Collection. He was always busy making special tools for working on some facet of the Model A. Frank Cooper was a true Model Aer a guy Henry Ford would have been proud of. The Meadowlarks are honoring Frank with a $50 memorial to the MAFFI museum. 8 Irv Holm Welcome to our NEW MEMBERS Irv has a 1929 Closed Cab Pickup. Chris Novak and his fiancée, Becca Tyler. Chris has a 1931 Fordor Sedan.
2015 Officers President Greg Bowden 402-210-9146 GBchevy55@aol.com VP/ Pres. Ken Grigsby 402-296-3690 jayhawksne@aol.com Secretary Esther Miller 402-593-2009 daemiller@cox.net Treasurer Mike Cahalane 402-298-8496 mdcahalane@windstream.net 2015 Board Members Barney Deden 402-558-3314 barney@deden.net Anne Krueger 402-393-8274 akru@cox.net John Leddy 402-706-8140 dobyleddy@hotmail.com David Miller 402-593-2009 daemiller@cox.net Mike Tritsch 402-217-5341 easyrider_47@yahoo.com To advertise in our newsletter, please contact our ad manager at Meadowlark Ad Manager, PO Box 6011, Omaha, Nebraska, 68106 or MeadowlarkModelAFordClub@winstream.net Please patronize our advertisers. 9
N 42 nd ST February 2015 Monthly meetings are at the Douglas County Health Center. See map and directions below. This is the official publication of the Meadowlark Chapter. Members may publish at no cost, ads for items wanted, for sale, or trade. They are also invited to submit technical Model A information and other interesting tidbits. Material should reach the editor by the last Saturday of the month. MONTLHY MEETINGS: Second Saturday of each month (except January) at 6:30PM at the Douglas County Health Center in the Town Hall. 42 nd & Woolworth Ave. in Omaha. Our regular meeting place (Woolworth is 5 blocks north of Center ST): Enter on the south side of the building at ground level, go past the reception desk, and take the elevator to 1 st floor. Our meeting is in the Town Hall. The Meadowlark Club is a chapter of both national clubs. MAFCA http://www.mafca.com/ Club Address: PO Box 6011, Omaha, NE 68106 MARC http://www.modelaford.org/ Membership dues for the Meadowlark Club are $24.00 per year prorated monthly for new members. Membership in one of the national clubs is required. You may join both national clubs if you wish. MAFCA dues are $40.00 per year and MARC dues are $40.00 per year. Prospective Members: Please call Membership Chairman, Don Graves, (402-453-7166) for more information. Club web address: http://meadowlarks.omahaneb.org Club web master: Janet Graves (janet@omahaneb.org)