On Sunday afternoon, April 4^th, members of the Club got together to provide a little Dixie Classic parade for our dear friend and member, Sandy Bryant. The club banner was displayed on the lead vehicle in our parade of ’55, ’56 & ’57 Chevys. We drove down Bob and Sandy’s street and parked in front of her house. Of course, we couldn’t visit in person because she’s been quarantined until her immune system has recuperated some from her chemo treatment. Bob helped Sandy to the door so she could see the parade. We waved and shouted best wishes. Bob came outside to visit briefly. Even though we all wish there was more we could do, our visit was appreciated as you can see in Sandy’s “Thank You” note below.

What a wonderful surprise you gave me on Sunday afternoon – my very own, personal Classic Chevy parade right at my front door!!! I can’t tell you how special y’all made me feel by taking the time to do that for me. I can’t believe we missed the first Cruise Night, and I plan to work very hard to make the next one. Thank you again for giving me such a special bright spot in my day (week, month)! This isolation stuff is hard. Take care, and I hope to see you soon.

Piccadilly's has donated $40.00 to the club due to a mixup in reservation for tonight. All future nights are confirmed.

a. All proceeds minus club expenses (DJ, postage, etc.) will be donated to the Calvary Children's Home.

B. Suggestion to sponsor other events tabled until the club can boost membership.

A. Lamar reported on Sandy's health. She is a little better today and was able to eat a little. She has nurses and a physical therapist. She can have no visitors due to her low blood count. Club members are encouraged to send cards.

Becky Brown suggested we do something special for her and club members made plans to cruise the neighborhood to let her know we're all thinking about her.

B. Jim Stacey suggested we charge for cruise night and have people vote on the best car. Don also suggested club members should not vote on cars to avoid prejudice.

D. President, Bill Brown, would like to see a Director to organize each cruise night, thereby making sure all things are taken care of and accounted for. Any takers???

E. David Homoki reported that HobbyTown owner can have one event per year, but he didn't think it would work for our club.

F. A discussion of having an open field cruise took place with the subjects of porta-potties and vendors for catered food brought up. Jim Stacey has an account for porta potties. The subject has been left open for further discussion. Members are still encouraged to seek new members and new locations for cruise nights.

G. Lamar May will introduce the speaker at the May Meeting. He will discuss alcohol dragsters, etc

H. Commerce car show to be held June 4-5. (Our cruise night is June 5.) Phone for info: 800-692-6230.

The Wilson’s are moving. The For Sale sign had been in our neighbor’s yard for at least a year and we knew it was coming. To an outsider, there was nothing at first glance that would indicate the same family had lived there for almost forty years. In fact, the place had changed very little aside from fresh paint and some new bushes scattered around. However, I knew what most people didn’t – that a classic Chevy was out back in the garage. In the late seventies, I used to see a 1956 Chevy two door underneath the carport. In 1981, my own 56 was undergoing an engine rebuild and I struggled in unfamiliar territory to make it run again. After a complete overhaul, the new engine wouldn’t even turn over. I exhausted all my resources attempting to find the problem to no avail. Finally, my neighbor, Mr. Wilson, felt sorry for me and summoned the car to his shop. We pulled it the mile and a half with a chain and my Dad’s pickup truck. For $50, Mr. Wilson pulled out the engine, tore it down and inspected it, fixed the problem (and a few others) and got my 56 running. Soon afterwards, he parked his own 56 in his shop and began pursuing other interests.

From time to time, I would see him and ask about the car. Someday, he said, he was going to do something with it, but I could tell his heart wasn’t really in it. Finally, last December, my wife handed me the phone with the news that Mr. Wilson wanted to speak with me. I could hardly contain my excitement because I knew immediately why he was calling. Sure enough, the house had been sold and the 56 was not part of the deal. Mr. Wilson wanted to know if I would be interesting in looking at the car and his extensive collection of parts (hereafter referred to as junk). I said that yes, I supposed I would be interested in taking a look although my money was tied up in our house and family stuff (and a bunch of other cars that CJ doesn’t know about). Anyway, I could hardly sleep and the next morning I made tracks over to look at the car.

As to be expected, the car didn’t look quite as fabulous as I had remembered it. Bearing in mind that I hadn’t seen it in over twenty years, I approached it with an open mind and was pleased to find that the 56 was reasonably straight and solid. After relishing the smooth body lines and checking out all the junk in his attic, I determined that indeed it would be a good idea to make it my treasure. After a couple days of negotiating price and payment plans, I pumped up the tires and winched the old 56 onto my trailer.

The car is now residing at my house awaiting the completion of my shop. At this point, I’m not sure how far I’ll go with the car. Certain improvements can be made cosmetically as well as firing up the old 327. One thing’s for certain. The sleepless excitement before looking at a potential new yard ornament is sure hard to beat.

Q. When was the first V-8 offered by Chevrolet?
A. Chevrolet introduced a production V-8 in 1917 and officially put it in the 1918 model year, calling the car the Chevrolet Eight. Labeled the D-Series, this ran in production from late 1917 though early in 1919.

During the years of 1917 only 2, 781 were produced, 71 in 1919. The cars were priced in 1918 at $1,550 new, rising from 1917's price of $1,350.

TITLE:	MEMBER:
President	Bill Brown
Vice President	Bob Bryant
Secretary	Carol Lelack
Treasurer	George Blackshaw
Newsletter Editor	Jacob Peterson
Webmaster	Ed Brown