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PHOTOS OF THE 2009 NATIONAL TOUR

These are posted on the MARC website.

http://www.modelarestorers.org/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=132&Itemid=453

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Please read Tour Registrataion Notes at the end of this page

Click HERE for Microsoft Word printable Tour Registration Notes

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Registrations will not be accepted

if postmarked prior to May 2, 2009

2009 Model A Restorers Club (MARC) National Tour

Charlottesville, Virginia

September 20-23, 2009

The Mount Vernon Region is pleased to host the 1st MARC National Tour. 

Our goal is to provide an experience that is of value and brings fun and enjoyment to all MARC members attending; so please join us in touring the beautiful Central Virginia area during the MARC National Tour.  The tour will be based out of Charlottesville and will have door prizes, car medallions, raffles, history scavenger hunts, a Welcome Ice Cream Social, a Drive-In Movie night, a Manifold Cooking Contest, a Grand Drive to Montpelier that will include a commemorative ribbon, and a closing Club Shirt Night Dinner.  Each day there will be guided and self-directed tours to historic sites, natural wonders, antique shops, vineyards and other designations of interest.

Areas to tour include:

The Shenandoah Valley:  Luray Caverns, Staunton, Woodrow Wilson’s birthplace, Lexington, VMI, the Battle of New Market, Natural Bridge, Cyrus McCormick Farm, the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive and Caverns.                

Charlottesville and Orange County:  Jefferson’s Monticello, Monroe’s Ashlawn-Highland, Madison’s Montpelier, the Rotunda and Lawn at UVA, Michie Tavern, over 20 local vineyards. antique shops, museums, the Exchange Hotel (Civil War Hospital), Belmont Farm’s Moonshine Still, Graves Mountain, The Paramount Theater, the Downtown Mall and fine restaurants.                                                                                                      

Fredericksburg: The battlefields of Wilderness, Spotslvania Court House, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville; and Washington’s Ferry Farm .                                            

Southside: Appomattox, Scottsville, the James River, Fork Union Military Academy and Walton’s Mountain                                                                                                   

Richmond: St John’s Church, Monument Avenue, Hanover Tavern, Maymont, the Museum of the Confederacy, Hollywood Cemetery and the Field Day of the Past (Sept 18-20, 2009)

For further information, contact Woody Williams, 703-858-1192 or vamodela@verizon.net.  In addition, check back on this website for updates.
 

 Monticello

  Ashlawn

  Exchange Hotel, used as a Civil War hospital; Wilderness battlefield shown above

2009

MARC NATIONAL TOUR

Charlottesville, Virginia

September 20-23, 2009

by Woody Williams

In Williamsburg, VA, during the 2007 MARC National Meet, I arrived early to the Touring Class judging field, only to find out that I was missing two cotter pins.  By the time I got the pins in and through the safety inspection, all of the judging teams were selected and I was looking for something to do.  In a few minutes, George Merry, Frank Pollack and Hugh Smith came along and began discussing their idea of a National Tour; something new on the MARC national level, but similar to our Region’s fall tours.   Another member of our Region joined in the discussion and we soon agreed to present the concept of a National Tour to our Board and membership.  The preliminary tour plan and budget we presented was met with great enthusiasm, promises of support, and approval by our members for the Mount Vernon Region to host the 2009 National MARC Tour. 

While most of our members live in the Washington, DC metro area, we decided to host the tour away from the city to avoid our long daily rush-hour traffic patterns.   Charlottesville, which has just been selected as the best place to live in the US, with it’s central Virginia location, small town atmosphere, good Model A roads, and it’s proximity to historic sites and natural wonders, was an easy choice.  

Now, what is a National Tour?  Over the years, many MARC members have expressed an interest in an event that would really place the emphasis on driving our Model A’s versus the activities typically associated with a National Meet.  The format will be like that of a hub tour, with some tours being guided and others self-directed using maps and instructions provided.  Some of the major differences between the Tour and a MARC National Meet will be: a fall date rather than summer; no fine point or touring class judging, but we will have a manifold cooking contest;  no membership meetings or technical seminars, but we will be visiting historic homes, battlefields, museums, a moonshine still, antiques shops, caverns, and vineyards;  no fashion contest but we will be encouraging all to wear bonnets and hats appropriate to the Model A era during the tour;  we will have a Welcome Ice Cream social with hand-dipped ice cream with you putting on all the toppings you want, but no ice cream bars in a box; we will not have an awards banquet but we will host a Region Shirt Night Dinner with a “pig pickin’, finger lickin’ chicken” food theme and maybe some country music.  There will be  no evening Hubley derby, but we will go to an old fashioned drive-in movie;  we will not be having a flea market because we hope everyone will be out driving their Model As; and  we will not be having a mandatory tour with red and blue ribbons, but a Grand Drive to Montpelier, the recently restored home of James and Dolly Madison, with yellow ribbons awarded to all; and while we will have a repair tent we hope it will be unused.

There are a couple of other major differences between the Tour and a national meet.  The participation is being limited to 250 cars plus the cars of the host club.   Since this is the first time a National Tour is being hosted we would like to make sure that we can do it right with a smaller number and provide a quality event.  When the registration form appears in the Model A News, it will have a big Do Not Submit Before Date on it.  This Do Not Submit Before Date is being used to insure that all members have an equal chance to apply, despite the two-week magazine delivery time difference across the country.  It will be important to send in your registration form as soon as the date allows.   All applying will be notified of their status and at that time the hotel information will be supplied.  As this article is prepared, trailer parking is very limited and will only be provided at two of the five hotels we have contracts with

With high gas prices and increasing travel costs, our goal is to deliver a tour that provides value to you as a participating MARC member.  Each participant will receive a goodie bag and handsome MARC National Tour medallion for their car as well as the opportunity to win tour provided door prizes and yes, we will have raffles.  We have negotiated favorable rates with the Charlottesville hotels that will fit a variety of budgets and the prices for our Welcome Ice Cream Social, the drive-In movie and the Region Shirt Night Dinner are fair and should allow all participants to enjoy these events together.

The Mount Vernon Region is excited, working hard and looking forward to hosting you at the first MARC National Tour next year.   Please check our club website, www. gwcmodela.com , for updates and links to places to visit during the tour.  If you have questions please either call or email Woody Williams at 703-858-1192 or vamodela@ verizon.net

Now about those two missing cotter pins - they probably are the reason we are having a 2009 MARC National Tour! 

TOUR REGISTRATION NOTES

Tour Registration – Includes canvas tote bag full of goodies, the tour book, a cloisonné medallion for your car as pictured on the registration form, a commemorative license plate, a yellow rosette ribbon for the Grand Drive to Montpelier and a chance to win tour-provided door prizes.

MARC Registration -- All participants must be a MARC member. While we will accept your dues payment and forward it to MARC it is preferred that you renew your membership directly with the MARC business office. They can be contacted at 734-427-9050 or modelarestorers@sbcglobal.net .

Acceptance and Notification  - Since the tour is being limited to 250 cars plus the cars of the host region, the following process will be used to identify the first 250 cars. Acceptance decisions will be based on US or Canadian Postal Service postmarks (personal or business mailing machine postmarks will not be acceptable). All registrations received will be held for two weeks and then placed in US or Canadian Postal Service postmark order which will determine the position of registration. Registrations received after the first two weeks will be processed on an as received basis. Registrations postmarked before May 2nd will be returned unopened to sender. We plan to notify everyone within three weeks of their registration status and provide hotel and trailer parking information. Trailer parking will only be at two designated hotels.

Cancellation and Refunds – Cancellations prior to September 6 are subject to a $20 cancellation fee. NO REFUNDS AFTER SEPTEMBER 6th.

Welcome Party – Ice Cream Social (Sunday) – A great way to meet other MARC members while enjoying hand dipped ice cream and toppings.

Fork Union Drive-In (Monday) – Drive-In is located approximately 35 miles southeast of Charlottesville and will involve night driving on the return to the hotel. It has post speakers and FM broadcast capabilities. The fee of $10 per person includes admittance, a hot dog, a bag of popcorn and soda. All you need to bring is your lawn chair, blanket, small FM radio and maybe some insect repellent.

Manifold Cooking Contest (Tuesday) – Bring your best recipe and join us in the park on Tuesday afternoon. All food must be cooked from raw ingredients and Auto Chef must take the first bite. There will be prizes for best appetizer, entree, dessert and equipment setup. A small $5 fee to enter the contest; watching and enjoying the contest is free. It’s been rumored that our judges can be bribed but we really don’t believe that they can; after all, we give them free beer to cleanse their palates.

The Grand Drive to Montpelier (Wednesday) -- Box lunches can be ordered in advance for $13 each. Lunch choices are ham/swiss, turkey/swiss or portobello mushroom/swiss on croissants with chips, fruit, cookie and water. Mansion tour tickets can be pre-ordered at a discounted rate of $12 per person.

Club Shirt Night Dinner (Wednesday) – Only two rules – Wear your region/club shirt and no ties. Southern style dinner with pulled pork, fried chicken, salad, cole slaw, potato and macaroni salads, baked beans, breads and desserts. No long speeches but a few raffle drawings, awards and a time to thank a few folks; and we will have live entertainment.

Additional tour medallions, canvas tote bags and commemorative license plates may be ordered with your registration.

Tour Ford Employee Badges – Carrying on the tradition that started at Lancaster, we will have Ford Employee Badges available to be ordered at $6 each.

Light blue denim shirts (men’s sizes S-3X) (women’s sizes S-2X, no pocket, long sleeve only), blue pocket t-shirts (sizes S-3X) and hats with the tour medallion embroidered or screened (t-shirts) on them can be ordered with your registration. These items will be only available though pre-order.

Door Prizes – You do not need to purchase tickets for these wonderful prizes. Check in at the Hospitality Room daily to see if your registration number is posted and if it is, claim your prize.

Raffles -- We have two types of raffles.
1. A Schwalm’s Rebuilt Long Block Engine Raffle valued at $4200 with an Omega leakless water pump and a C&G Model A distributor. Tickets for this raffle are $5 each or 5 for $20 and can be purchased daily in the Hospitality Room or ordered on the registration form.

2. Hospitality Room Raffle - There will be a large number of items available for you to win by purchasing tickets for $1 each, a running board length (18 tickets) for $10 or a Model A car length (90 tickets) for $20. Write your registration number on the ticket and place the ticket in the can corresponding to the item you wish to win. There will be everything from “ladies” gifts, gift certificates and, of course, Model A items for you to take a chance on. Tickets can be purchased daily in the Hospitality Room or ordered on the registration form. Drawings will be Wednesday evening during the “Club Shirt Dinner”.

Tours – We are offering guided tours and will be providing directions and maps to all major locations (i.e. Monticello, Ashlawn-Highland, Michie Tavern, the vineyards, the Rotunda at UVA, antique shops, museums, shopping) so you and friends can create your own self-guided touring experience. On the registration form you will find guided tours listed with the following information: day, time, approximate round trip mileage, tour leader and club and a general description. Most of these tours are away from the Charlottesville area and will follow a schedule; details will be provided in the tour book you will receive at registration. We will try to accommodate everyone with at least one guided tour, please indicate your rank order of the tours you would like to join on the form.

Questions – Registration questions can be directed to Woody Williams at 703-858-1192 or vamodela@verizon.net , or Charlene Beckner at 703-791-3795 or gbeckner@verizon.net.

TENTATIVE 2009 MARC NATIONAL TOUR SCHEDULE

Sunday,  September 20, 2009
Noon – 6:00 PM Registration at Host Hotel
Noon – 7:00 PM Hospitality Room Open – Host Hotel
Noon – Afternoon Self guided tours around Charlottesville
Noon – 5:00 PM Question/Answer Sessions at Host Hotel
7:00 – 9:00 PM Welcome/Ice Cream Social at Host Hotel

Monday,  September 21, 2009
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM Repair Tent Open
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM Hospitality Room Open – Host Hotel
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM Guided and Self Guided Tours
Dusk Drive-In Movie at Fork Union

Tuesday,  September 22, 2009
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM Repair Tent Open
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Hospitality Room Open – Host Hotel
8:00 AM - 4:0 0PM Guided and Self Guided Tours
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM Manifold Cooking Contest
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Hospitality Room Open – Host Hotel

Wednesday,  September 23, 2009
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Repair Tent Open
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Hospitality Room Open – Host Hotel
9:00 AM -10:00 AM Grand Drive to Montpelier, house and grounds tour with box lunches
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM Guided and Self Guided Tours
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM Hospitality Room Open – Host Hotel
7:00 PM - 9:30 PM Region Shirt Night Dinner and Entertainment

Thursday,  September 24, 2009
8:00 AM -10:00 AM Repair Tent Open
8:00 AM -10:00 AM Hospitality Room Open – Host Hotel, Prize Pickup
Safe Trip Home for All