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Last Updated: |
20 Aug 2006 |
Graphics & Web Design by Rick Kare, then Les Honke |
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Second annual Corvairitis Treatment Day brings together enthusiasts from 3 provinces and 2 states!
Corvairitis Treatment Day expanded this year to include a full weekend of fun for those so inclined. Saturday 10 members of WCC and CORSA Northwest joined up to be part of the Langley Cruise-In. This event is the largest on the west coast, boasting an expected turn out of 2500 cars. However a full day of rain kept some participants away, but not many, and certainly not this group of 'vair enthusiasts. Being our first time we wanted to make as big a splash (pardon the pun) as possible. Working together with the organizers we were able to ensure that all of the WCC participants received the same staging card. Doing this allowed us to park as a group, something no other club made an effort to do.
Having shrouded rear engines permitted the 'vairs to keep their deck lids up, which the rows of conventionally powered cars were unable to do. All those 'vairs lined up next to one and other attracted quite a bit of attention. The crowds really grew each time a car was turned on, usually to warm up an owner. People sure do like to watch that fan belt go round and round eh!
The convoy headed out for Squamish around 4:00, but Vancouver traffic was conspiring against us, and the weather didn't help either. After some bumper to bumper and then a bit of a white knuckle drive up to Squamish, everybody arrived safely at the Super 8 Motel. The next morning folks were up bright and early as a absolutely gorgeous day dawned amidst some of the most spectacular scenery on the west coast. Windex, chamois, and even vacuum cleaners appeared as folks began to polish the chrome in time for the event kick off.
James and Lori Hogarth did a fantastic job finding the site, arraigning the host hotel, the banquet and laying out the afternoon cruise. The success of this years event is due solely to their hard work and dedication. On behalf of WCC I would like to extend a heart felt "Thank You" for all your hard work.
In total we had 27 Corvairs make the drive up the Sea to Sky Highway to participate. This
was slightly down from last years event, due mostly to the distance and the previous days
weather. However, more gratifying was the number of people that made the trip without
their 'vair. Members drove and even flew in from as far away as Edmonton to participate.
As much as I enjoy the cars, it is the great people that make WCC worthwhile, and it is
fantastic to see new friendships develop as our members get to know each other.
Voting in the People's Choice awards was hot and heavy this year. In particular the Early
Closed and Late Open classes were particularly difficult to choose amongst. In the end
things sorted out as follows:
Best Early Open: Ernie Parsons - Coquitlam
Best Early Closed: Les & Lori Honke - Winnipeg
Best Late Open: Doug Titus - Seattle
Best Late Closed: Don Ross - Langley
Best Specialty: Ken & Sue Thomas - Bellingham
Best Daily Driver: Zoltan Szilagyi - Seattle
Best of Show: Shawn Sirna - Victoria
President's Choice: Don & Sylvia Farnell - Vancouver; for their custom leather
Citroën interior
Long Distance Award: Les & Lori Honke - Winnipeg; they drove 3460 miles round trip in
10 days!
Hard Luck Award: Roland & Yvonne Martin - Seattle fortunately Bernie Pringle was able
to locate the wayward muffler.
At 2:30 we began our afternoon cruise. While there wasn't the crowds of gawking folks we
had in Vancouver last year, there wasn't frustrating bumper to bumper traffic either.
James out did himself designing a straightforward cruise that took maximum advantage of
the spectacular scenery Howe Sound has to offer. Row upon row of Corvairs lined up at
various lookout points provided many with great photo opportunities.
The cruise ended at a local museum that is hard at work preserving the railway history
that is very much a part of the development of the west coast. One beautifully restored
sleeper car represented over 80,000 hours of volunteer work. If you ever get up this way,
the West Coast Railway Heritage Museum is definitely worth a look-see.
The day ended with a banquet at the Klahani Roadhouse. The offered us a selection of appys
and main courses. I am not being insincere when I say that the food was first class.
However, long drives back across the border or to the ferries precluded many of us from
staying to enjoy a one last snippet of cameraderie before hitting the road. Always a live
and learn situation, I think next years meal will be more informal and planned for the
Saturday night prior to the show.
I'd like to ask everybody to make sure they patronize the businesses that generously
choose to support Corvairitis Treatment Day 2000. And finally, a big thank you to
everybody that worked so hard to make the day so much fun for everybody that attended. See
you next year!
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Click Here to see the Photo Collection from CTD 2000! |