By Dan Groman
The Vintage Chevrolet Club of America's Western Buckeye Region (WBR) just celebrated one year since its charter. We now have 34 members and are rapidly growing.
The VCCA has been in existence since 1961, but this organization has been relatively unknown in this area. My brother, Darrell and I were VCCA members in the 1970’s, with our 1954 Chevy that was originally owned by Mrs. C. Henry Smith and then by Zoe Hauenstein, both in Bluffton. Our nearest region was in Toledo, which was a bit distant for us to participate with regularly. I rejoined the VCCA in the Fall of 2019, but the nearest region was still in Toledo. Our VCCA National President encouraged me to see if there was interest to start a new region in the area. It didn't take long to find people interested in starting a region of our own. Members aren't required to own a vintage car, but are requested to have an appreciation for Chevy and GMC vehicles. With an initial meeting in February, 2020, it only took us a few months to get through the process of chartering, even in the midst of COVID. Working with Zoom meetings and an occasional in-person meeting with lots of social distancing, we officially chartered in June of 2020. We now cover the area between the Toledo, Columbus and Dayton/Cincinnati regions.
In 2020, we held 6 driving tours, seeing the sights in the local region, traveling from 50 to 150 miles per tour. We made special arrangements and were able to visit some museums and other areas of interest. We kicked off our 2021 touring season with our April Mystery Tour and have some great tours in the works.
With COVID restrictions gradually being reduced, we cautiously started doing things together as a region.
The WBR has a year's worth of get-togethers and fun activities planned to encourage the enjoyment of vintage Chevrolet and GMC vehicles. The WBR is taking part in a host of shows throughout the region throughout the driving season, and we hold monthly meetings (fourth Monday of each month) to get together with fellow car enthusiasts, to encourage others in a project that they may be involved in, and to generally promote the old car hobby. The Driving Tours allow us to exercise our cars, and see some interesting sights, museums and historical locations.
The WBR is working with the Glass Capitol Region from the Toledo area to co-sponsor the 58th Central VCCA Meet, being held at the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima, Ohio on July 30-31. This meet brings together Chevy and GMC owners and enthusiasts from over 8 states and Canada on an annual basis. We are fortunate to be co-hosting this year's meet in Lima. VCCA activities include a short Driving Tour on Friday, July 30 to see the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta and a Friday night social gathering with entertainment by WBR member Richie Crouch, as Elvis and additional singing by Mike Melvin. Saturday is the big day for car judging, and a social gathering will be held on that evening to hand out the VCCA awards.
A Public Car Show is being hosted by the VCCA along side the VCCA meet on Saturday, July 31, with the gate opening at 9 am and awards being handed out at 3 pm. This show is open to all makes and models of cars and trucks, with participant judging, and special awards by the VCCA. There is a $10.00 per car fee for entering the Public Car Show, and spectators can come out to see the cars for free. A swap meet is included, giving people the opportunity to pick up some much-needed vintage car parts. Other activities include 50/50 raffles, special basket raffles and door prizes, along with a DJ and music throughout Saturday's activities.
Food vendors will be available to purchase meals during this event. A portion of proceeds from this event will go to the West Ohio Food Bank.
For more information about the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America or about the upcoming 58th Central Meet and Public Car Show, you can contact Dan Groman at [email protected] or (419)231-3710. You can also find more information at https://vcca.org.
