Director’s Thoughts, MARCH, 2019

     Well, we are now entering the 3^rd month of the year 2019.  How many of you are sticking with your New Year resolution of losing weight?  Well, here comes a “Did You Know?” Did you know that on Tuesday, March 5 is not only chapter meeting night, but also FAT TUESDAY?  Please read on:

It’s time to party it up, and ….eat!!

Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday.  This year, it is on March 5^th.  It is also known as Mardi Gras Day or Shrove Day. It is a day when people eat all they want of everything and anything they want as the following day is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of a long fasting period for Christians. In addition to fasting, Christians also give up something special that they enjoy. So, Fat Tuesday is a celebration and the opportunity to enjoy that favorite food or snack that you give up for the long Lenten season.

Nowhere on the planet is Fat Tuesday celebrated more than on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. The day is celebrated with festivities and parades and of course much food and drink.

Did You Know? On Bourbon street in New Orleans, store owners coat poles and columns with Vaseline to keep wild and rowdy revelers from climbing them (and perhaps falling).

In addition to being called Mardi Gras Day and Fat Tuesday, it is also called Fastnacht Day. Pennsylvania Dutch countries, and other areas with large German populations, refer to it as Fastnacht Day. 

Fastnacht Day is an annual Pennsylvania Dutch celebration that falls on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. The word translates to “Fasting Night” in English. The tradition is to eat the very best foods, which are part of the German tradition, and lots of it, before the Lenten fast. Fastnachts are doughnuts. There are three types of Fastnachts, one made with yeast, one made with baking powder, and one made with potatoes and yeast. All are slightly crispy on the outside and not as sweet as standard doughnuts. Recipes vary. Some include mashed potato and lard. Some are round. Some are square. Some have holes in the middle. They can be plain, glazed, or covered in powdered sugar or cinnamon and sugar.

Different communities have different ways to pair sugar and fat. Polish cooks make paczki, which are doughnuts filled with jelly. French cooks make beignets, doughnuts covered in powdered sugar. English cooks make pancakes. And Pennsylvania Dutch cooks make fastnachts.  Archives show women at home, groups at churches and commercial bakers around the county spending the night before Fastnacht Day working over a frying pan.

How fattening are they?  Depends on the recipe. Fat grams can range from about 7 to 12 per fastnacht. Some say the calorie count is as low as 200. Others say it’s nearly 500. If it makes you feel better, go with 200. But be warned: You can lie to yourself, and you can lie to your doctor, but your waistline … it will know the truth.  ENJOY!!

                                                                     Your Elected Director, Sally Getz  

“Free Spirit” Chapter Meeting Minutes, FEBRUARY 5, 2019

Meeting called to order @ 7:37 pm, 16 members & 2 guests in attendance.  Motion to accept January meeting minutes as printed in the February newsletter, Debbie Brady, seconded by Kathleen Duckett, so carried.      

Treasurer’s Report = January 2019, not discussed.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

A. Historian – no report

B. Lehighton Show (formerly Kempton Show) – flyers will be available during the Hamburg meet, March, 2019.  Show now to be held @ Phifer’s Ice Dams, Lehighton, Pa, October 27, 2019.

C. Membership – perspective member given information on National BCA & local chapter.

D. Newsletter –  received 13 out of 14 newsletter ad renewals.  “MANY THANKS” to those who did renew!!

E. Programs –  March guest speaker =  a rep to speak about “EVANS radiator coolant(s)”.  April = guest speaker will be Stephen Harvilla, a Nutrition Health Evangelist.  Buick day tour to Eastwood Co., Pottstown = April 6, 2019 (read on for further information).

F. Publicity – no report

G. Technical – no report

H. Ways and Means –  a BUICK coverlet sold to NY during the Holidays.

OLD BUSINESS:  

NEW BUSINESS:  Sally received a phone call from Mr. John Scheib looking for chapter volunteers to think about volunteering their time at a 2022 Buick National Meet to be held during the 1^st or 2^nd week of June, 2022 @ the Wyndm Hotel, Gettysburg, Pa.  He has contacted all chapter directors in the NorthEast Region about talking to their chapter members.  The “Free Spirit” chapter was asked to volunteer for either the Registration part of the Meet, or the Hospitality room part of the Meet.  It is early to begin to think of this event, however, really it is not too early. A lot of planning and coordination goes into hosting such an event.  This is not only asked of our chapter, but ALL NE REGION CHAPTERS.

As a National BCA member, as you may have already read, in your February issue of the Bugle, there is a new outfit who has replaced Nancy/mike Book, BCA office managers.  Please make the following change in your books/calendars:

Buick Club of America
New Office Manager Update – Jan 27, 2019

Cornerstone Registration will assume office management duties for the Buick Club of America on Friday, February 1st.  Please note the new contact information:

c/o Cornerstone Registration, Ltd.  PO Box 1715 – Maple Grove, MN 55311-6715 – 763-420-7829,  bca@cornerstonereg.com

Motion made to adjourn = David Brady, seconded by Peggy Schaedel, so carried @ 8:49.                          

Respectfully submitted, substitute, Sally Getz

                                              Chapter Badges

     Please remember to wear your chapter badge that has your name on it.  Wearing it to the monthly chapter meetings is a must, or you will owe $1.00 to Dolores Kennedy.  Also, please wear it to the periodic chapter events, thus everyone can get to meet/greet you if you are a new member.  If you do not have a badge w/ your name on it, please contact Dolores Kennedy & she’ll be more than happy to see you receive a badge!

Day Tour, Eastwood Co., Pottstown, Saturday, April 6, 2019

Eastwood Co., Pottstown, Pa will be the tour for April 6, 2019.  Members to meet @ the corner of Cedar Crest Blvd. & Chestnut Street, Emmaus, in the Weis grocery store parking lot.  Meet there by 9:15 SHARP, will then take a leisurely drive to Pottstown, approximately 30-35 minutes, for about a 2 hour tour w/ demonstration.  The demonstration will be about telling & showing about powder coating. ALL items can be of purchase along with various solvents & paints for all of your automotive needs!  Lunch will follow this tour for you to enjoy.  The “BEL-AIR” Restaurant, Rt. 100, Bechtelsville will be glad to see us BUICK people!  There one will enjoy many items on the menu from sandwiches to burgers, from crapes to combo plates, from milkshakes to ice cream, from coffee to sodas!  When you order, note the names of the items! While waiting for your marvelous food selection(s), the atmosphere can be taken in by all! The décor will take you back in time of the 1950’s!  So come on out to enjoy the day w/ Debbie & I. PLEASE reserve your chair/seat by April 4^th.  610-965-2172, danddbrady@rcn.                                                                                             

                                                                                          David/Debbie Brady

Do You hate Night Driving, Too?

     Whether on my quiet country road or in the well-illuminated industrial park, I enjoyed driving through what Louis Armstrong sang of as “The dark sacred night.”  A much more typical excursion happened a few months ago when I drove to another town @ dusk to deal with insurance matters. As I navigated the 2-lane road, every vehicle I met seared my eyeballs with headlights that in a previous life probably penetrated murky ocean depths to locate sunken pirate ships.  

     At first, I thought I was the victim of those human dim bulbs who insist on driving with their high beams activated all the time.  Whether it’s dazzling you straight on or distracting you with reflected light in your rearview mirror, they’re always eager to serve.  If they could figure some way to blast photons @ you through your bathroom medicine cabinet mirror, they would be able to die happy.

     But, no, it dawned on me that they weren’t necessarily being irresponsible with high beams.  Most of them were Blinding Me with Science (the monstrosities that represent standard bulbs today).  Yes, I generally loathe all the manufacturer overkill, poorly aimed bulbs, status symbol monster trucks with headlights @ eye level, tailgaters driving 10 miles above the speed limit in a monsoon, suicidal deer, flickering streetlamps & meandering Man In Black pedestrians that make for stressful post-sundown driving.  Judging by posts on social media, lots of motorists share my concerns.

     Comments on message boards run the gamut.  Some writers are extremely sympathetic of one another.  Some blather on forever with nerdy jargon about spectrums & diffusion.  Some of the tips for counteracting night-driving problems were offered in a neighborly manner, but others edged into VICTIM BLAMING.  “Clean your windshield, wear special eyeglasses, don’t be born before 1975 & make sure your conjoined twin becomes an optometrist.”

     Given such attitudes, I do my best not to accentuate my baby blues or my pouty lips.  (“You’re just BEGGING for me to light up your world, baby!”) Apparently, there is demand for modern headlights; but I don’t remember feeling all that deprived back in the ‘80’s before the technology race started.  I mean, Ferris Bueller didn’t use his day off to lobby for halogen lights, high-intensity discharge lights, LED’s, xenon lights, pepper-spray lights, death ray lights, Three Stooges eye poke lights or whatever is trendy this week.  And Doc Brown in “Back to the Future” didn’t say, “Where we’re going, we don’t need corneas.”

     Of course, some of the problem comes from customizing & aftermarket replacement parts, although manufacturers don’t do a lot to discourage this.  (We had no idea that people might misalign their lights after they leave the factory. No. I’m not winking. On the way here, I got blinded by a soccer mom in an SUV.”)

     Automotive engineers are supposedly laboring to fine-tune lighting, but I wish they would employ more patience & common sense from Day One.  It takes a period equaling nearly 3 reigns of Queen Elizabeth to get a prescription drug for itchy left pinky finger approved, so why do car manufacturers have to rush to market with ill-designed products that use other motorists as guinea pigs?                                                                Anonymous

Ever Worry About Your License Plate?

     Have you ever read a story from a year ago & thought, “Whoa!  Why didn’t I hear of this before?” About this time last year, 27 year old Jose Concepcion West got busted for a James Bond movie-style invention on his car; a remote controlled cover for his license plate.  Jose just pushed a button & a black screen deployed over his license plate, allowing him to blaze through automated E-Z Pass tolls without getting caught. He was finally nabbed buy police when an officer happened to be driving behind West & watched as he deployed the screen.  OOPS!

     Here’s a bit of statutory trivia to keep in mind:    stealing toll money this way led to a misdemeanor charge.  Covering the license plate was a felony. This matters because police in Pennsylvania are using automated license plate readers to capture thousands of license plate numbers, the cars they’re attached to & GPS location @ time of capture.  In Oklahoma, this recently led to collecting the license plate data of more than 2,000 cars suspected of not being legally insured.

     As reported, these cameras automatically scan all the license plates within their visibility & instantly compared them to a database that lists vehicles with liability insurance.  The images of any vehicles not on the list are then forwarded to the state Uninsured Vehicle Enforcement Diversion office. Officials say anyone who receives a letter – & can’t prove the vehicle was insured when the photo was taken – faces a $174 fee.  

     In Ocean City, MD, police are set up with these readers @ each of the entrances to the resort city.  One of these devices alerted police to a suspect wanted in a DEA drug case. A high-speed chase ensued, with the suspect crashing into a cop car & injuring an officer.  Marylanders got abit upset when they learned this tech exists. After all, no one really wants to be spied upon. And you are.

     In MD, tens of thousands of license plates are stored for a limited time, & police have a process in place that allows them to search the records.  It is an excellent tool, having been used to find a missing person & a hit-&-run homicide driver, according to media reports.

     Still, knowing Facebook has sold access to everything they now about you, this rightly creeps out people.  Knowing that police departments have taken the property from innocent people using “civil asset forfeiture” & the NSA has, indeed, collected all sorts of digital communications from millions of innocent citizens, it’s not too much of a leap to fear misuse of this data.

     PA State Rep. Greg Rothman sponsored a bill that would require that the data of every tag captured be destroyed in a year, & it would make it illegal to sell data or share it outside law enforcement agencies.  The bill is rotting in the darkness of committee manila folders.

     We all agree this tech helps find stolen cars, insurance jumpers & various criminals.  It’s effective. That’s why there actually are private companies using the same technology & hiring themselves out to car repo agents, divorce lawyers & debt collectors.  Considering massive public facial recognition is just around the corner, maybe it’s too late to care about license plates, anyway. How do you feel?                          Anonymous

Car Club Open House

Dear Fellow Automotive Enthusiast:We’ve contacted you because of your involvement with a car club that has a national affiliation. The AACA Museum, Inc. in Hershey, Pennsylvania is holding an open house, and you’re invited. We’re excited to share our newly available club-curated space and tell you more about how your club can recreate a showroom scene in this gallery. We recognize the contribution and influence of your club and its local or regional affiliates in this hobby that we all enjoy. The Museum wants to partner with you in a variety of ways that are mutually beneficial in advancing our collective missions. The information below focuses on just a few of the ways we can work together.This is a great chance to see our world-class museum as our guests. There is no charge to join us for this open house. Please share this invitation with your club officers, members, and your families. Please include this invitation in your next newsletter if possible. We are looking to expand our Museum Family, so this invitation is open-ended; all we ask is that you RSVP by March 15th so we’ll be prepared with enough refreshments. If you have any questions, just let me know. I look forward to seeing you at the Museum on March 22nd for an evening of fun with friends from the car community.

Jeffrey E BliemeisterExecutive DirectorAACA Museum, Inc.161 Museum Drive, Hershey PA 17033(717) 566-7100 ext. 102

 Calendar of Events

MARCH 2019                     “HAPPY ST. PATRICK’s DAY”

3 – Hamburg Auto Swap Meet, Hamburg Field House, Hamburg, Pa

5 – Monthly chapter meeting, Starlite Diner & Lounge, Allentown, Pa.  Diner = 6 pm, business meeting = 7:30 pm. Guest speaker = engine Coolant(s).  (WEATHER PERMITTING)

31 – Swap Meet, Classic auto Mall, Morgantown, Pa

APRIL 2019

2 – Monthly chapter meeting, Starlite Diner & Lounge, Allentown, Pa.  Dinner = 6 pm, business meeting @ 7:30 pm. Guest Speaker = Stephen Harvilla,  

24-28 – Spring Carlisle, Pa

28 –Sticks n Slicks Car Meet, Grantville, Pa

MAY  2019        HAPPY MOTHER’s DAY

7 – Monthly chapter meeting, Starlite Diner & Lounge, Allentown, Pa.  Dinner @ 6 pm, business meeting @ 7:30 pm.

18 – Steve Ryan Model A show/swap meet, Breinigsville, Pa 484-548-0632

18 – Wheels On the Canal, Northampton, Pa  610-440-2407

                                    CARS/PARTS “FOR SALE”

1965 Buick Electra 225 4 dr, hardtop, Black.  62,634 original miles. 425 engine.  Aluminum valve covers, chromed air cleaner.   Vacuum trunk release, PS, PW, PB, power seat & antenna.  AM/FM radio. Chrome wheels, remote mirror. UNRESTORED, ALL ORIGINAL CAR!  Trim code 642. Needs headliner & has slow trans leak. Garage kept! $6,000.  610-377-6130.

1967 Buick Skylark 4 Dr Sedan 340 2-barrel, ST 300 Switch Pitch, PS, manual brakes, cassette player, no air.  70,100 original miles. Maroon color ext., cloth maroon/int. Was repainted. Interior still original!  Garage kept! $10,000. 610-377-6130

1967 Buick Skylark Special Deluxe Sport Coupe 2 dr, 300 2-barrel.  Spruce Green exterior w/ vinyl top, black interior.  68,305 original miles. Power steering, manual brakes.  RH mirror, AM/FM radio. Spinner wire wheel covers. UNRESTORED.  Garage kept! Runs good! $8,500. 610-377-6130

1987 Turbo Regal HT, 73k original miles, 100% rust free, original dark blue ext & int, chrome trim, factory aluminum wheels, drums, & bumper inserts.  A/C, PW, tilt, cruise, posi, original exhaust. $20k. Steve Perry 914-262-9965, Carmel NY. sep440@aol.com

1991 Chevy Suburban, 2500,  Big block, 454 engine, 111.530 original miles.  2×2. Turbo 400 transmission. Black w/ gray interior, 3^rd seat, AC (front/rear), AM/FM radio, tow package, cassette player, power door locks/windows, vent shades, tailgate window, in GREAT condition.  Garage kept! Very powerful! $8,000. 610-377-6130

In Search Of

1967 Buick Electra Conv. 610-730-4599, dwebster80@gmail.com1976 Caddy Eldo 500 ci – Pete Stoki, 609-915-9948