Part X
During the past fourteen winter seasons the Club had concentrated it’s energy on Auto-Rama. That tradition was broken in 2001. If you were to ask a dozen members that were active in the club’s early years, why? You might have received twelve different answers. You might hear, meeting on the streets of Cleveland at 3:00 A.M. Thursday morning to be first in line at the doors that open at 8:00 A.M., getting home late Sunday night or early Monday morning. The other reasons heard could be the high cost for each car owner, the one or two days of bad weather that seemed to plague us each year or it could be all the work and cost involved in building the Club display, hauling it downtown and back and then storing it somewhere.
Shows such as the IX Center and the Canton Car show were much less work and hassle. Regardless of the reasons given, we had reached the end of an era.
Our Clubs main interest from now on would be our own Solon Cruise. The first CTC meeting for 2001 was scheduled for February 20th at the Perkins Red Roof Inn on Rockside Rd.
At the January 2001 Club meeting there was a discussion on the Club sponsoring a Soap Box Derby car for the City of Cleveland Recreation Department. By March we had purchased a car in kit form and donated it to the Rec Department for the underprivileged kids to build and race. Cleveland Mayor, Michael R.White thanked our Club for it’s support and donation of the car at the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Soap Box Derby track in Cleveland.
Saturday, February 24th, 55 Club members traveled to Detroit. The bus dropped 11 people off at the MGM Casino. The remaining 44 “gear heads” spent the day at Cobo Hall’s Auto-Rama. The group enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the Old Town Buffet in Toledo on the return trip.
The TV show “My Classic Car” had visited our Cruise last summer. We were now able to order videotape copies of that show for $15.00.
Some members had concerns of liable suits that may arise as the result of a potential problem at a car function. In February 2001, Club members voted to incorporate the Rock-N-Roll Capital Street Machines. The paperwork was filed with the State of Ohio in March 2001. The Club is now a Corporation.
Quaker Steak and Lube had an unofficial grand opening in March. Many local dignitaries were in attendance as well as some VIP’s, US!
By April 2001, the Club had a website. The web address is http://www.RNRCSM.com. The Club had two “Mystery Cruises” in 2001, one on April 28th and the other on October 20th. On May 20th we cruised on over to Quaker Steak and Lube. The trip had two objectives, one was to get everyone together for a meal at the new restaurant and the other was to donate a Club jacket for display in the restaurant.
The Club hosted three Test-N-Tune events in 2001, June 10th, July 22nd and September 23rd. On the 4th of July, in spite of the rain the Club still managed to win 1st place in the Classic/Antique division of the Bedford/Bedford Hts parade. We came home wet but $100.00 richer. That event was followed by the Garfield Hts Home Days on July 7th, the Bedford Street Party on July 14th, Bedford Hts Home Days on July 27th and then finally on Sunday, July 29th we participated in the Solon Home Days Parade.
The Walmart in Streetsboro had a weekly Thursday night cruise. On August 2nd we were the featured Car Club. Several weeks later the Club was a guest on the Big Chuck and Little John TV Show. The show was taped on August 16th and shown on air the following night.
The Clubs Charity Cruise was held on August 21st. The only details of the night are a long list of door prizes and names of members that made it a huge success. There were no financial details to be found in my records. I am sure that the Ronald McDonald House people were pleased with the amount, whatever it was.
Meadow Ridge Farms was the site of the Clubs October 6th hayride. Members brought snacks and desserts. Meadow Ridge Farm served chicken and ribs as well as side dishes and beverages. The Club provided door prizes and desserts. Two tractors hauled wagons loaded with hay and RNRCSM members over bridges, across rivers, through the woods and across farm land.
January had been established as the month to collect the Club dues from all of the members. This went into effect in 1987. New members paid the full amount when joining and were required to pay again in January, regardless of what month they joined. Potential members wanting to join in the latter months of the year were put off by having to pay twice in a short period of time.
To be fair to new members this was changed in 1989. The Club voted to allow new members to pay the standard dues rate and be covered for the next twelve months. This policy was fair to the new member but put and extra burden on the already heavy work loads of the Board and the Newsletter Editor. Each month the newsletter printed the names of members who were required to pay their dues.
In October of 2001 we voted to cut back on the paper work and return to the January collection of dues. Once again fairness became an issue. Different people tried various solutions such as pro rating the dues or attending meetings as a guest then joining the Club in January. There were hidden problems with each of these ideas.
At the June 2007 Club meeting the dues problem was revisited. Once again, the Club voted and regardless of the time of year a new member joins that new member is required to pay their dues in full. The January collection date will apply to everyone.
The benefits of joining this Club will always far out weigh the cost of the dues. The cruises, picnics, our Club members receive. hayrides, Spring and Fall Socials, bus trips, and the Christmas party are all prime examples of the benefits
Your fellow cruiser, Joe Artale, member since 1987.