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Hello List,
The second annual Midwinter Meet in the Deep South
will be held January 14-17, 2005. This meet was borne back in September of
2003 at the now infamous Anniston Meet hosted by Donald Taccone and Debbie
Brown in Anniston, Alabama. As most of you know, Donald and Debbie do a
wonderful job with this meet and it is a blast! It is held
twice a year in the Spring and Fall. On the Saturday night
before we left on Sunday, we were all sitting around the cars lamenting the
fact we weren't going to see each other again for another six months.
Someone suggested a midwinter gathering be held, but not in Anniston due to the
winter temps. Before we knew it, we were 'hosting' The First Annual
Midwinter Meet! We found a suitable site at Gulf Shores, Alabama
in late November of '03 and basically invited the group that regularly
attends the Anniston Meet. The date was set, the food and
spirits purchased, and other preparations made. The date for the meet
arrived (Jan. 23, 2004) and we all set out for the Gulf State Park Resort
and Convention Center. We had NO idea how much FUN we were about
to have!
Members from as far away as OK, GA and TN made the
SUPREME effort to drive or fly in to attend. The weather cooperated
(60-65 degrees) and we had a blast at the beach! The Friday night
cocktail party could not have been more fun and many of us (I
included) drank more than we should have! There was talk of a 'race'
between my '66 Eldorado and a '65 Imperial FDHT but cooler heads
prevailed and that never occurred. We were far too inebriated to race that
night! Since our '65 Imperial was not ready to bring to the
meet, we brought two General Motors products, our '66 Eldorado and '66 Toronado. We
encouraged other vintage luxury car owners from other clubs to attend
(Packard, Cadillac, Lincoln etc.) so that we could compare them to
the Imperials and Chryslers.
Saturday and Sunday morning were spent driving
and riding in each other's cars, eating, hanging out, exploring the area in the
cars, and just enjoying each other's company and the great hobby we are a part
of! Before we knew it, our meet was coming to an end and we all hated to
say goodbye. We unanimously decided to continue this 'tradition' and do it
again in January of '05. We have moved the date to MLK weekend to take
advantage of this three day weekend and give everyone a longer visit!
Please visit this website and check out all the
photos of this very successful first 'Deep South version' of the Anniston
Meet. There are three pages of photos so don't miss any!
As most of you know, the Alabama coast was hit hard
by Hurricane Ivan back in Sept. of this year. Our host hotel was
devastated by the tidal surge and howling winds and is going to be torn
down. The entire area looks like a bomb hit it! Soooooooo, we are
moving this year's location to the fabulous Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Russell and I have found quite a few suitable sites ( and one incredible vintage
hotel) that will work. We want to continue this winter party and hope many
new faces will be there this year along with the regulars who attend the
Anniston Meet. There is a lot to do and see on the Mississippi Coast
and of course there are casinos everywhere! We've checked out the area and
have traveled there twice to find suitable accommodations and places to
drive the cars. There are state parks nearby, Beauvoir
(Jefferson Davis's last home), museums, gift shops, art galleries, great
restaurants, beautiful 'southern' architecture and of course, gambling
at the casinos (if that is your bag)! This is the area where the hugely
successful Cruisin The Coast is held in October each year.
We will be working out the details soon and
will be posting the hotel and contact info. If you
live too far to drive, flying to nearby New Orleans and renting a car
for the short drive to the Mississippi Coast is a viable option.
We hope to see many new faces! Please consider joining us for
this fun filled three day weekend in
January!
Contact us offlist if you wish. Our email
address is: 65luxuryliner@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Best regards,
Greg McDonnell
Russell Coker
Mobile, AL
65 Crown convertible (and
other makes)
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