Back to the Bricks®
November 2021 Newsletter
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Words from the Chairman of the Board |
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Hey there car enthusiasts,
What a wonderful time of year! I love the Thanksgiving holiday! It’s a time for family gatherings and great food. My wife Deb and I started something new this week. We decided to list 3 things every day for the rest of November that we are thankful for. We are now on day 4, and it’s been interesting to see our choices. My big 3 so far are my wife, my kids, and my wonderful grandkids!
The 3 things that I am most thankful for within my “Back to the Bricks®” world are our fantastic sponsors, our volunteers, the cruisers who faithfully support us by coming to our events and our Back to the Bricks® Board of Directors.
Our sponsors are incredibly generous. Our goal is to offer events that are free or very inexpensive to attend, but they are not free to put on. Every event begins with a budget that is realistic to the kind of show we want to put on for the community. I am so THANKFUL that our sponsors come through for us. We could not do it without them.
Our volunteers always amaze me with their dedication to the cause. Our board of directors, committee and volunteers work tirelessly for hours or days at a time when we need them. There is no way to have the incredible success we have had without them. I am so THANKFUL for YOU, our volunteers!
Our cruisers are the reason we are here. The support we get from them keeps us trying to improve everything we do, so we can offer the best events possible. So, I am very THANKFUL for them.
So put your cars to bed for a long winter’s nap and cherish the memories of the fun times we had this year and be THANKFUL for what you have and cherish those you love! My wife, Deb and I hope you have a great Thanksgiving holiday.
Reach out to me by phone or email as I would like to hear from you. See you all real soon!
Regards,
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Al Jones
Chairman of the Board
Back to the Bricks®
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Chrome & Ice™ is ready for Registrations!!!
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Hello everyone.
Plans are coming together for the 7th Annual Chrome & Ice™ event Feb 11th-13th brought to you by Dort Financial Credit Union. Our Committee is working hard behind the scenes to bring you a bigger and better show. We are looking forward to making a BIG announcement after Thanksgiving about our event, so stay tuned, we know this will be fun for everyone.
Registration is OPEN for Chrome & Ice™ see the box below for more details. Participants will be selected and notified of acceptance on an individual basis.
I am here if you need anything, have questions or comments.
Thanks again and I look forward to seeing you at Chrome & Ice™
Ralph Messer
Vice Chairman of the Board
Back to the Bricks®
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Want to Feature your Vehicle at Chrome & Ice™???
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Register NOW for your chance to feature your vehicle at the 2022 Chrome & Ice™ Show. February 11th - 13th.
This 3 day Indoor Car Show will have more entertainment and special surprises than ever before! All selected vehicles will be notified on an individual basis.
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What's new with our Executive Director |
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Hey everyone!
I can't even believe it's nearly Thanksgiving. But even more unbelievable is that on December 14th I will officially celebrate my two-year anniversary with the Back to the Bricks® organization. Looking back, I started by being thrusted right into the Chrome & Ice™ 2020 planning and the VIP Experience ticket sales. I had attended in the past, many Chrome & Ice™ events, even attended the one that was in the middle of a blizzard, but never had a hand in the planning of them. I remember sitting at my kitchen table working until midnight many nights in a row printing out mailing labels, preparing to send the VIP Experience lanyards thinking… “What did I get myself into?”
I always believed I would be apart of a non-profit organization that would make a big impact on the community. I even had it on my vision board to be a President or CEO of a non-profit organization. I made this vision board in 2016 during a HUGE shift in my life. I went from sales, marketing and advertising to project manager within a construction company. It felt good what I was doing back then but I knew I wanted more. I wanted to help educate the community on how AMAZING it is, and how many wonderful things were born and bread right here in Genesee County. I became a CTA, Certified Tourism Ambassador within the Flint & Genesee Group and quickly became a facilitator. This program is fantastic in our community and helps educate everyone, especially front-line employees on all the things to see and do in our area, to be amazing ambassadors of Genesee County which will increase overall sales, and tourism. Be proud of where you work, you live and play. At any rate, in 2019 I noticed the posting for the Executive Director position and knew right there and then I was going to be that.
Over the last two years, I’ve learned more than I ever thought possible working with such inspiring and motivated individuals within our community. The heart of Back to the Bricks® is the committee members and volunteers. They give so much to make our events happen, but they also have stories. Stories about when they were kids, turning wrenches with their dad or Grandpa, stories about the beginning years of Back to the Bricks® and how bringing a car show like this back to Flint Michigan was more about bringing back the economy, bringing back the spirit of Downtown Flint and showing the community all that was born in the automotive industry right here in Genesee County. We have the most amazing History and everyone should be proud!
So, what can I say has been the best part of my last two years… Too many things really, the people, the relationships, the memories and events we put on, but the top of my list is sharing this experience with my daughter Peyton. She has grown and come out of her shell. She has her “favorite” people she loves to see, to spend time with and volunteer with. She loves the cars, the trucks and loves hearing the stories. Her and I love that we can bring our 1981 Ford Truck, although not restored like most vehicles we see at our events, it’s ours and she LOVES it. The future of Back to the Bricks® is our youth. It’s my mission to encourage our youth to attend more of our events. It’s one of the reasons we continued to bring the Road Rally’s back. The families that go on these make me smile. Seeing our youth at this last main event was unbelievable and you can guarantee that I am doing my part to work on future events encouraging our youth to get involved and get excited about these amazing cars and this fantastic organization.
I am looking forward to seeing you at the Holiday Market, December 3rd and 4th. Come by just to say hi. We love seeing you all, and I know the merchandise that our Merchandise Chairmen Bob and Linda Moore has ordered, will be something everyone can slip under their Christmas Tree for their special someone in their life.
May you have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. I know I am thankful for each and everyone of you.
See you soon!
Amber Taylor
Executive Director
Back to the Bricks®
Direct: 810-877-8383
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Your holiday shopping just got easier!!!
Are you looking to get something special for your car enthusiast for the holidays? How about an ALL-NEW Neon Back to the Bricks® Collectors clock? Our Famous Root Beer? Or perhaps a new Hoodie or Long Sleeve Back to the Bricks® t-shirt?
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A big THANK you to our sponsor/partner
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December 3rd 9:30am - 6:00pm
December 4th 9:30am - 4:00pm
2305 S. Center Rd, Burton
Behind branch next to Meijer on Center Rd
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During our Back to the Bricks Holiday Market on Friday and Saturday in the Admin Building you can also bring a new, unwrapped toy or cash donation. We will have a drop box and give to Elga after the Market closes.
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For any questions, please contact Executive Director Amber Taylor
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Al’s Garage
Vol. #2, Issue #11
It is safe to say that the car shows, cruise ins and tours season has come to an end for most of us. Looking back, this past spring, summer and early fall had returned to normal or the ‘new normal’ whatever that is! Looking forward, I am planning to complete some small projects on some of my cars. The most recent project that was completed was the replacement of the clutch plate, pressure plate and the throw-out bearing on my 1936 Auburn sedan. With the help of a couple of Monday and Friday morning coffee friends, Ed, and Tom, we completed the project in short order. Ordering parts for a ’36 Auburn is not like running over to the ‘big box’ auto parts stores, as most of the people working at these stores have never heard of an Auburn automobile let alone having a clutch package available. The one thing we learned, after taking some measurements of the transmission shaft and counting the number of splines, was that a Chevrolet clutch plate is interchangeable with the original Auburn clutch plate. The one minor exception is that the Auburn clutch plate has a 9” diameter and the Chevy has a 10” diameter but it works. It is kind of cool that I can tell people the old Auburn has a 10” clutch for better and faster starts. Additionally, I had the head milled a few years ago which might sound impressive, but keep in mind the Auburn is powered by a six-cylinder Lycoming engine that was originally rated at eighty-five horsepower and now may be around ninety horsepower. It is by no means a performance vehicle but is a great fun car to drive. And ‘No’ I have not attempted a ‘burn-out’ and I don’t see that happening any time soon.
This brief story brings up a valuable point about friends helping each other with some of their car projects. Obviously, some of the projects require additional hands to help move the transmissions in and out of a car. Another pair of eyes is also valuable. What might be obvious to some may not be so obvious to others. Unless you are an expert mechanic, body technician, painter, etc., you can certainly learn a lot from your friends, and that is priceless.
Going back to the clutch replacement for the Auburn, here is another story of whoa concerning garage safety. I had the Auburn up on the lift and thought I would adjust the clutch pedal. There is a heavy return spring on the clutch pedal with a bolt to lock it in the desired position. Being somewhat resourceful, I got a large pair of channel lock pliers and a 9/16” wrench from the toolbox and went to work. Gripping the clutch pedal assembly with the channel locks I pulled back on the pedal assembly with the intent to tighten the set bolt. Before I knew it, the channel lock pliers slipped from the clutch pedal and hit me on the right side of my nose! Fortunately, I had safety glasses on, but the force of the pliers broke the safety glasses in half right at the bridge of my nose. Did I speak in a foreign language? You bet! I immediately bent over with blood dripping to the floor. Grabbing a clean towel to suppress the bleeding, I closed the shop and headed into the house to take care of the cut on my nose. The following day I was sporting a black eye. Accidents do happen, but in this case, if I did not have safety glasses on, the end results may have had a more serious outcome. On that sorry note, have a safe time in the garage and a great ‘Thanksgiving,’ and work safely on your collector cars. (BTW The black eye is gone, and the cut has healed.)
Keep on roll’
Al Hatch
Founder of Back to the Bricks®
Chairman Emeritus
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