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Thank you to everyone for making the
19th Annual Back to the Bricks®
festivities the BEST year yet!
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Back to the Bricks®
August 2023 Newsletter
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Latest from the Chairman of the Board | |
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Let me start by saying THANK YOU to our amazing team of volunteers who pulled off the greatest Main Event week that I can remember. All of you continue to amaze me! It truly is an honor to be a part of the Back to the Bricks family.
On Friday of Tune Up week, I lost a friend I’ve known for 58 years. We met in High School, through a mutual friend, the year we turned 16. We drove many miles through Wallis and Colonels looking for cool cars and girls. We each had a 1967 Camaro. Mine was a RS, Red with a black vinyl top 327, 275 HP, 4 speed. His was a Gold and Black SS350, 295HP, 4 speed. I have lots of great memories to cherish. He was my Best Man at my wedding, and I was his Best Man, as well. As life’s chapters played out through the years, we drifted apart and lost touch with each other for a while. I regret those lost years. Then, in 2015, we were getting ready for the Promo Tour, I knew were going to stop at a car dealership in his hometown. I called him to ask if he could meet us there for coffee and donuts. When we pulled in, he was standing at the door, waiting for me. That meeting reignited a friendship that was dormant too long. He got interested in the Tour and went on the last 4.
I am telling you this story to encourage you to cherish the relationships you have. If you haven’t talked to someone special to you, for a while, reach out now! Hold those you love very close and tell them You Love Them Often! There is nothing more important than Family and Friends, which is one of the reasons I enjoy Back to the Bricks. CHEERS!
I’ll see you down the road, Al Jones
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Thank you,
Al Jones
Chairman of the Board
Back to the Bricks®
810-625-2713
[email protected]
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Ally Challenge GIVES back to the Back to the Bricks Organization in a BIG way! | |
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Sending a BIG thank you to the Ally Challenge for their partnership with the Back to the Bricks Organization. This year they stepped in as our Volunteer Sponsor. Not only did they provide the new Volunteer Shirts, but also the supplies, waters and snacks needed to keep our volunteers going! This is a big job. Most of our Volunteers work every day of Tune Up Week and Main Event Week, making 12 days of FUN happen for all.
An end of the week party, passing of the torch took place last Sunday after the volunteers met in downtown Flint to Clean up the City! A yearly tradition that Back to the Bricks does to thank the city for the opportunity to host our HUGE event.
The Ally Challenge is going on NOW. Visit https://theallychallenge.com for more details.
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Last Road Rally of the YEAR!!!! | |
Saturday September 16th
We told you we weren't done yet!!! Thanks to our partners, Shea Chevrolet, and Halo Burger we have 1 final rally of the year. Kicking off at Shea Chevrolet in the morning, this Road Rally brings back the visual Scavenger Hunt, less than 100 miles of travel, with a few picturesque stops, and prizes to be won at the end. So, grab your favorite passenger, and register today!
This Road Rally is TOTALLY FREE!
Come out, have fun, and let’s hit the road!
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A word for our Vice Chairman of the Board | |
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What a great ending to a great year for Back to the Bricks®.
With one more Road Rally coming up, we will wrap up this year and continue to plan for next year starting with Chrome & Ice™ the 3-day indoor winter car show.
Save the dates for Chrome & Ice™: Feb 9th – 11th, 2024.
I would like to report on our registration process and talk about what we have planned for the future. As you know, all our registrations are online and when you register you receive a QR code. You will use this same QR code for all our free events. Paid events like Chrome & Ice™ and some Road Rallies will have a different QR code to help us track who's paid. We value your information and will never share it with anyone. This is information we use internally for economic impact numbers, demographics and ordering of merchandise.
Using the QR system this year we gave away 2,825 T-Shirts through our texting system, which was brought to our organization to make our free t-shirt process fair for all. Those who attended the Davison and Flushing Tune up parties during Tune Up Week, may have known there was a glitch with the system. Our texting service provider used, was having issues, so we switched to another company that fixed the issue. We were able to get the Davison and Flushing shirts passed out at our remaining shows. Thank you all for your patience and understanding.
We are now working on a system to notify you of any emergency or route changes while on the road with us via text message. This system will be used very sparingly as we understand some of you pay for text messages, and some of you have unlimited messaging. We will only use this system to award prizes or when the message is considered very important.
At the end of the day, Back to the Brick® is committed on growing and expanding our events to be more diversified, offer more experiences everyone can enjoy, and most of all continue to be fun and fair. We know that we have a solid base of car enthusiasts, many retirees that have time to be to our events early. But we are excited to be GROWING, and expanding to even more hard-working folks that would also love the same opportunities to win prizes.
I want to again thank you all, but also to our sponsors and partners, our Volunteers and Committee for a job well done. It takes a village to put on these events and every single person makes a difference.
Ralph Messer
Vice Chairman of the Board
Back to the Bricks®
[email protected]
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Events Chairman wraps up the Main Event Week | |
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A big thank you to all volunteers, this year’s Main Event was amazing. Also, huge shout out to Tony Bauer and his team on a successful Tune-Up week. With only a few days of questionable weather, everyone was still packed in at the parties, and Main Event Week festivities.
US23 Drive In was great, despite the weather. The Rolling Cruise was packed on both sides of the streets, from Downtown Flint to Grand Blanc. It was a lot of Family Fun. Friday & Saturday gave us amazing weather with no problems. We know we have to work on the Swap Meet and perhaps even offer a Fall or Early Spring opportunity. We got some great feedback from our car sales lot, and it went very well. 2 cars out of 22 SOLD that day! Lots of room in that lot to add something next year, so stay tuned.
All in all, thank you everyone for the dedication that you all have. This is the greatest show on earth. Thanks again to all the sponsors, A special thanks to the folks on the Main Events Committee for all their HARD work. Amber, Al, Ralph you all rock! Also, not to forget Ms. Peyton who works her tail off for her mom. She’s the next generation, already learning the ropes.
Our Main Events Committee will take a well deserved two months off, but then we are BACK AT IT, planning for 2024, our 20th Year! Stay tuned, we are just so excited about it.
Kevin Murphy
Main Events Chairman
Back to the Bricks®
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It was another phenomenal Back To The Bricks! | |
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By: Gary Fisher
President - Genesee County Historical Society
When Al Hatch hatched his plan to bring people back to the “bricks” it sounded nuts to some folks. Downtown Flint was deserted, the economy was stalled, and frankly it seemed like a waste of time to try to host a big car show there.
Boy were they wrong!
2023 was its 19th year, Al’s big "Back to the Bricks" idea is spelled in capital letters, and it’s become a strong fiber in the fabric of the community. Back to the Bricks® has become one of the premiere destination events and festivals in not just Flint, but now in Michigan history.
For all true devotees of the machines that made the country roll, the home of the Hot Rod, the Arsenal of Democracy, Durant, Buick, Chevrolet, Nash, Mott, Champion, Chrysler, Marr, Richard, and Hardy… well, it’s like Disney, Cedar Point, Vegas, and the Super Bowl all rolled up and rolled out on the coolest brick road around.
And this year’s automotive extravaganza did not disappoint. The Genesee County Historical Society tent was hopping all day long too. We made a lot of new friends, reconnected with more, and got to tell our story to a big chunk of the throngs that populated the bricks all day. What a day!
We’re already looking forward to 2024, and even more fun and surprises.
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Click the Link Below and see a few of our pics from Main Event | |
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Al’s Garage
Vol. 4, Issue #7
"I hope all of you enjoyed the biggest ‘Back to the Bricks’ ever!!"
We’ve just wrapped up the 19th Anniversary of Back to the Bricks®. There was plenty of events to choose from to do. A featured event that many might not be aware of, is the ‘Cruise to the Concert’ which is held in the center of downtown Flint. My son Phil, who serves on the Main Events Committee leads the way from our offices at 4800 S. Saginaw Street at 2:45pm. They drive in and are welcomed by the Volunteers who park the first of many cars along Saginaw Street. New this year, when they arrived, the Flint Scottish Pipe Band was playing near the main stage. A special treat to kick off the Friday festivities.
Like years past, there was a military induction ceremony on stage at 6:30pm for 4 young volunteers who have made a thoughtful decision to join the ranks of the U.S. military. We were honored and humble for their elected service to our country and we wish them all of them the best going forth into the future. After the swearing-in ceremony everyone got ready for a great evening of entertainment and fireworks. There was plenty of room on the Flat Lot for folding chairs and dancing to Miranda and the M80’s, who played more than 80’s music. Many of us took the opportunity to come early and have dinner at one of the downtown eateries or had our choice of one of the many food trucks which were located on he ‘flat lot’ in downtown Flint.
After the concert this year, a fireworks display went up in downtown Flint, which lit up the sky. Back in July the annual fireworks display held near downtown Flint was canceled due to inclement weather. The Mayor of Flint Sheldon Neely approached the powers to be from Back to the Bricks® with a request to move the fireworks to Friday night after the ‘Cruise-in-Concert’. The response was ‘faster than a New York City second’ YES! If you should see Mayor Neeley express a word or two about his personal support of the Back to the Bricks® and thank him for his addition to the event. One more thing about the Mayor, he and his wife are ‘car people’ as they are proud owners of a late model custom metallic green convertible (I will let you figure out the make and model).
Saturday’s Main Event was spectacular! The show car area had expanded to include Court Street south to 7th Street. That’s almost a MILE of road with cars on each side, and the side streets with car clubs. Special displays were near the front of City Hall, and I believe they had a HUGE turn out with Deps and Dogs. Keep in mind, parking on Saginaw Street didn’t even open until 6AM Saturday morning and it was FULL by 8am. If you were one of the 700+ brave souls that came early and parked in the UofM white lot, it opened at 12:01 midnight. We had 5 cars there at 11:55pm. I have never participated in the midnight rendezvous, but I understand over the last fifteen years or so the ‘Midnight meeting’ has developed a ‘cult’ personality of its own with many of the same people showing up each year to meet up and renew old friendships.
This year my wife and I attended with our Chevy powered 1940 Robbins egg blue Ford Deluxe Coupe, we had a pretty fun time with our friends, see the photo below. Many of you came up and said hello. It’s an honor to see where we’ve come in 19 years, and I’m thrilled and excited to see the future.
Keep on rollin'
Al Hatch
Chairman Emeritus & Founder
Back to the Bricks®
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