Back to the Bricks®
June 2021 Newsletter
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Due to technical difficulties, you are receiving this month’s newsletter a day later than normal. |
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The latest from the Chairman of the Board |
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To our Back to the Bricks® Friends,
I am just now getting my breath back from a remarkably successful Back to the Bricks® Promo Tour which was titled the ‘Visionary Tour’. And what a tour it was! Over one-hundred first timers helped set an all-time record of three-hundred and thirty registrants for the tour. Each of the overnight stops saw a tremendous turn out and obviously the economic impact on these host communities was significant. And now it is onto our first ‘Road Rally’ of the year.
This years ‘Road Rally’ will take place on Saturday, July 24th, 2021. If you have never participated in one of rally’s, it is time to do so. Currently we are sitting at approximately three-hundred registrations, and it is possible we could double or triple that number. Would that be something to write home about? We do require registration for the rally and the registration form can be found on the Back to the Bricks® website. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER A ten-dollar registration fee is required but keep this in mind; one hundred percent of the profit goes to the Back to the Bricks® youth college scholarship fund which is awarded in the spring of each year to five deserving students.
Well, well, well…. Guess what happens in a short seven weeks? We kick-off one of the nation’s largest automotive events staring with ‘Tune-Up’ Week, which is 6 nights of FUN in 6 different towns in Genesee County. Following that jam packed week, is out Main Event! This always takes place during the third week of August. I must admit with all of the planning that is taking place, this is an extremely busy time for the entire Back to the Bricks® event committee and our Board of Directors. As it looks now, Covid Cabin Fever is fading fast and there is a pent-up demand to get out and have a good time. Keep this in mind; join us in celebrating Flint’s rich automotive heritage in the month of August.
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We are updating the website almost daily now with new event information, so reference to it often. See you on the road,
Steve Hobson
Chairman of the Board
Back to the Bricks®
stevehobson@backtothebricks.org
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The excitement continues in 2021 with another Road Rally!!!!
We've partnered again with Shea Automotive and Halo Burger, to bring an all-new route, a fun filled day of adventure for all to enjoy.
Full details to register click HERE
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Tune Up Week
August 9-14th 2021
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FREE Concert
Friday August 20th 2021
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Main Event
Saturday August 21st 2021
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Hotel Accommodations for Main Event |
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We are excited for our out of town guests to come to Genesee County. We've listed a few hotels that would love to have you stay. We are even exclusive partners with two hotels offering some great deals.
Click HERE to visit our Hotel Accommodations website page for more details.
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Largest number of participants EVER!
Did you attend the Promo Tour? Well if you didn't we know you WON'T want to miss it next year. The weather was fabulous, the cities were welcoming, each stop was full of spectators ready to see the cars, and most all our participants said they had a wonderful time seeing all their friends again.
So when does registration open for 2022? Come see the Promo Tour Team at the 2022 Chrome & Ice Indoor Car Show in February of 2022 where they will officially open registration for next years tour.
See our Promo Tour tab under events, to see what all the fun was about this year!
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What's new with our Executive Director |
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Hey everyone!
Did you attend the Dust 'em Off Car Show? WOWZA what a turn out. Our Chairman of the event Al Jones, had the vision and the team of Volunteers helped make it happen! We estimate that we had about 4,000 spectators and about 1,200 people in the cruisers. We had 15 vendors, 7 fantastic Food Trucks, and a Swap Meet, our Official Back to the Bricks Merchandise booth, Music and so much more!
Now that we are full steam ahead, we've launched that first Road Rally, which I am sure will be a fantastic event. Then we have a surprise event up our sleeve you will just have to wait to hear more about, Tune-Up week is almost all planned out, we are steadily working on Main Event week with a TON of fun planned. Then we have ANOTHER Road Rally in September and before you know it, Chrome & Ice is here.
I am LOVING it. I am so busy everyday. I even took Peyton to work with me, which to her felt like a vacation. We went on the Promo Tour together in Big Red, and she was an amazing helper. She took pictures, helped me set up to go on the news a few times, helped with passing out information, and even made a few friends. I know I have a little co-pilot for next year for sure. The truck handled just fine. I was excited to call my dad when we got home and tell him all about Big Red's adventures. It's funny, I never thought I would have another thing to bond with my dad over, but the truck has done just that. I am so lucky.
I often get asked, "What do you do everyday?" I reply without missing a step, "I GET to play with cool cars, and talk with the most amazing people, hear the most fantastic car stories, and do everything I love and that am passionate about" with a huge smile on my face.
Well, that's all for now. Have a GREAT day, a GREAT month, and see you at the Road Rally... if not sooner!
Amber Taylor
Executive Director
Back to the Bricks®
Direct: 810-877-8383
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VOTED Best “Downtown” Event in Genesee County |
Despite the pandemic and the pivot in events for 2020 the My City Choice Award Winners have been announced and Back to the Bricks® was voted the Best “Downtown” Event in Genesee County!!!
Thank you to all that nominated Back to the Bricks® for this award. Now to show everyone WHY we are the best, and put on one heck of a show this year!
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Scholarship Winners Have been Selected |
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For the past few years Back to the Bricks® has continued its pledge to education by offering a scholarship program for high school seniors who will be continuing their education in the fall. This year twenty some students who will be pursuing post-secondary study at a college or technical school in a STEAM discipline (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and/or Mathematics) applied for one of our scholarships.
A HUGE Thank You goes out to our Scholarship Committee for all their hard work this year on collecting applications, reviewing and rating each one, and making the final selections.
We will officially Announce the Winners on social media and in the July Newsletter.
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Ladies Essential Flowy Tank |
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Port & Company Essential Tie-Dye Tee |
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This month's Newsletter WINNER is:
Tom Plasty
Congratulations on winning!
This month's special prize is a Back to the Bricks Hat, and Collectors Shirt!
You will receive an email with more details!
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Al’s Garage
Vol. #2, Issue #6
One of the joys of owning a collector car is driving it. Having completed the 11th annual ‘Back to the Bricks’ Promo Tour, aka, the ‘Visionary Tour’ proved that driving them is the fun part and even more enjoyable was reestablishing old friendships and acquittances in addition to making new friends. More than three-hundred and thirty registrations made for some great memories. Yes, there were some minor problems which most were solved quickly with the two certified mechanics, Mike and Brian Reif, that were on the tour. The overnight host cities received the traveling band of car enthusiasts with open arms and the local turnout was exceptional. The great turnout was a positive factor from being ‘cabin bound’ for the last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and proved beyond a doubt that people just wanted to get out of the house and began enjoying life.
While my wife and I were on the tour, I began taking a less then formal survey of fellow touring car aficionados and the question was ‘do you talk to your cars’? Well, I was pleased but not surprised that I was not the only one to talk to a car(s). The next question was ‘what do you say to your car’? Not surprising a lot of replies were laced with expletives which I must admit, most of those words yours truly has expressed when ‘old Betsey’ began to act up. But there were some positive words spoken like ‘come girl you can make it, just one more mile to go’! Or how about, ‘thank God, you got us home with no breakdowns. One person noted that when he has cleaned up and polished his car, he always compliments it by saying ‘you are a thing of beauty’. He did not say whether he kissed the fenders or not, but I suspect he did! Others told me they pat the dash and say a few kind words to their cars. The unprintable expressions are a hoot and are funny after you have let all the steam out and the temperature has dropped.
All and all, this is what makes touring so much fun and makes for great memories (good and bad). More importantly, no one was injured albeit one’s ego might have been tarnished, and everyone made it home safe. All the ‘first timers’ that I spoke to say they are on for next year and are already looking forward to the 12th annual ‘Back to the Bricks’ Promo Tour. If you are not sure about taking your collector car on a five-day tour, why not give the upcoming July 24th ‘Back to the Bricks’ Road Rally a try. It is a one-day trip that is generally around one-hundred and fifty miles. I suspect there will be around four hundred cars on the rally as for a fact there were about two-hundred registrations received on the very first day. Get your cars ready, talk to them as I am sure they will appreciate a few kind words. You can find registration information on the ‘BttB website and click on the events tab for further information. The driving season is now open!
Keep on rollin’
Al Hatch, ‘Back to the Bricks’ founder
Chairman Emeritus
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Friends of Back to the Bricks® Program
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WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!
Have you wanted to be involved more with the Back To The Bricks®? Ever wanted to volunteer at any or all of our events? We have a Volunteer program called, Friends of Back To The Bricks®.
Friends of Back To The Bricks® is a volunteer program designed to help grow our volunteer base, continue to educate our car community on history and heritage, and ensure the future of our amazing Car shows and events for the community.
If you are anyone you know loves to help, volunteer or be apart of something pretty unique, click this link and sign up today!
UPDATE: We are in NEED of second shift volunteers for the Main Event. Two days of helping in the late hours. If you can help, please consider writing in the comments, Main Event 2nd Shift.
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