Back to the Bricks
October 2020 Newsletter
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The latest from the Chairman of the Board |
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Greetings all,
Fall has arrived in Michigan and it’s time for classic car owners to start thinking about putting their cars in storage for the long winter. Words like battery tender, jack stands and gas stabilizer are on our minds.
Also, on our minds is Chrome & Ice 2021 (February 12-14, 2021) The Back To The Bricks®, Chrome & Ice Team has had our first meeting and they are ready to go with new ideas and BIG surprises. We are celebrating the 6th year for C&I, last year being the biggest and best with record-breaking attendance and with our VIP Event C&I was able to donate $5,000.00 to the Back To The Bricks scholarship fund.
Chrome & Ice 2021 will face new challenges this year with the Covid-19 epidemic, but we are up to those challenges. Our Chrome & Ice presenting sponsors General Motors and Dort Financial Credit Union and the C&I Team will put on a fantastic event this year following all of the Governor’s executive orders and CDC’s rules and regulations.
The Chrome & Ice Team wants to thank all of our sponsors, vendors, show car owners, guest and especially the Dort Financial Credit Union Event Center for putting on this great winter indoor car event.
Stay tuned in for show car registration and press release dates.
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Remember, Stay home, stay safe, and keep our leaders, our first-responders, and especially, our health care providers, and the scientific community searching for a cure and a vaccine in your thoughts and prayers!
Steve Hobson
Chairman of the Board
Back to the Bricks®
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At home with our Executive Director |
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Hey everyone!
Leaves are falling and so are the temperatures. I've been doing everything in my power to take the old 81 Ford out as much as possible before it goes into storage for the winter. My daughter Peyton and I, have really enjoyed our special times together in the truck. We recently visited Spicers Orchard and had a blast picking pumpkins out and grabbing a cup of hot cider and a doughnut! The day trips have been nice, not only enjoying the beautiful surroundings we have here in Michigan, but also the special bond I am building with my daughter in that truck, like my dad and I did when I was a kid.
It really makes me appreciate the Back to the Bricks® organization, and why we stay so passionate about continuing to host events that truly celebrate our automobile heritage and history. Back to the Bricks® started as a fun car show, bringing all car lovers together. But has now evolved into so much more. On top of hosting a 6 day extravaganza leading up to the Main Event in August, we also offer rolling cruises, Tune Up Parties that visit local cities, and a Promo Tour that takes over 300 classic cars on a week long trip through Michigan. We start our year off with our Chrome & Ice event featuring classic cars on the ice with vendors and entertainment. And guess what? We are going to do MORE!
This past year through the pandemic, we made a pivot and brought a new concept to Back to the Bricks® called a Road Rally, and we plan on doing more of them in 2021. Our Discovering Flint Tour featured over 500 cars traveling just over 17 miles through Flint seeing all the historic sites and grabbing our merchandise and Root Beer at the Finish Line. What's truly exciting is that we are in the planning stages for even MORE events to come to the Back to the Bricks® organization that I know will be a hit.
Well that's all for now! Thanks again for all your support, and know that I am here anytime to chat.
Amber Taylor
Executive Director
Back to the Bricks®
Direct: 810-877-8383
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Staying Connected
The Executive Committee, the Board of Directors and events committee members for Back To The Bricks® are continuing to conduct regular meetings from our home offices via Zoom Video Conferencing. They are doing their best to make responsible decisions and keep the history and heritage of our organization and events in which we produce alive. We are thankful for modern technology and the Internet!
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Staying Engaged In the Community
Our Back to the Bricks committee members Mary and Kathy and Executive Director Amber, recently visited the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce After Hours Wine Down. They passed out FREE T-Shirts and Magazines. It was a chilly evening, but everyone that attended practiced social distancing, wore their masks and just enjoyed being outside and seeing each other in person. We can't thank them enough for representing us in our community.
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This month's Newsletter WINNER is:
Greg Winn
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. 1, #8
Fall has finally arrived and the car hobby season ending. Like many people, 2020 has been a very strange year. Covid-19 and politics dominate the air waves and print media, but I will not be spending any time on either of those topics.
Our car hobby suffered a major collision this year with many shows being cancelled. What was interesting is that some people in the hobby got creative and found ways to get their cars out and drive them. Here in our area, ‘Back to the Bricks’ organized three road rallies that attracted over 350 cars in June, 400 plus in July and 499 in August (call it 500). These rallies were anywhere from seventeen miles to one-hundred and fifty miles in length. What was even more interesting is the number of new builds that were on the road and it was great meeting up with old friends and making new ones. September morphed into a lag, but I was able to get the cars out for the smallest of excuses. Running to the parts store, coffee shop, gas station, picking up the granddaughter from school, going to a friend’s house and more.
As we all have learned over the years, the longer you let a car set the more the gremlins start to find their way into it. Fuel injectors start to clog up, gas goes stale, some how the air leaks out of a tire and of course we cannot forget, dead batteries. The whole point of this is about getting your car out and driving it. Why let it set for someone else to have all the fun with it once you are gone? I find it interesting like a lot of people I know, of numerous cars that have set in storage for many years with a couple of them for over sixty years! One of them is a 1952 Mercedes Benz 300S convertible coupe. Obviously, this is a big-buck car and in a number one condition it is worth $300,000 plus. Unfortunately, it has not been stored well and just about every rodent in the county has taken up residence in the car at one time or another. The car in its current condition might be worth $50K on a good day but the owner thinks it will be his son’s retirement account. Unfortunately, that will not be the case for his son. Restoration of this great car would be cost prohibitive for most of us, which is about ninety-nine-point five percent of us.
You might be thinking ‘why is Al bringing this up’? The point here is if you have a car taking up valuable space in your garage, why not let someone else take possession of the car with hopes that they may restore the car and get it back on the road? The hobby can always use new blood.
That is it for this month and as you prepare your car for our Michigan winter, line up the garage projects and get your car(s) ready for spring of 2021.
Keep on rollin’
Al Hatch
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