Back to the Bricks®
September 2021 Newsletter
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What's NEW with Back to the Bricks®
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There's a changing of the guard within the Back to the Bricks® organization. For the past two years, Chairman of the Board Steve Hobson was at the helm of the Board of Directors, leading the charge through finding and acquiring an Executive Director, which they did. Amber Taylor, CTA, is set to celebrate her two-year anniversary with the organization in the beginning of 2022. Steve worked with Amber on policies, procedures, programs, any and all events, and helped transition Amber into her new role. They both worked through one of the hardest times the organization would face to date, a global pandemic.
Despite being basically shut down from their normal activities, cancelling the 2020 Promo Tour and Main Events, Steve and Amber worked hard with the sponsors and partners to keep the traditions alive. They were able to pivot from a normal car show, which would have been impossible to follow the government guidelines in place at the time, and offer social distancing events to continue the fun. This is where the Road Rally was born.
In 2020 Back to the Bricks® offered two Road Rallies and a Discovering Flint Tour. All three of these scavenger hunt style trips got people out of their homes to enjoy the open road, while staying safe in the comfort of their vehicles. They continued to do good work within the community by donating proceeds of these first-time events to local organizations in need, such as the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan and Whaley Children's Center. They also partnered with the CRIM Fitness Foundation and helped with the 100K for CRIM event. Saginaw Street was lined with classic cars and trucks, while Zach Crim completed his 100k run from Lansing to Flint, raising over $100,000 in one day!
Steve's determination to "offer something" didn't go unnoticed by the Board. He had a ton of support. His "Can DO" attitude was infectious and helped the organization to grow, even in and during a pandemic. Through his leadership and guidance, he encouraged a fellow Board Member and Vice Chairman of the Board, Al Jones, to bring an "All-New" event to the Back to the Bricks® lineup, called "Dust 'em Off". What a complete success it was! Over 800 cars pre-registered for the one-day event held in May of 2021. It was sponsored by Dort Financial Credit Union and held on Sunday, May 23rd at the Dort Event Center, home of the Flint Firebirds. It was a great addition to the year, and a new event we will continue to host on an annual basis.
After a complete success with the summer 2021 events, the 2021 Visionary Promo Tour, Tune Up Week and Main Event Week festivities, Steve officially ended his role as Chairman of the Board. It was his plan to serve for two years as Chairman of the Board, and he found a wonderful replacement.
On Wednesday, September 15th, at the Back to the Bricks® Annual Meeting, Al Jones was appointed Chairman of the Board and Ralph Messer was appointed Vice Chairman of the Board. Jones steps into this role knowing he has big shoes to fill, with Al Hatch being the original Chairman, and now following Steve's wonderful example.
On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, Executive Director Amber Taylor, the Sponsors and Partners, and the many-many Volunteers that make Back to the Bricks® so amazing, we all would like to wish Steve Hobson the very best on his next adventure, retirement.
Cheers,
All of us with Back to the Bricks®
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Words from the NEW Chairman of the Board
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Hey everyone,
I’m sure excited about the future of Back to the Bricks®. It’s been fun to watch the growth over the last 17 years. We will always have high quality classic car events because of the generosity of our sponsors and the dedication of our volunteers. I felt honored to serve as a Board of Director, step into the Vice Chairman role in 2020, and then to be asked to be the Chairman of the Board now of such an amazing organization. I grew up on the east side of Flint and have been a car guy for a long time. I've never missed a Back to the Bricks® Main Event. I have been involved in the Promo Tour as a City Captain as well as a Director for the Buick Club, so I’m not new to the classic car world.
The best part of this organization is the positive economic impact it has on Flint, Genesee County and the surrounding areas. We are more than just a car show or car events. The “Flat Lot 5” as we call it, the statue plaza that is just off Saginaw Street in front of the parking lot between Kearsley and 1st Street was designed and paid for by Back to the Bricks®. The organization in 2020 added flagpoles, with a tribute to the Founder Al Hatch. This year we reinvested money to update this plaza and change out the shrubs and plants to ones that could withstand low watering and easier maintenance. We also repositioned all the bricks to be all level. We thank our partners with Curbco for their amazing plans and hard work to finish this project before the Main Event on August 21st.
We as a non-profit organization, have a strong strategic plan developed by a planning committee to promote and celebrate Flint’s rich automotive history. Along with our website and marketing we also showcase this history by funding at least one automotive project each year. Within our plan is a mission dedicated to host family-friendly events for all generations for years to come.
I am looking forward to getting to know everyone much better. When you see me at one of our events, please introduce yourself and please don’t hesitate to contact me by email if you have any questions or comments.
Regards,
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Al Jones
Chairman of the Board
Back to the Bricks®
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Road Rally Saturday September 25th |
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Fun Fall Family Road Rally
Cars will begin lining up between 7:30am and 9:00am with music, fun and restrooms. Just before 9am we will hear some instructions and the Rally will begin. This Road Rally will take you on an approximate 100-mile round trip adventure with some surprises along the way. One unique stop is a Family Fun Fall destination where you can get apple cider, donuts, honey and preserves for purchase. Then wrap up your Rally at the finish line with a dash card, Hot Dog Heaven Food Truck for purchase and enter your Rally Scavenger Hunt in to win for the coveted prize announced on Facebook the following Monday!
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Don't miss this final Road Rally of the Year!!!
The registration fee for the Road Rally is just $10.00. Don’t forget your Signed Waver and assigned Number at the Starting Line. Emails will be sent out to those who register with more information.
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What's new with our Executive Director |
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Hey everyone!
We did it! What an amazing summer of cars, friends and fun. We truly had a blast I can't thank our Committee Members and volunteers enough for all that they did to make it all happen. We are already planning 2022.
Our Promo Tour Committee has met a few times, and they have selected the cities we will be going to in June of 2022. They are finalizing all the details and working with the selected cities to make sure we are ready to launch registration in February during our Chrome & Ice festivities. So stay tuned, more details are coming.
Chrome & Ice Indoor Car Show will be here before you know it, and our Chairman of this year's event, Ralph Messer, is excited to kick off our planning meetings in October. We can't wait to give you more information, including about the VIP Experience, which benefits our scholarship fund.
So with the Back to the Bricks® Main Event Festivities ending, everyone is still looking for car fun. Many of you were at this past weekend's Frankenmuth Auto Fest having a great time. The turnout was great, we had a large section, and our car enthusiasts enjoyed the nice weekend together.
We still have another event you can attend, the upcoming September 25th Road Rally. This Road Rally will take you on a fun family adventure with a few stops. This approximately 100 mile trip will travel through multiple cities, and include one festive stop at a famous orchard. There's still time to register, see more details on our website and register here!
Let's GO! See you soon.
Amber Taylor
Executive Director
Back to the Bricks®
Direct: 810-877-8383
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Back to the Bricks® Welcomes 4 new Board of Directors |
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Full name: Courtney Irish
Occupation: Senior Sales Manager
Business name: Explore Flint & Genesee
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Full name: Miguel A. Elicerio “Miggy”
Occupation: Sales
Business name: LaFontaine Automotive Group
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Full name: Hector Garcia
Occupation: Auto Repair Facility Owner
Business name: American Auto Works
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Full name: Pamelia A. Stilber
Occupation: Office Administrator
Business name Tom Staley Custom Builder Inc.
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Ladies Essential Flowy Tank |
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Port & Company Essential Tie-Dye Tee |
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Al’s Garage
Vol. #2, Issue #8
We are now finding ourselves closing in on the first day of Fall. The trees are just starting to turn color and for the most part I personally find the Fall of the year with great anticipation of some great late summer and Fall automotive events.
The 17th Annual ‘Back to the Bricks’ is fading fast in the rear-view mirror but my annual trek to Auburn, Indiana for the annual Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club reunion just around the corner and followed the Frankenmuth Auto Fest. I would be remiss if I did not mention the fall Hershey AACA meet. If you have not been to ‘Hershey’ it is something you should put on the ‘bucket list’. And the best part of all these great automotive events is the memories that each of them will bring to each of you. Each event brings with it a unique set of memories that I am sure will never be forgotten.
Speaking of memories, I recently was talking with one of the participants of the cruise-in about one of my cars that has a forty-five-year-old paint job on it that is slowly deteriorating. I told him that I have solicited a couple of quotes for a new paint job and the lower price was around $15,000 and the higher was as much as $30,000. Needless to say, the higher price took my breath away and the lower caused my eyebrows to arch! No decision has been made on my part, as I am now mulling over the thought of putting the car on the market. Time will tell what my final decision is.
As our discussion continued, I told him about my older brother (who is now deceased) becoming very proficient in the use of spray bomb paint cans, to the point I called him ‘spray bomb Ray’. This was some time ago and as time marched on, I learned that most people who paint their own cars, as well as just about all major restoration shops, employ the use of ‘rattle can’ paint that is mainly used on small parts. With that being said, I have also like many of you have seen cars that were painted totally with spray bomb cans of paint with varied levels of success. My friend went on to tell me about how he and a friend, when they were old enough, acquired their first car, a Studebaker from the late ‘40’s or early ‘50’s. Having virtually no money in their pockets they came up with what they thought was a brilliant idea. Why not employ the use of a pump bug spray gun! After all, it was made with a can and a hand pump and what more was needed? I asked him, ‘How many runs did you guys have?’ He said they lost count and it turned out to be one of the worst paint jobs he had ever seen! It was a great story and one for the books and one that I will never forget.
Continuing with paint stories we all have heard of the guy with a gallon of paint and a paintbrush and even a paint roller. The results might be just a tad better then the ‘bug sprayer’ but if it was quality you were looking for, neither method produces an award-winning paint job. As for making memories they make for some great laughs and are now fond memories. As for my brothers, Larry and Gary, please forgive me for repeating stories from your past, which I am certain you have asked yourself ‘what was I thinking of!’ The only thing I can say is like most of you, we have done some dumb things while working on cars but that is how you learn what not to do. Chalk it up to experience.
Keep on rollin’
Al Hatch, ‘Back to the Bricks’ founder
Chairman Emeritus
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