40th Annual Spring
Front Royal, VA - May 12 - 16, 2010

George and Linda Glavis - Meet Hosts


The sea of Chrysler 300 fins (24 sets) that graced the parking lot May 12 - 16 at Holiday Inn Blue Ridge Shadows is absent now, and we find ourselves missing them (and the 110 or so 300ers who came with them) when we drive by. We trust this report finds all cars and Meet attendees safely back at home with a few pleasant made-in-Virginia memories.

When I (Linda) learned enroute to the 2008 Spring Meet at Boothbay Harbor, Maine, that we were going to be hosting the 2010 Meet, I had no idea what it would entail. A stickler for detail, I came away from that Meet with ideas, and we organized and amassed information for the next two years. Armed with what we thought were the best-laid plans, we headed to the Holiday Inn on May 12 -- George with a truckload of goodies for the hospitality room, and I separately in my car filled with properly organized information packets, sign-in sheets, and Meet folders. Planning to have random door-prize drawings throughout the Meet, 2-part tickets were carefully stapled to each member's folder -- just a simple task for members to drop their numbered tickets into a convenient little brown paper bag as they registered. Thanks to Mick and Martha Kreszock and others who pitched in when folks flooded the registration area, all went well the first day; and we awarded 4 restaurant certificates in the first drawing. As people continued to check in, they dropped their red tickets into the little brown bag.

On Thursday members went in various directions, some touring local Skyline Caverns and Smithsonian Animal Reserve, others on to Valley Civil War sites and Dulles Airport Air and Space Museum. The hospitality room and hotel lobby buzzed with car-talk and humorous stories late into the night.

Friday morning started out with the business meeting, during which the winning ticket for a glider-soaring prize was pulled from the little brown bag and claimed by Glenn and Yvonne Klingensmith, first-time attendees. All of the current officers were re-elected for another term. After the business meeting, we jumped into our cars and headed south (some via Skyline Drive and some by scenic Rt. 340) to enjoy lunch and a tour of Luray Caverns and Antique Car Museum. From there, it was back to the hotel where some late-comers were checking in, claiming their Meet packets, and getting directions to the barbecue cookout at a nearby riverfront campground. Lightening streaked the sky and thunder roared overhead as we (bringing up the rear) left the hotel and headed to the river. The food was plentiful and reported to be tasty by those attending. Folks lingered by the riverside in fellowship and car talk until a beautiful sunset filled the sky -- the storm had passed us by.

By Friday evening we'd discovered the little brown bag that held red door prize tickets had been left in the meeting room. Someone else had used the room after us; but we found a little brown bag. Unfortunately, it held pink tickets inside it, not our numbered red ones!. Oh no -- So much for best laid plans for easy door-prize drawings! Fortunately we had blank tickets which by Saturday morning had been filled in with names of all our attending members and deposited in a new brown bag -- in time for the final drawing at the banquet Saturday night.

Saturday was a pleasant day in downtown Front Royal where cars were on display and judged at the Government Center parking lot. Local dealer Marlow Motors brought a new 300C to display with our sea of fins. They graciously furnished bottled water and soft drinks to our crowd and bestowed a trophy upon Martha and Mick Kreszock for their 1956 300B as winners of their dealer's choice award. Members strolled to Main Street and enjoyed the Wine and Craft Festival taking place there. Judging from the souvenirs I saw returning from Main Street, it's safe to say the crafters enjoyed the 300ers visit as well!

After a beautiful day outside, the day was culminated by a social hour and banquet with members taking away plaques for People's Choice, greatest distance, and hard-luck to name a few. In addition, thanks to a new brown paper bag and re-issued red tickets, folks took away a few prizes as reminders of their visit to our corner of Virginia. We were left with many fond memories of the camaraderie, stories shared, and good feeling of having spent time with friends. We'll be looking forward to the next Meet!



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