Table of Contents

March 2016
Driver’s Seat
Table of Contents
President’s Report
3
Membership Application
5
Club Minutes
3
Calendar
6
Vintage Used Car Dealerships
2
Sponsors
7
Cars of Havana Cuba
4
Editor’s Comment
8
A monthly publication of the South Georgia Classic Car Club
About SGCCC
Vintage Used Car Dealerships
The South
Georgia
Classic Car Club was
founded in April, 1984 as
a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the restoration, preservation,
and enjoyment of special
interest automobiles.
The Driver’s Seat is the
official publication of the
SGCCC. It is printed,
published, and distributed during the last week
of each month to all club
members. All information
contained herein is not
necessarily the opinion or
the position of club members, its officers, and/or
advertisers.
To submit content for
inclusion in the newsletter, please e-mail the
editor, editor@sgccc.org
or mail to SGCCC Newsletter, 4017 N Oak St
Ext, Valdosta, GA 31605.
All other correspondence
should be sent to,
SGCCC, P.O. Box 403,
Valdosta, GA 31603, or e
-mail
to:
president@sgccc.org
Your Officers
President:
Rick Hastings
1st Vice President:
David Boyd
2nd Vice President:
Walt Prettyman
Secretary:
Bob Raffaele
Treasurer:
Donna Roberson
Chaplain:
Paul Worth
Driver’s Seat Editor:
David Boyd
Web Master:
Madonna Terry
What a nice lineup of classic cars. It would be nice to see some like this at the monthly cruise-ins!
Minutes
February 2, 2016
Meeting: Club President Rick Hastings opened the
meeting at 6:45 pm at Austin’s Cattle Company.
The Opening Prayer was led by Paul Worth with
the Pledge of Allegiance recited by all present.
There were 30 members in attendance.
Minutes: the January minutes were read by club
Secretary Bob Raffaele and approved by those
present.
Treasurer’s Report: due to club Treasurer Donna
Roberson’s absence no report was presented.
Old Business:

Rick reported on the poor turnout for both January cruise-ins due to unfavorable weather conditions. Apparently there were 2 brave souls at
each event.

Two club members, Johnny Swilley and Jonathan Irvin, collected trophies at the NPD meet in
Silver Springs, FL.
New Business:

New members David Starling and Jacob Fox
were introduced. With the recent influx of new
members, it also made sense to have current
members give brief introductions of themselves.

The Special Events Planning Committee will
meet immediately at the close of this meeting.
Future Events:

February 13th - 2nd Saturday cruise-in will remain at Steak n’ Shake from 3 – 6 pm.

February 18th - 3rd Thursday event will move to
Dairy Queen, on Perimeter Rd from 4 – 6 pm.

February 20th –a “make your own pizza“ party at
Walt Prettyman’s barn beginning at 6 pm

March 12th --The annual picnic/barbeque at the
Sheriff’s Youth Home is tentatively scheduled.
More info to follow.

March 13th - Azalea Festival Car Show in
Drexal Park, Valdosta from 9 – 3 pm.

May 21st – SCCCC Super Cruise-In at Five
Points Shopping Center.
50/50 drawing was won by Johnny Swilley.
Meeting: adjourned at 7:45 pm
Submitted by Bob Raffaele, club Secretary
President’s Report
C. Rick Hastings
Happy March everyone. Spring is just around
the corner -- warmer and longer days -- the azaleas will be in
bloom -- a beautiful time of the year in South Georgia. Kind of
breezy now and then making for perfect cruising and kite flying
weather. And don’t forget “March Madness“ -- perfect for college basketball junkies. Don’t put up the sweaters just yet, but
have your shorts handy as well -- March doesn’t know if it wants
to be winter or the beginning of spring. I vote SPRING.
And a perfect time to spend quality time with fellow members of our club. Our February second Saturday cruise-in was
very well attended with at least 20 cars present. And the
weather was great as well. The 3rd Thursday cruise-in was
scheduled for February 18th at a new location -- the new Dairy
Queen on Inner Perimeter Road. The report about this cruisein will be included in next month’s report.
Up-coming activities for club members and guests include
our monthly meeting scheduled on Tuesday, March 1st at Austin’s Cattle Company from 6 to 8pm. On March 5th, the car
club in Tifton will have their annual Super Cruise-in. The second
Saturday cruise-in will be March 12th from 3 to 6pm at Steak ’n’
Shake on St. Augustine Road. The Azalea Festival Classic Car
and Bike Show will be the next day, Sunday, the 13th at Drexel
Park -- everyone is invited. And the third Thursday cruise-in on
the 17th will be from 6 to 8pm at the Dairy Queen on Inner Perimeter Road -- this is also St. Patrick’s Day. On March 19th,
there are two events that you may want to attend- a Car Show
in Kingsland, GA and the Plow Days Parade in Ray City, GA.
And on March 26th from 10am to 3pm, the Spring Festival at
Reed Bingham State Park to include a parade at 11am -- there
will be music, food vendors, games and Easter egg hunts for the
kids -- a $5 entry fee will be changed to everyone entering the
park -- following our participation in the parade, they want us to
park our cars for display purposes till 3pm. April will be just as
busy.
Keep your copy of the Driver’s Seat handy to keep track of
everything going on. And, of course, consult our Facebook page
and our website: http://www.SGCCC.org, for on-going updates
of club activities, car shows, etc.
Let’s all have a wonderful month….Rick
American Cars in Havana, Cuba
Excerpted from Craig Fitzgerald’s The BestRide Guide to Cuban Car Culture Posted on BestRide.com on February 17, 2016
On January 1, 1959, the socialist government of Fidel Castro overthrew a US-backed dictator who was friendly to American business interests. Almost immediately, the new Castro government became a thorn in the USA’s side. By March of that year, the Eisenhower administration was making overt attempts to oust Castro, and Cuban-American relations spiraled downward to their nadir during the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion in April of 1961, through the Cuban Missile Crisis in October of 1962.
From 1960 to the present day, Cubans have been barred from buying American products, including automobiles, auto
parts and supplies. Prior to 1960, though, this island just 90 miles from Key West in Florida was a destination for American
tourists, and a business center for American captains of industry.
When Castro nationalized American interests and closed (temporarily, at least) Havana’s many casinos, all those cars
meant to service Americans on the island were left behind. They became the most basic form of transport for Cuban citizens, and since the embargo has been in force, they’ve represented a large part of the transportation network.
What we saw more than any other car on the road were late 1940s to late 1960s Buicks. Their prevalence makes sense if you
think about who was coming to Cuba in the 1950s: tourists with wallets packed full of cash, and well-heeled American businessmen,
ready to spend it at Cuba’s many casinos and nightclubs. These were people who expected a certain level of luxury, and as a result,
Buicks are pretty well represented here.
A couple of jokes provided by Richard Lassiter:
“These two are dedicated to our ol' Ford buddy Ed Woodruff”:
(1) A guy walks into Autozone and says to the parts guy "I'll take a gas cap for my '70 1/2 Ford Falcon." The
parts guy thinks for a moment and replies "Well, OK .... I suppose that's a fair trade."
(2) What's really good about Fords? They come from the factory with the problem circled.
Membership Application
We want to get the most up to date information on all members. Registration form
and club dues must be returned prior to the March meeting for the up-to-date information to be included in the roster. Bring dues and registration form to any meeting
or mail to:
SGCCC
P.O. Box 403
Valdosta, GA 31603-0403
______________________________________________________
Last Name
Spouse’s Name
First Name
______________________________________________________
Address
City
State
Zip
______________________________________________________
Home Phone
His Occupation
Her Occupation
______________________________________________________
His birthday
Her Birthday
Anniversary
Email Address
______________________________________________________
Children’s Names
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Classic or Special Interest Vehicles you own
Club dues are $30 per year for a family membership.
Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month at Austin’s Cattle Company, 2101 West Hill
Avenue, Valdosta, GA. Eating starts at 6:00 pm and the meeting starts at 6:45
March 2016
1 - SGCCC Monthly Business Meeting Austin's Cattle Company 2101 West Hill Avenue Valdosta, GA eat at 6:00, meet at 7:00
5 - Bainbridge Cruisers Cruise Dairy Queen, Bainbridge, GA Info: Lee West 229-246-4694
5 - Tallahassee Cruise-In Sonic, 5814 North Monroe Street 5:30pm until
5 - Albany Cruise-In Location: San Joe's in Leesburg 5pm start time
6 - Tallahassee Street Rodders Museum Cruise Antique Car Museum, 6800 Mahan Dr 1-5pm http://www.tally-streetrodders.com
6 - Webster Swap Meet Sumter County Fairgrounds, Bushnell, FL 8am-2pm info: 800-438-8559 www.floridaswapmeets.com
9 - Tallahassee What-A-Burger Cruise 1101 Thomasville Road, info: Joe Clark 850-385-3959 or Steve Curvey 750-383-0651
10 - Live Oak Cruise, Huddle House (Hwy 129 & I-10), Live Oak, FL 6-9pm info: Ralph Towner 386-752-4725
12 - Cars, Caffeine and Donuts hosted by the Corvette Club, Georgia Power building, Norman Drive, 9-11am
12 - Valdosta Cruise-In at Steak N’ Shake parking lot, Valdosta, GA N St Augustine Rd (I-75 exit 18) 3-6pm
12 - Tallahassee What-A-Burger Cruise Ford & Chevy Clubs 1101 Thomasville Road, 5:30-8:30pm info: Reuben Plachy 850-894-5815
17 - Valdosta Cruise-In at Dairy Queen, Inner Perimeter Rd, Valdosta 4-6pm
19 - Thomasville Pecan Region Car Club Cruise Dairy Queen, 14375 Hwy 19S, 6:30pm until info: Steve Gordon 229-226-2266
19 - Monticello Cruise-In at Rare Door Restaurant North Cherry St, Monticello, FL 5pm until info: 850-997-0607
19 - Albany Artesian City Car Club Cruise-In Mellow Mushroom, 2825 Nottingham Way 5pm until info: Wendell Hill 229-435-2560
19 - Perry Cruise-In 221 N. Jefferson St. Perry, GA 6-9 p.m. Call Bob Taylor, 672-0848
23 - Lake City Hardee's West Cruise info: Ralph Towner 386-752-4725
26 - Tallahassee What-A-Burger Cruise 1101 Thomasville Rd, info: http://www.tally-streetrodders.com
Call the contact person before leaving for an out of town cruise to be sure it has not been moved or cancelled.
See the SGCCC web site (www.sgccc.org) for more info and flyers on these events.
Birthdays and Anniversaries
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
4
Michelle Wilson
Ed Woodruff
5
6
7
8
Chanita Irvin
9
10
Mandy
Armstrong
11
12
13
14
Lynn Nelson
15
16
Lois Gehring
17
18
19
20
George & Ann
Peterson
21
22
23
Allan & Joan
Dear
24
25
Maria Birdsong
26
27
William Higgins
28
29
Sharon Rykard
30
Richard Runnalls
31
Support Our Sponsors
MIKE S. BENNETT, SR.
ATTORNEY AT LAW
BENNETT LAW FIRM, LLP
1108 N. Patterson Street
Valdosta, Georgia 31601
Telephone:
(229) 242-6726
FAX (229) 242-7989
E-Mail: bennlaw@bellsouth.net
P.O. Box 403 - Valdosta, GA 31603-0403
Next Meeting:
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Eat @ 6:00
Meet @ 6:45
Austin’s Cattle Company
Cruise: March 12, 2016
Steak ’n Shake parking lot
3:00pm until 6:00pm
Thurs Cruise: March 17, 2016
Dairy Queen parking lot
4:00—6:00pm
Cover Photo
Design and Media Production at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College
Third Thursday Cruise-in at Dairy Queen
on February 18, 2016
Editor’s Comments
March—Spring begins. Easter Sunday comes early this
year—March 27. Baseball Spring Training is under way.
And it is a nice time to get out to a car show or cruise-in .
My Dad used to quote this little ditty at this time of year:
Spring has sprung.
The grass has riz.
I wonder where the flowers is at?
success. Almost all the front row parking places were occupied by cars participating in the cruise. I think 19 of the 21
spaces were utilized. Dairy Queen appears to be a good
place for this cruise-in.
Planning is underway for the Super Cruise-In in May. All of
us as club members need to do our parts to make this another successful event. So be sure to volunteer when
called upon.
In Valdosta, the azaleas have been blooming since mid
February. And the Annual Azalea Festival is this month on Be sure to visit the club website http://sgccc.org/ for the
calendar of events.
the weekend of March 12-13. What a beautiful time of year!
Time is running out to get your
Several of our club members joined some others at the
club dues paid. A membership
Pizza party at Walt Prettyman’s barn. It was a great time
application is included in this ediand it was enjoyable to be able to sit around a visit for a
tion for your convenience.
while with several of our club members, and make some
new friends. Thanks, Walt, for hosting this event.
The 3rd Thursday cruise-in at the new Dairy Queen was a
Happy Cruising!
David Boyd, editor