Third Annual Lake Geneva Poker Rally

By Ken Bounds

On the weekend of September 24-26 we held our 3^rd Annual Poker Rally in the Lake Geneva area.  After a couple of days of near-90 degree temperatures, a cold front that came through the night before was quite timely for our Flatheads.  We started our day with a few sprinkles, but soon the air dried out and we had a weekend of cool early fall temperatures.

Gathering at the Town & Country Mall in Arlington Heights were Ken & Carolyn Bounds, 1950 Convertible; Joe & Nell Kozmic, 1953 Mercury; Dan & Diane Pudelek, 1953 Victoria; Joey Novak, 1940 Pickup; and new members Bill & Marty Valters on their first tour with the club and on the maiden voyage of their recently-acquired ’40 Coupe.  Dick & Dotty Alfini intended to drive their ’50 Coupe, but its lack of cooperation relegated them to modern iron.  Also in modern iron were John & Barbara Slobodnik and Larry & Jerry Webb.  Of course the guys had to swarm under the hood of Bill & Marty’s “new” Coupe to check it out.  It is a terrific car and proved to be quite road-worthy over the weekend!  Tour folders were passed out and everyone donned special Rally pins provided again by Joey Novak. 

Our tour took us out of the congested Chicago area and quickly onto secondary roads and northwest into Wisconsin.  After some winding, rustic roads with a hint of the beginnings of fall color, we arrived at the Next Door Pub in Lake Geneva for lunch.  There we met Tom & Judy Buscaglia, ’51 Tudor and Marty and Leah Duling, modern, all the way from Springfield.  After an explanation of the Poker Run rules and agenda, we drew our first of seven cards.  Our first lucky winner, in absentia, was Ron Blum who won a Wisconsin beef sausage in the shape of a Pabst Blue Ribbon bottle for the high spade.  Larry Webb also won Meguiar’s Quick Shine as the first man to draw a king.  We try to change up our restaurant selection each year; although the food was good, the lackluster service probably means we won’t be back to this restaurant.

After lunch we drove to downtown Lake Geneva for some sight-seeing and shopping.  In reality, most of the guys spent more time enjoying a cool beverage at a traditional establishment.  After our contributions to the local economy, we completed the last leg of our trip over a nice back-road route to our hotel, the Comfort Suites in Delavan.  Once everyone had checked in, we drew our second card.  Again, we had two winners:  Carolyn won a bottle of Honey-Crisp Apple Wine from the Apple Barn for the high diamond, while JoAnne Stack (again in absentia) won an Apple Barn cookbook for being the first woman to draw a queen.  Some participants rested up before dinner while others enjoyed V-8 camaraderie in the lobby. 

For dinner we drove to nearby Greenie’s Clubhouse at Delbrook Golf Club where we enjoyed the fish fry or ordered from the full menu.  As usual, the service at Greenie’s was great – they always treat us well.  Here we drew our third poker card and Diane Pudelek took home a jar of delicious Raspberry salsa for the high club. 

After breakfast we drew our fourth card before beginning our driving tour.  Tom Buscaglia won a Mineshaft t-shirt for the high heart.  With the V-8s all gassed up and ready to go, we began our scenic tour to Hartford, WI.  The crisp fall weather was great for the V-8s as we meandered our way over the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive.  The low-speed 66-mile drive took us about two hours as we enjoyed the beautiful scenery and changing leaves.  Ron Blum, ’40 Fordor and Stan & JoAnne Stack, ’53 Tudor intended to join us for the drive but Stan’s failed battery set them back an hour.  They were able to join the group soon after we arrived at the Mineshaft for lunch.  Again we experienced outstanding service and enjoyed a nice lunch.  We also drew our fifth poker card; Bill Valters won a jar of Wisconsin honey with the high spade. 

After lunch we drove a short distance to the Wisconsin Automotive Museum.  Hartford was home to the Kissel Motorcar Company from 1906 until 1930.  Here is a little-known fact:  Kissel used Mercury as its logo; in the late 1930s Henry Ford asked permission to use the logo for his new car line.  Now you know the rest of the story. 

As we entered the Museum we were wowed by a huge Lionel train layout.  We were offered a short film on the history of Kissel then began viewing the extensive two-floor collection.  The museum contains a large number of outstanding examples of the rarely seen Kissel.  There are also display areas dedicated to the Nash and to the Hudson as well as displays of automotive artifacts, industrial engines, outboard motors, and the Southeastern Wisconsin Short Track Hall of Fame.  Cars and trucks from many other marques, including some outstanding Fords, are on loan to the museum.  A highlight was one of the very few working steam locomotives in existence, a 250-ton 1913 Soo Line “2-8-2.”

As our museum visit came to an end, we drew our sixth card.  Nell Kozmic won a jar of Beer/Brat mustard.  After gathering for a group picture, we went outside and lined up our V-8s for a photo opportunity in front of the museum.  We returned to Delavan over a slightly different but just as scenic route.  About ¾ of the way on our 61-mile drive we waved goodbye to Ron Blum and the Stacks as they headed home.  We arrived at our hotel at 5:00 pm and again had time to tell a few stories in the lobby before preparing for dinner.

We again took to our faithful V-8s for a short drive to the Village Supper Club on Lake Delavan.  Here we enjoyed a terrific meal accompanied again by flawless service.  At this site the Poker Rally portion of our weekend tour came to a conclusion.  Everyone was anticipating the best as they drew their seventh and final card.  Bill Valters again won a prize, a Beer-Cheese soup mix for the high club.  But our grand prize winner for the best poker hand was Dick Alfini who had drawn four jacks!  Dick took home a crisp $100 bill for his efforts.  Stan Stack was not present, but his low hand of 8 high won the consolation prize of $20.

Sunday morning we began our final day of the tour.  We drove to our traditional breakfast spot, Millie’s Restaurant and Shopping Village for a terrific breakfast.  Here we were joined by Roger Hunz & son Bill, ’51 Tudor; Tom & Madeleine O’Donnell, ’40 Mercury; and Len & Irene Vinyard, ’39 Convertible.  After breakfast most of the ladies went shopping while the guys gathered in the parking lot to enjoy our little car show.  We said goodbye to several couples as they went their own way, while most of us drove over a scenic route to the Apple Barn Orchard and Winery near Elkhorn to enjoy their 22^nd Annual Apple Fest.  There is a lot to do at Apple Fest: plenty of food, arts & crafts, live bands, wine tasting, many specialty items in the shop, and, of course fresh apples and apple pie.  Our group contributed well to their bottom line!

After a full weekend of touring, we drove back to the Chicago area in groups over more direct routes.  All of the Early V-8s performed flawlessly in the cool weather of this early fall weekend.  Carolyn and I want to thank mother nature and all those who participated and contributed in many ways to a terrific weekend.  Through the generosity of our group we are donating $400 to cancer research.  At the hotel, many of us made our reservations for next year when we will do it again!