5th Annual Great Lakes Rendezvous

By Ken Bounds

The end of July signaled the time for our group to get together with the Northern Ohio Regional Group and their friends from the Nifty Fifties Ford Club for a joint tour to Dayton, Ohio.  On a gorgeous Thursday morning, July 30, our group gathered at the Lincoln Oasis for our 300-mile cruise to Dayton.  Driving Early V-8s were Ken & Carolyn Bounds – 1950 Convertible, Joe & Eric Kozmic – 1953 Mercury, and Joey Novak & Millie Olds – 1953 Mercury.  Dan & Diane Pudelek drove their almost Early V-8, their 1956 Fordor.  Joining us in modern cars were Ron & Arlene Blum, Tom & Madeleine O’Donnell, Gary & Dawn Osborne, John & Este Scheve, and Joe & Delice Serritella with their son Bill and grandson Joey.

Our trip was rather uneventful, although the traffic was brutal on I-65.  Everyone’s cars ran well; we made a lunch stop at Cracker Barrel near Indianapolis.  When we arrived at the Doubletree in Dayton before 4:30, we pulled into parking spots reserved for our cars by our thoughtful hosts Jack & Sharon Bukszar.  We had a great time meeting up again with all our friends from Northern Ohio – approximately 34 strong.  With no formal activities planned for the evening, several of us got together and went to dinner while others enjoyed camaraderie and hors d'oeuvres at the hotel happy hour. After dinner we spent a few hours in the parking lot solving some of the world’s problems.

Friday morning it was time for our driving tours to begin.  Our long caravan of cars left the hotel for our first stop, the Carillon Historical Park.  Here, Dayton has put together an incredible presentation of their history, with emphasis on the influence of the National Cash Register Company, the Wright Brothers shop, Deeds Barn where the first automobile self-starter was invented and a history of the Great Dayton Flood of 1913.  There is so much to see we recommend you go and see for yourself.

After lunch at the park, we drove a short distance to a Packard Museum at a former dealership.  Our cars were displayed along the sidewalk in front of and alongside the museum.  Coincidentally, the Crown Victoria Association was having its National Convention in Dayton that week and was visiting the Packard Museum the same day as we were.  We spent a few hours looking at some really nice cars and Packard history.  On the way back to the hotel, a few of us stopped by the Crown Vic convention to look at the cars there.

Dinner was on our own again Friday night and a few of us found a local restaurant.  After dinner, it was back to the parking lot for a little more tire kicking.

Saturday is, of course, yellow shirt day.  After gathering in the parking lot for a photo, we were off again in our long caravan for a trip to the National Museum of the US Air Force.  This is a spectacular museum and you could easily spend several days there soaking up the history of aviation as it relates to the military. 

A real treat was a special tour of the Presidential airplanes exhibit.  Here we were able to see planes used by US Presidents going back to Franklin Roosevelt.  The most current was the Boeing VC-137C (civilian designation 707) used by Presidents Kennedy through Clinton.  This was the first Presidential aircraft known as “Air Force One” and painted in the striking blue and white colors that are now so familiar.  Those of you who went on the long bus ride to this exhibit’s location should know that it is closing October 1 and will be relocated to a new 4th hanger on the main museum campus that will open next June.

Back at the main campus we toured many exhibits ranging from the first flights at Kitty Hawk and Dayton, through the early years of flight, World Wars I and II, the Korean and Viet Nam conflicts, the cold war era, and on through the missile and space galleries.  It is hard to adequately describe all the airplanes and exhibits we saw.  We spent most of the day and were worn out when we finally had to leave and make the trip back to the hotel.

After some more visiting in the parking lot, it was time to get ready for the banquet.  Jack & Sharon Bukszar planned a fun game intended to prevent anyone from using the word “car”.  Eric Kozmic was the winner, taking home some Cracker Barrel treats.  After dinner there was a drawing for door prizes.  There was a discussion about the history of the event and proposals for where we would meet again in 2016.  Indianapolis was chosen as the destination.

Sunday morning we began our trip home with some of the folks in the modern cars going their own way.  Once again the trip was uneventful with all the cars running great.  We had a terrific weekend and thank our friends from Northern Ohio, especially Jack & Sharon, for doing such a job putting everything together.  We look forward to Indianapolis!