Our Tour to the 2016 Eastern National Meet

By Ken Bounds

A small group of NIRG members attended the Eastern National Meet in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the week of August 8-11.  On Saturday, August 6, Joey Novak and Millie Olds (‘53 Mercury) met Ken & Carolyn Bounds (‘50 Convertible) at the Lincoln Oasis to begin the trip.  It was perfect weather for the uneventful 426-mile drive into Pennsylvania; the cars ran flawlessly.  We spent the first night near Pittsburgh and were joined there for very nice dinner by Joe & Delice Serritella.  They had planned to drive their ‘41 Coupe but were forced into modern iron due to Joe’s recent accident.

Sunday morning we all completed the 218-mile into Gettysburg.  There we began the fun of meet registration and meeting old friends.  Most activities, including the concourse, swap meet, trailer parking, meetings, and meals were at the meet hotel - it was a great venue.  Sunday night George and Dawn Zulas arrived, trailering their ‘40 Tudor.

On Monday, Joey, Millie, Carolyn, and I spent some time doing “meet stuff” and exploring the swap meet, then headed into Gettysburg where we enjoyed lunch, then a tour of the Gettysburg battlefield, the museum, and the cyclorama.  The cyclorama, painted in 1884, is an incredible depiction of Pickett’s Charge, measuring 42 feet high by 377 feet in circumference.

On Tuesday, while the others immersed themselves in the meet experience, Carolyn and I had “other duties” assigned.  We had the Meet the President meeting, the Foundation meeting, and the Owners/Judges meeting.  In the evening we all attended the welcome party.  I had a few minutes to address the gathering.  A highlight was presentation of a 1949 Ford clock to Jack Price from Indiana - more about that at a later date.  That evening the Welcome Party had good food and outstanding entertainment.  Somehow, Carolyn and I both ended up on stage.  I think we were set up.

Wednesday was concourse day.  What a busy day!  While I attended to judging duties, Carolyn was in charge of the tabulation room.  Millie had a good time working in the room and Joey helped the runners bring in judging sheets.  One unusual event occurred when a member showed up about 6:00 pm to have his car judged - he thought the concourse was Friday.  Because of his circumstances, John McBurney and I judged the car, along with help from Jeff Horrocks.

On Thursday Carolyn and I worked with the host group to prepare and set up trophies for the awards banquet while the others enjoyed various tours.  The awards banquet was a good time with good food and service.  The awards presentation went along smoothly and quickly.  A big thrill for me was to award the “President’s Choice” trophy to Jim Parsons from West Virginia.  Joey was awarded a 1st Place trophy in Touring A for his Mercury while we were presented a 2nd Place in Touring for our convertible.

These meets seem to come to an end all too quickly.  After saying many goodbyes, we had time to enjoy a few beverages in the parking lot (as we had done most nights) before calling it a night.

Bright and early Friday morning Joey and Millie and Ken and Carolyn left Gettysburg for the drive home.  Seven hundred miles and 14½ hours later, we were home.  The cars ran great, but we hit terrible rain.  It was so bad in Ohio that we had to pull over for a while.  The rain continued all the way home but we made it safely and look back on a super meet.