Members and Monte Carlos in Attendance

Other Members in attendance:

Kevin Wick of Bremerton, WA

Jake Gould of Graham, WA

Chris Steiner of Kent, WA

Matt Hilla and Christine Mott of Portland, OR

Craig Metheny of Orange, CA

The 2013 Western Meet
by Aaron Dodsworth

This meet was the first road trip in my '71 SS454 I purchased only weeks before the meet. It was also the first Western Meet my wife (April) attended since the 2007 meet in Santa Rosa, California. It was great to have April in the car with me again for the road trip.
 

Thursday

Several members arrived thursday and we quickly claimed a section of the hotel parking lot as our own. Due to some engine troubles in their '72 Monte, Matt and Christine arrived in their '64 Buick Riviera which was a very worthy substitute. The evening consisted of bench racing, pizza and some beverages in the presence of our cars in the parking lot... what else can you ask for. It was a great time catching up with old friends and meeting new friends. The family was together again.

Please click on the image to enlarge

Friday

Friday was the first day of the 3-day car show. Goodguys sure puts on one heck of an event with a lot of great things to see and do. I certainly started the day off right by winning a Goodguys door prize before lunch. It was great to see a large group of these cars together again and a good mix of stock and modified. After a great day at the show and some dinner, we settled in for another evening at the hotel. We also shared some birthday cake in celebration of Liam and Craig's birthday.

Please click on the image to enlarge

Saturday

Day two of the car show did not disappoint. There were over 900 cars, a swap meet, lots of vendors and live bands. Our row of 15 Montes received a lot of attention from spectators and even Goodguys staff. Goodguys gave the FGMCC a shoutout over their loudspeaker during the event which was great for the club. Jake, Chris and Kevin joined us at the show for the day. It was mostly just the guys at the show since the FGMCC ladies went shopping for the day. According to Jean, there is a shortage of butter in Canada because she purchased a very large quantity to bring home with her. While shopping, Kathie's truck quit and would not start which was just the beginning of a few electrical gremlins that occurred again the next day. For the record the truck is a Ford.

After relaxing at the show all day, we spent the evening at the hotel. The regulator on Vaughn's '71 Monte needed replacing and he had a captive audience while making the easy swap. Later on, another evening of kicking back on the grass next to our Montes at the hotel was interrupted by sprinklers. Lets just say we got up VERY quickly but not before getting wet. We had a good laugh and this simply adds to the great stories I've accumulated from meets over the years. Since we are on the topic of stories, If you ever meet Tim Oest, ask him about the history of Ford engines. Its a classic. A lot of laughs that night for sure.

Back row: Kevin Wick, Lon Wilburn, Vaughn Peoples, Pat Trottier,
Tom Kelly, Matt Hilla, Jay Marsh, Chris Steiner, Kelly Macklem, Tim Oest, Doug Cameron
Front row: Cameron Lewis, Aaron Dodsworth, Keith Golanowski, Roy Bunjes, Liam Peoples (laying in front)

Sunday

The last day of the Goodguys event was not as large as the day before but still had a lot of great sights to take in. Some of the group stayed at the show through the afternoon while others could not resist the allure of looking at a '70 SS454 for sale in Spokane. Although the FGMCC walked away without any hardware after the Goodguys awards ceremony, we all had a great time at the event.

On Sunday evening we held our Western Meet awards banquet. I handed out several awards to some very deserving members. We also drew for some great door prizes and nobody went home empty handed.

April and I had a safe trip home and the new '71 Monte. Not long after the meet I heard from Craig that he purchased the '70 SS454 that members looked at during the meet. A great meet for sure with a total of 20 members in attendance. Cars, friends, lots of laughs and some jokes that can only be shared in person. A good time was had by all. April and I are both looking forward to the 2014 Western Meet in Bend, Oregon.

My First Western Meet
by Craig Anderson

On August 15th, I attended my first Western meet as a new member of the First Generation Monte Carlo Club. The club attended the Good Guys 2013 Great Northwest Nationals in Spokane, Washington. I did not know any of the members that were also attending the meet but upon arrival at the motel in Spokane I was greeted and welcomed as if I were a long time member. I can’t express the gratitude I have for all of the members that made me feel welcome and I felt as if they were genuinely happy I was attending.

The first night we all sat outside at the hotel and had pizza. There were lots of laughs and we all shared stories about our Monte’s and gave each other advice and troubleshooting ideas regarding our cars. I was proud to be a part of the club at the meet. The turnout was great and our Monte’s all together exhibited a great statement of pride to the other participants and the spectators.

The second night after the meet the club included me in a birthday celebration along with another member. This club truly is a family bonded by our love for Monte Carlo’s and again, I felt welcome and very much a part of this family.

On the last night of the event the club held an awards banquet. It was another great bonding opportunity and again, I felt very welcome. It was good to meet with the club and recap the weekend. We shared laughs as well as recognized many members for their accomplishments throughout the past year. The banquet was a great way to end the weekend.

I strongly encourage anyone who is thinking of joining the club to indeed join as well as members that have not attended a meet to attend. The experience is incredible. I gained a whole new group of friends that I have so much in common with. This friendship hasn’t just lasted a weekend; many of the existing members have stayed in touch with me despite their busy lives and schedules. As a matter of fact, I networked with several members regarding a 1970 Monte Carlo SS that was for sale and a few of them went to see it. After speaking to them, I bought the car and it’s my goal to bring it to Bend, Oregon next year so everyone can see the progress I have made on it. I would like to thank Aaron and all of the other members for making my first meet a great experience.

Sincerely, Craig Anderson