-
2023 Western Meet
-
Logan, UT
June 29-July 2, 2023Members Present: 28
-
Monte Carlos in Attendance
1970 – Blue, Grey vinyl top, Black interior
Owned by Kevin Dyck of Edmonton, AB
1970 – Blue, Black vinyl top, Black interior
Owned by Mike Cowden of Kimberley, BC
1970 – Misty Turquoise, White painted top, Black interior
Owned by Tom and Jodi Kelly of Columbia Falls, MT
1970 – Forest Green, White vinyl top, Green interior
Owned by Lucas Kelly and Jolie Matson-Kelly of Columbia Falls, MT
1970 – Green, Tan interior
Owned by Shane Schieve of Hurricane, UT
1970 – Champagne Gold, White vinyl top, Black interior
Owned by Brad Peevey of El Paso, TX
1970 – Blue, Black vinyl top, Black interior
Owned by Caleb Warnick of Pleasant Grove, UT
1970 – Cortez Silver, Black vinyl top, Black interior
Owned by Kyle Warnick of Pleasant Grove, UT
1970 – Champagne Gold, Black vinyl top, Light Saddle interior
Owned by Justin Warnick of Pleasant Grove, UT
1970 – Cranberry Red, Black vinyl top, Black interior
Owned by Drew Molden of Sherwood Park, AB
1970 – Misty Turquoise, Black interior
Owned by Bill Ward of Riverton, WY
1971 – Mulsanne Blue, Blue interior
Owned by Lucas Uilkie of Surprise, AZ
1971 – Dark Blue, Black vinyl top, Black interior
Owned by Kevin Uilkie of Surprise, AZ
1971 – Burnt Orange. White vinyl top, Sandalwood interior
Owned by Cameron Lewis of Reno, NV
1971 – Green, White painted top, Green interior
Owned by Vaughn and Kathie Peoples of Creston, BC
1971 – Placer Gold, White vinyl top, Sandalwood interior
Owned by Dave Bash of Grants Pass, OR
1971 – Copper, Black interior
Owned by Zach Warnick of Eagle Mountain, UT
1971 – Classic Copper, Sandalwood interior
Owned by Aaron and April Dodsworth of Summerland, BC
1972 – Green, Black interior
Owned by John MacNeil of Abbotsford, BC
1972 – Sequoia Green, Green interior
Owned by Ryan and Talisa Misrasi of Tremonton, UT
1972 – Grey, Black interior
Owned by Taylor Warnick of Santaquin, UT
1972 – Black, Black interior
Owned by Jack Reather of Tooele, UT
1972 - Blue, Black interior
Owned by Jason and Christine Molden of Sherwood Park, AB
1972 – Tuxedo Black, Black vinyl top, Black interior
Owned by Keith Radcliff of Phoenix, AZAdditional members in attendance
Steven Lewis of Reno, NV
Jim Clements of San Jose, CA
Shane Gilbert of Lehi, UT
Greg Hill of Herriman, UTThe 2022 Western Meet
by Aaron DodsworthHaving a Western Meet in Utah has been on the radar for a number of years and the time seemed right for 2023. This location in Logan, Utah did not disappoint with great scenery, good weather, a fantastic event and the second-best member attendance for a Western Meet. We had 28 members with 24 Monte Carlos attending from 8 states and 2 provinces and nearly half of the members travelled more than 700 miles to attend. The Cache Valley Cruise-in staff and locals greeted us with open arms showing their appreciation for our group continually throughout the weekend.
My trip from BC to Utah in the 1971 Monte Carlo started Tuesday June 27th meeting up with Johnny MacNeil for lunch in Washington. Two cars with big blocks so photos at gas stations became a theme for our trip. We continued the rest of the journey through Washington, Oregon, Idaho together until arriving in Logan Wednesday evening.
The Cache Valley Cruise-in allows registered participants to hold spots for the car show weekend starting at 12am Thursday morning so there was a group of us who stayed up late Wednesday night to go to the park and mark the spots needed for our group. We were certainly glad we did as others were there to hold spots for the weekend.
On Thursday we participated in the poker run taking us on a scenic drive throughout the Logan area with games at 5 checkpoints to select our card. None of the members in our group won a prize on the poker run but we enjoyed the drive with great views along the way. The evening was spent relaxing at the hotel to share some laughs.
The 90 mile cruise on Friday took us to Bear Lake. After staging with all the other cruise participants we worked our way out of town and through Route 89 to a Bear Lake viewpoint. At the viewpoint there was a large space where all of us parked in a group which quite the sight to see. Many of us continued on to get lunch at Cody’s Gastro Garage in Garden City by the lake. Friday evening Kevin Uilkie discovered his brake pedal was sticking causing the lights to stay on draining his battery. After a charge the 9 year-old battery still was not quite right and a new battery was needed to get the car in good working order.
The Cache Valley Cruise-in car show on Saturday had over 1,000 cars. Our group of 24 cars attracted a lot of attention and we even signed up 3 new FGMCC members as a result. Included in our group were 5 Monte Carlos from one family. Kyle Warnick and his 4 sons each have a Monte Carlo which were all on display. They made this a family event with their spouses, kids and grandkids all in town for the weekend’s events. At the show Johnny saw what he thought was smoke in his car but after some investigation it turned out to be steam from the heater core. He and a few members were able to bypass the heater core that evening so that Johnny can make the long trek home. The club was selected for a Cache Valley Cruise-in award that will be presented at the ceremony Saturday. They had not given one to a club for participation before but they wanted to recognize our group making the effort to attend from such great distances. I drove my car through the award ceremony accepting the award on the club’s behalf and received a very warm response by the crowd. As I was working my way out of the show grounds after the awards there were countless spectators that came up to me saying how much they appreciated the distance we drove to be there.
After the show was over there was a cruise through the city streets which some members participated in. This downtown cruise goes right by the hotel so we were able to watch everyone cruise by.
We had our FGMCC awards and door prizes ceremony Sunday morning at the hotel outdoors as it was a nice day. Thirteen categories of awards were presented to the FGMCC members that had been voted on a day earlier. There were enough door prizes to go around allowing all in attendance to walk away with something. Once the awards ceremony concluded it was time to leave Logan for home. We all said our goodbyes and finished packing up the vehicles before leaving the hotel. Some of us were less eager than others to leave as they did not want it to end.
During Kevin Dyck's drive home to Alberta on Sunday his car had a transmission cooler line come loose in Idaho. Kevin and Sandy were travelling with Jason and Christine who had their Monte Carlo on a trailer so they swapped the cars towing Kevin’s instead. Johnny must have felt like his Hard Luck award was threatened by Kevin's cooler line so Johnny ran out of gas later in the day in Montana just to make sure he can keep it. Those dual quads on a big block sure are thirsty! I was able to find Johnny waiting for me under a highway overpass and get his car back on the road without much hassle. The rest of the trip was enjoyable with no further issues and I made it home safely on Tuesday.
These meets always go by so quickly which is why we all look forward to the next one so much and do it all over again. I met so many new members this year and hope to see you again at future meets. The next Western Meet is in Summerland, BC in September 2024.
FGMCC Awards
Best Interior - Shane Sheive - 1970 SS454
Best Paint - Keith Radcliff - 1972 Custom
Best Engine - Kevin Dyck - 1970
Best Chrome - Tom Kelly - 1970
Best Non-restored - Kyle Warnick - 1970 SS454
Best Modified - Kevin Dyck - 1970
Best Street - Taylor Warnick - 1972 Custom
Best Stock - Vaughn Peoples - 1971
Members' Choice - Aaron Dodsworth - 1971 SS454 (Steven Lewis presenting)
Meet Director's Choice - Taylor Warnick - 1972 Custom
Longest Owned - Jack Reather - 1972
Longest Distance Driven - Kevin Dyck - 1,021 miles
Hard Luck - Johnny MacNeil - Heater core