arizona bird chatter english-style wig, passed sentence on them all. the very efficient waitress in...

deserved it. Tom Harris bravely stepped in as the only

zombie in the cast. Duane Foster was the singing, dancing Monster Mash, Jim Rodgers the saxo-phone-playing Purple People Eater, and Mike Wood the growling, stomping, dancing Frankenstein.

John Marchisotto arrested all the evil doers, and the judge, Mike Price, complete with robe, gavel and English-style wig, passed sentence on them all.

The very efficient waitress in the family-oriented bar judged the costumes, and cash prizes were given to Sandra Marley, outfitted in black and white makeup and wig, and Frankenstein, outfitted as, well, Frankenstein. Because of the ar-chitectural expertise of Duane Foster, we were able to get the party place free, and last year’s decorations were mostly recycled, except for the witch’s cauldron and other items put to-gether by Mike Wood. The masks on the centerpieces were do-nated by Mary Ann Schein and put together by the team of Paul and

Jean Fruscello, Linda and Chuck Young, Kathi and Judge Mike Price, who handled the unruly tape like a pro!

I am gratified and humbled by the enthusiastic response of the party goers in general, and espe-cially the actors who made the words pounded out on my computer come alive!

Thank you!

…. Jeannie K

This year’s Halloween Party was a rousing suc-cess any way you want to look at it! Wonderful, in-novative costumes, a great mixture of socializing people, good food and beverage choices…. and then, of course, there was the show!

I put the words on paper, Myrna and Duane Foster researched the music for the words, coached and recorded all the stars, who lip-synched their own voices on stage. They had all protested that they could not sing, but sing they did and not too badly either!

The good witch was portrayed by song-ster Myrna Foster, the two naughty witches were Kathi Price and Kathy Marchisotto, who waved their wands around, causing all kinds of havoc.

Paul Fruscello sang and danced with his dummy of a wife as Captain Marvel, while his real wife, Jean, played the hapless Ruby, who was thrown over by man-about-town Ken Falkenberry for the luscious Joleen, Virginia Snyder.

Pat and Sam Ciammitti reprised their roles as Bubbles and Peter Miles Long, who were being blackmailed this year not by a ghost but by a choir member from their church. So they offed her.

Clara, enthusiastically played by Yvonne Wa-ger, was not a nurse this time, but an innocent young girl being taken advantage of by a rather nasty man who promised to marry her if she got rid of his wife! The man, played by Tom Wagner, never saw the end coming so suddenly, but Clara said he

ARIZONA BIRD CHATTER

Volume 43 Number 12 December 2014

2014 HALLOWEEN PARTY2014 HALLOWEEN PARTY

December 2014 Arizona Bird Chatter

Once again the holidays are upon us. This is in my estimation

the best time of the year with Thanksgiving, Christ-mas and New Year’s celebrations. This is truly a time for giving thanks and enjoying family, friends and all the good food, drinks and events the season bestows upon us. It is also the time to get those Classic ‘Birds out of the barn and on the road, as all of you who drove in the Thanksgiving Parade know.

And speaking of giving, that reminds me of a topic I recently discussed with club member Chris Ames. If you are looking for a great gift for your car enthusiast, how about a car battery? Alright, I know what you are thinking: a car battery? For God’s sake, can’t you come up with something better than that? Well, this is not just any old lead acid bat-tery. Antique Auto Battery produces maintenance- free gel type batteries for all sorts of vehicles from the ‘20s to the ‘70s, including Classic T-birds. These batteries can be purchased on their website, an-tiqueautobattery.com and shipped to your home for around $300 including shipping. That’s not bad con-sidering the fact that a maintenance-free DieHard Platinum costs about $250. The T-bird batteries are designed to look like the old lead acid batteries with realistic simulated caps on the top and original de-sign on the exterior. The ‘56-57 battery has original dimensions of 14" x 5.5" x 9". These sealed batter-ies do not corrode the battery posts like the old lead acid batteries, have 750 cold-cranking amps, and do not go dead when they sit like the old ones do. The next time you see Chris’ car, take a look. So, after a few cocktails, break down and order one!

My special thanks to all the past and future club board members, callers, run organizers and other volunteers who have served our club so well, as well as those faithful members who attended our meet-ings and participated in our events. It is all of you who make our club the largest and most successful T-Bird club in America. Keep up the good work, and I hope to see all of you at our last event of the year, the annual Christmas Party on December 13.

Finally, I want to thank each of you for trusting me to be your club president for the past two years. When I joined this club I never planned to be the club president, and I have to thank John Marchi-sotto for encouraging me to do this. It has truly been an honor to serve you and to be part of this great club. We have enjoyed fun times in 2014, and with our new President, Jim Rogers, and returning other board members, 2015 truly promises to be another

Note of Thanks I’m on the mend and coming along well. I’m

pretty skinny, but getting my strength back. A rough road.

Thanks!

Terry Duquette

All ACTC events are smoke-free!

~ DECEMBER ACTIVITY ~ December 13 .......................... Christmas Party

No regular meeting this

month!

great year. So, hang some holly from the rear-view mirror and get out there and enjoy the roads and the holidays. May your hearts be filled with love, your home filled with peace and your lives filled with God’s richest blessings!

Gregg Thurston

MAJOR JANUARY AUCTIONS

10-18 Barrett-Jackson, Westworld 14-18 Russo & Steele, 101 & Scottsdale Road 14-16 RM Auctions, The Biltmore 16-17 Gooding & Company, Scottsdale Fashion Square

…. Stewart Wright

Arizona Bird Chatter December 2014

PLEASE NOTE !

All dates and events listed above are tentative and subject to change. Please check the calendar each month for changes.

2014 CALENDAR OF ACTC EVENTS

December 13 Christmas Party Thurston

SHHHHHH….

As a courtesy to others, please remember to turn off your phones or set them on vibrate when you enter the meeting room!

2015 CALENDAR OF ACTC EVENTS

January 11 Meeting

January 30- February 1

Back to Tubac Marchisotto

February 8 Meeting

February 14-15 Road Rally/Valentine Weekend Wagner/Thompson

March 6-8 Midnight at the Oasis Wagner

March 15 Meeting

March 21 ACTC Tech Day Falkenberry

April 11 ACTC Night at the Pavilions Havel

April 12 Officers’ Picnic

April 18 Eastside Progressive Dinner Fruscello

April 25-26 Economy Run Wood/Bialy

May 1-3 Route 66 Fun Run Thurston

May 17 Meeting

June 14 Meeting

June 27 Pool Party McKee

July 12 Meeting

August 26-30 CTCI Regional in Albuquerque Thompson

September 13 Meeting

September 25-27 Run to the Pines Marchisotto

October 10 ACTC Night at the Pavilions Havel

October 10 T-bird Birthday Party Dechaine

October 11 Meeting

October 17 Westside Progressive Dinner Kennedy/McKee

October 31 Halloween Party Kennedy

November 8 Meeting

November 14 Road Rally Marchisotto

November 26 Veterans Parade Havel

December 12 Christmas Party

TBA Palm Springs Fruscello

TBA NASCAR at PIR

TBA Sonic Flash Mob Falkenberry

TBA Wrigley Mansion/Tovrea Mansion Wagner

TBA Hawaiian Luau Foster

TBA Bondurant High Performance Driving School

UNSCHEDULED 2015 EVENTS


sotto had no report MEMBER-AT-LARGE: Sam Ciammitti had no report. MEMBERSHIP: Pat Ciammitti reported

membership stands at 130 households, 236 members and 108 T-birds. We have (23) ‘55s, (33) ‘56s and (52) ‘57s. NEWSLETTER: Barb Blair had no report. CTCI: Chuck Thompson mentioned he has

membership applications available. PUBLIC RELATIONS: Michael Trapasso

spoke of upcoming parades. The Grand Marshall of the Veterans Day parade on November 8 was none other than Bruce Campbell who was in the movie We Were Soldiers. Upcoming parades are listed in the Bird Chatter.

PARLIAMENTARIAN: Mike Wood looked over the cars driven today and commented on the increased number of T-birds driven to the meeting (17). He chose a beautiful ‘56 yellow ‘Bird belong-ing to Ed and Karen Gallagher, who earned a $20 gas card.

OLD BUSINESS: Jeannie Kennedy, just voted the ’Hostess with the Mostest,’ recognized the cast members who starred in her Halloween ex-travaganza. Not only did members have a crazy fun time, the party generated over $400 to be added to the ACTC coffers. Way to go, Jeannie (and Mike too)!

NEW BUSINESS: Be sure to take a minute to check the ACTC website, as there are pictures available from each event going back years. It’s fun to go back to see what we used to look like! A re-minder at the end of the meeting: Toyz for Totz will again be held in Wickenburg on December 7, al-though this is not a club-sponsored event this year.

HISTORIAN: No report given. E-MAIL COORDINATOR: Shirley Pettingell,

was not in attendance. NEW BUSINESS: After today’s meeting a

Planning Meeting for the 2015 activities will be held. SPLIT THE POT: John Clark won $80. A motion to adjourn the meeting at 11:10 AM

was made and seconded. See you at the January 12, 2015 meeting!

Respectfully submitted, Dede Ross, Secretary

NOVEMBER MEETING MINUTES

President Gregg Thurston called the No-vember 9, 2014 meeting to order at 10:10 AM at the Elks Club, then led our Pledge of Alle-giance to the Flag. A motion to approve the Oc-tober minutes was presented and seconded.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Gregg called our atten-tion to the gift baskets up front. Kathy Marchisotto explained the theme of each basket. Tickets are $5 each or six for $20. Winners will be drawn at the Christmas Party.

ACTIVITIES: Myrna Foster reviewed the com-ing activities. Refer to the Activities section in the newsletter for details. Checks for the Christmas Party must be received by November 25! Rooms will be available at the Embassy Suites, Phoenix-Scottsdale in case you don’t want to drive home af-ter the party, a 3.2 mile drive from the party. Ask for the group rate of $126 per night. ▪ John Marchisotto spoke briefly in regard to the Tubac outing in Janu-ary. Refer to the newsletter for details.

AUDITOR: Kathy Marchisotto had no report. SECRETARY: Dede Ross had no report. TREASURER: Tom Wagner gave the current

balance in both the checking and rainy day ac-counts.

WAYS & MEANS: Don Rebtoy spoke about the new Route 66 light switch plates. Jackie McKee, Manager of Copenhagen, had purchased a promo-tional pink chair with the proceeds going to Arizona Oncology. Jackie and Tom donated it to ACTC for a special auction, the proceeds of which to be do-nated to the Wounded Warriors. Ken Falkenberry was the winner with a $75 bid.

HOSPITALITY: Yvonne Wagner welcomed potential new members Ed and Karen Gallagher and their yellow 1956 T-bird. Also welcomed were newlyweds Shelly and Alan Thurston. ▪ Michael Tra-passo has a new daughter-in-law. ▪ Yvonne men-tioned both Lynne Silvernale and Ruth Butera were battling a sciatica problem. ▪ We were all happy to see Terry Duquette and Dean and Ina Wakefield at our meeting and feeling better. ▪ Ken Falkenberry thanked Kathy and John Marchisotto for the fun Road Rally held November 1. ▪ Tom Harris reported that his 15-year-old granddaughter, recovering from appendicitis, was still able to place fourth in a swim meet and fifth in a relay race; a tough cookie! ▪ Bo-nita Lilly mentioned Anne Hoag would like to hear from old members as she is not able to attend meet-ings. ▪ Chuck Thompson mentioned his daughter completed the New York Marathon. ▪ Last of all, Happy Birthday was sung to members with Novem-ber and December birthdays.

EX-OFFICIO/NOMINATIONS: John Marchi-

A BUCK ‘N’ A TEE On behalf of the Phoenix Rescue Mission, I want to thank Dede Ross for

her donation of a buck and a T!

Jerry Bestland


ACTC ROAD RALLY “Turn right at the light, go around the roundabout, pick up another in-struction….” This is what the road ralliers were doing Saturday, November 1 for the

second ACTC Road Rally.

We started out at Cabela’s on Glendale Road across from the Westgate complex at 9:30 AM, where we collected our instructions and our first clue to the next stop. Fifteen cars were lined up and revving their engines. Happily, there were nine little ‘Birds including our own. There were two Mustangs, a Ranger, a Corvette and others. There were a few sputtering engines, but they all made it out of the parking lot and were on their way. When we reached our first stop, we picked up our next set of instructions, and so on until the end.

There were roads and areas that a lot of us had never driven before. We went to the White Tank Mountains Nature Center and Park, where we had thirty minutes to drive through the park and col-lect two more instructions. The park is large and has beautiful desert vistas, just a wonderful place to drive through. If you go, stop at the Nature Center and thank Raymond for helping us out and see some of nature’s animals and creatures.

We traveled through Vistancia and then south to Estrella Mountain, past the Phoenix International Raceway and ended at Ruby Tuesday’s for lunch.

Of course, you have to have some winners at a Rally. We counted up the numbers on the instruc-tions that everyone received and had three winners. The Prices won first place, second place went to Ken and Virginia and the Thompsons won third.

Now we just have to wait for the next Rally. Somewhere in the Valley, on roads that we have never traveled before….

Thanks to Don Rebtoy, Dede Ross, Sam and Pat Ciammitti, Chuck and Linda Young, Don and Rosemary Henderson, Judy and Chuck Thompson, Mike, Kattie and Jack Dolan, Jeannie Kennedy, Mike Wood, Paul and Jean Fruscello, Jim Rodgers, Mike and Kathi Price, Ken Falkenberry, Virginia Snyder, Jerry and Rochelle Bestland, Yvonne and Tom Wagner, Leigh Dechaine and his friend Pina Tomassi, Audrey, Gene and Garrett Andersen for participating. You know how ACTC members help each other. Well, Jack Dolan became Jim Rodgers’ navigator. It is always nice to see the kids join us.

See you on the road!

…. Kathy and John Marchisotto


ACTC HALLOWEEN PARTYACTC HALLOWEEN PARTY


ROCKIN’ AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE

Saturday, December 13

Each year the Christmas Party replaces the December monthly meeting, so this will be our last gathering for 2014. Our theme, “Rockin’ Around the Christ-mas Tree,” is based upon that

Brenda Lee song by the same name which was first released in 1958 by Decca and has been a Christ-mas favorite since then. It is amazing that at the time of that recording Brenda was only 13 years old. The song reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960. And, you guessed it, the song is bound to be played at our party.

The Party will be at the Elks Club Lodge 335, 14424 North 32nd Street (between Thunderbird and Greenway) in Phoenix starting at 6 PM with cock-tails, dinner at 7 PM and more fun and dancing thereafter. If you missed the deadline to send in your invitation, let me know since we sometimes have cancellations and it is always possible that we can add a few more folks.

The Embassy Suites (4415 East Paradise Vil-lage Parkway South, Phoenix 85032) had given our group a rate of $126, but only until November 22. You may still be able to get a room at the regular rate of $165. This is 3.2 miles from the Elks Club, an eight-minute drive. The hotel property code is PHXPVES#1, and their phone is (602) 765-5800.

I hope to see all of you at this, the final event of the year!

…. Gregg Thurston

BACK TO TUBAC January 30-31, 2015

Next year's Tubac Car Show will be

held on January 30-31 at the Tubac Golf Resort and Spa. This is a very popular show and sells out fast, as we found out this year with the Pinetop show. Don't wait; I recommend you go online to www.carnuts.org to download an application and send it in now. For those who have never attended this show, the Tubac Golf Resort and Spa is a beau-tiful place and has everything we need. The show is held on the grass driving range unless it rains, then they will hold it in the parking lot. The show goes on rain or shine.

There is still room left to enter your car in the

show. There are no more rooms available at the Tubac Resort, but an alternative is the Wyndham Green Valley Canoa Ranch Resort, 5775 South Camino Del Sol, Green Valley, (520) 382-0450. Their available rooms are: one or two queen beds $118.15 + tax; a king bed $126.65 + tax; a one-bedroom suite for $169.15; a two-bedroom suite for $232.90. AAA rates are lower than quoted. There is no resort fee and they offer a full free breakfast. They also have condos for rent, and the property is on a golf course, just 15 minutes from the Tubac Resort. The exit for the Wyndham is #56 off I-19 South; the exit for the Tubac Resort is #40 South.

If you already have a room reservation at the Tubac Resort and need to cancel, please notify me first so I can take care of members on the wait list.

For those who would like to caravan, we will meet at the Cracker Barrel on the west side of I-10 at Chandler Boulevard at 10:00 AM. We will leave at 10:30 and head for Tubac. We can stop for lunch as a group or individually at the Texas Roadhouse, exit 246 off I-10 in Tucson, (520) 579-3855.

The Car Nuts are hosting a BBQ at the resort on Friday night for $19.50 per person. Most attend this, and again it fill up very fast. If you want to at-tend the BBQ, enclose the money with your registra-tion application.

The Tubac Golf Resort is the official car show host location. THOSE ROOMS ARE SOLD OUT!

This year some members, myself included, are only staying for one night and returning to Phoe-nix after the show on Saturday. We will have our usual Happy Hour Friday afternoon and then the BBQ for those who signed up. For Saturday night dinner, you can venture into Tubac Town or stay at the inn for dinner.

Make your reservations early, and please no-tify me so I have a list of everyone who is going. Also, please let me know if you will be attending the BBQ and/or caravanning. Thank you.

…. John Marchisotto

WINTER WEEKEND February 14-15, 2015

Mark your calendars for February 14!

Yes, that’s Valentine’s Day, but it is also ACTC’s Winter Weekend, a fun-filled day you won’t want to miss.

The day will begin with one of Kathy Marchi-sotto's famous Road Rallies. Those of you who have participated in the past know all the hard work that Kathy puts in to finding a route, hiding the clues and giving us a most enjoyable reason to drive our collector cars.

Following the Rally, we will head to Saguaro


Lake Ranch (www.saguarolakeranch.com) where we will spend the evening. For those of you who have not been there, it is a wonderful old, authentic guest ranch that gives the feeling of stepping back into the old west. The Ranch has 18 cabins which have all been reserved for ACTC.

Upon arrival, and after checking in, we will have a Happy Hour and present the Road Rally awards. This will be followed by a roasted chicken dinner with all the trimmings. Afterward you will have a chance to enjoy the stars and solitude in this remote desert setting.

On Sunday morning, the Ranch will be serving us a full ranch breakfast before we return to our more urban Phoenix locations.

Saguaro Lake Ranch is located in the Tonto National Forrest at the base of Saguaro Lake Dam. There is lots to see and do for those of you who have not been there. And it’s close, so no one will have to drive too far.

The entire cost of this event is $227.60 a cou-ple or $133.80 per person. This includes room, din-ner, breakfast, taxes and gratuities. As mentioned, Saguaro Lake Ranch has only 18 cabins. These will be available on a first-come basis, so make your reservations now by calling (480) 984-2194. Ask for Sean A’lee Bevel and be sure to tell her that you are part of the ACTC group. Contact Chuck or Judy Thompson with any questions at (480) 773-0222.

MIDNIGHT AT THE OASIS

March 6-8, 2015 **MAJOR DEVELOPMENT**

Important message for anyone who was

on my list for a room in Yuma: We have it on good authority that the Clarion Suites is very likely to be closed as a hotel by the time this show comes around, maybe even by the end of 2014.

With this in mind, I am in the process of pro-curing another hotel that can handle our whole group. By the time you read this I am hoping to have something already in place and to have con-tacted those on my list, but if not, I will have hotel information for you in the very near future.

As for the show, no postcard confirmations as yet but they will be forthcoming. All of you who reg-istered vehicles are still on the show list and you do have parking spots.

As always - any cancellations, please let me know so I can keep tabs on the group. Thanks!

…. Tom Wagner (602) 448-1891

[email protected]

ACTC ARCHIVES About 80 ACTC members at-

tended the December 18, 1989 Christ-mas Party at the Moon Valley Country Club. The cost was $25/person plus an unwrapped child’s gift for the Salvation Army…. and you could dance until midnight.

Don Ulses wrapped up his first term (his sec-ond was in ‘96) as ACTC president and thanked the very special ‘89 Board and all the supportive mem-bers of ACTC for their help in making ‘89 a great year for ACTC. Don also thanked an extra special person, his wife Mary, by saying that without her help, patience, understanding and gentle (?) nag-ging to get things done on time, it would have been an impossible year. Thanks, Mary!

The December ‘89 issue of the Bird Chatter arrived with a colored front cover. No, no one had digital cameras back then, but our editor, Bill Moser, did have crayons and colored pencils and so he hand-colored every front cover of that issue with a personal greeting to each member. [See below.] Yes, I know, colored film was available back then, but color printing was pricey and our yearly dues were only $30. Besides that, just like today, our edi-tor works for nothing; what a deal!

Oh, one more thing, that unsigned Hard Top Kid drawing that was colored on the Bird Chatter cover was done by that mystery cartoonist. His/her identity was revealed in that December ‘89 issue, so there’s a clue.

Next year I will once again dig into the ACTC archives to see what we did in 1990. In the mean-time, Mary and I wish every one of you a Merry Christmas with Happiness and Good Health in 2015.

…. Stewart Wright


~ WE ACTC ADVERTISERS ~

Picture from the Past

E-mail: [email protected] ROB SLAGLE

Sandy Trasente, Owner 3515 West Union Hills #102, Glendale, AZ 85308

Phone (602) 896-4000 or (888) 896-1199 E-mail: [email protected]

Web: www.arrowhead.cruiseholidays.com

“The part I saw fall off your car was

about this big….”

arizona bird chatter english-style wig, passed sentence on them all. the very efficient waitress in...

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