RECENT - 2010 ACTIVITIES

GREAT GATSBY FESTIVAL TALLAC HISTORICAL SITE

The Great Gatsby Festival was held in South Lake Tahoe on August 14 and 15th. In attendance with Dodge Brothers vehicles in place were Barbara and Herman Boone ('33 Cabriolet), Lynne and Roger Gong (1930 Straight 8 Rumble seat coupe), Maryjoan and Knute Kleinen (1931 Plymouth roadster) and Sherrin Grout and Donn Marinovich (1923 Screenside). The participation of the NCDBS was welcomed and we all enjoyed ourselves. The Boone's '33 Cabriolet was the winner of the Peoples Choice Award. A small "downer" to the festivities was the fact that Herman Boone was feeling quite ill for most of the time. We also missed Vicki and Gene Stadelhofer who could not make it this year and Linda Kwappenberg who also had to miss the event and Tom and Elaine Gong who could not attend this year and Sharon and Amil Gehrke who were out of state at a family reunion.

PENNGROVE STEAM UP

The Pengrove Steam Up was held on July 10. In attendance for the NCDBS were Amil Gehrke, Donn Marinovich, Thomas Gong and Roger Gong with vehicles. Also in attendance were Charlene Hunter and George Stum. This was a small but successful event. We received a tutorial from George Stum on his collection of razor blade sharpeners. Quite a display!

DANVILLE 4TH OF JULY PARADE

The Danville 4th of July Parade was a roaring success. 9 NCDBS vehicles made the parade route on this very, very warm day. We gathered at the Stadelhofers by 9:00 and held the Drivers meeting at 9:30 and were led down to the staging area by Gene Stadelhofer in his 1918 Touring car shortly after the Drivers meeting. By the time we arrived at the local high school, the temperature was rising. By the time we had completed decorating all the cars, it was even hotter. By then it was the usual sit and wait until we were ushered into the parade route itself. The NCDBS Region was split into two groupings in an effort by the Parade Committee to separate some of the overwhelming number of marching groups registered for this years parade. All went well with just a few minor casualties: a 1930 overheating problem that was quickly fixed, a 1937 loss of a drive shaft after the parade which needed a towing company to rescue and a 1917 mishap of balky starting after the parade - once you turn the key to the "ON" position the car was on its way. After the parade, we all gathered back at the Stadelhofer's for a BBQ luncheon and a NCDBS Mini-meet. Tom Barham reported that the financing portion of this years NCDBS Region was more than solvent and the Elaine Gong's idea for enclosed mailers worked out wonderfully. Then we were reminded that the touring year was far from over. There was the Great Gatsby Festival in South Lake Tahoe on August 14 and 15th, the Gatsby Summer Afternoon on September 12 in Oakland, the Galt Old Car Festival in Galt on September 25th, the Fall Tour scheduled for October 9 and 10th. and the Sonora Christmas Parade on November 26th. As to future events, Tom and Elaine Gong announced that on the last day of April of 2011, there was going to be another Lazy River Tour out of West Sacramento. This would be dubbed the INTO THE LAZY RIVER TOUR. It is thought that this would be an urban tour into the many museums in and around Sacramento. Details are being developed. An exciting time is upon the Northern California Dodge Brothers and Sisters Region!

SONORA ROUND UP PARADE

The Annual Sonora Round Up parade was held on May 8th, the day before Mothers-Day. There were 7 cars representing the NCDBS Region/Group. Again, we began with a great "build-you-own-breakfast-burrito" and then ran down to JS West Hardware to await our entry into the parade. For some reason we were the last unit in the parade and it was somewhat disheartening to watch the majority of parade viewers, folding up their chairs and heading out as we just passed by their locations in the parade route. After the parade, we headed back for lunch and then loaded our cars up on trailers and headed out. It was a fun day.

REDWOODS TO HOLLYWOOD TOUR

The Redwoods to Hollywood Tour was based out of the AirTel Plaza Hotel adjacent to the Van Nuys Airport. The contingent of participants were put into the Airtel Towers. There were 7 cars along for this tour hosted by Ken Sobel.There were people from Northern California representing the Redwoods and folks from the LA Basin representing the Hollywood location. We traveled to the Nethercutt Museum created by the founders of Merle Norman cosmetics and found a plethora of antique and unique cars along with items from the 1900's. This was quite a thrill to see and it took almost 4 hours to devour the entire museum and all the artifacts. After traveling back to the hotel, we spent the evening dining and being entertained at the Magic Castle. This private establishment is the home base for magicians in the LA Basin and required membership to enter. It was well worth the effort.

The second day of our tour took us to the Peterson Museum. This museum houses a history of the automobile in and around Los Angeles. It is unique unto itself and was a pleasure to see. Following the inspection of this museum we traveled another 3 blocks and stopped by the Page Museum. The Page houses the more famous La Brea Tar Pits. Thousands upon thousand fossils have been uncovered there and many are on display for the visitor. Once we returned to the hotel we prepared for our usual camaraderie dinner which was held at Ken and Gloria Sobel's home in Encino. We did have professional entertainment after the dinner.

On Sunday, we were scheduled to see the Fireman Safety at the Heliport at the airport, but Ken Sobel was admitted to the hospital that morning so most of us cancelled. Only Donn and Sherrin Marinovich made it to the heliport while the rest of us loaded up our cars onto car trailers and headed home.

Ken has recovered and has sent out a complimentary DVD of the entire weekend. The DVD runs about 45 minutes but it seems to have captured every aspect of this wonderful tour.

ANNUAL PICNIC

The annual Spring Kick-Off and Meet was held on Sunday March 28 at the Amador Valley Park. A great turnout included about 20 family and friends of the NCDBS Group/Region. A terrific potluck picnic was enjoyed by all in attendance. After the food was consumed, Tom Barham called the group together and our official NCDBS Meet was called to order. There was a review of this years operational methodology, our insurance policy as we tie in with the National Club, a review of the 2010 Schedule of Events, aa brief review of the Redwoods to Hollywood tour and finally Wants/Needs/Sales requirements. The weather was perfect and we all had a great time just getting together and re-newing our friendships. From a fading memory those present were: Leonard Needham, Amil Gehrke, Tom and Elaine Gong, Tom, Sharon and Jennifer Barham, Donn Marinovich and Sherrin Grout, Roger and Lynne Gong, Gene and Vicki Stadelhofer, Julia and Travis Barham, Mike and Suzette Sordello, Francine and Jim Reid - with their grand daughter and Whitney and Diane Haist.

TURLOCK SWAP MEET

During the last full weekend of January, the Turlock Swap Meet is held. This year the dates were January 30 and 31. The spaces were once again "manned" by the Northern California Dodge Brothers and Sisters Region. Donn Marinovich manned the space single-handedly since Buzz Horn was unable to make the event. Many applications were distributed for the National DB Club and for the local NCDBS Region. Donn also answered numerous question from passer byes regarding the National and regional DB clubs and a plethora of parts related querys. People with 1940's year cars and other marquees were directed to the Walter P. Chrysler Club. The usual 2:00 p.m. group photograph was taken and a moment of silence for our departed friend Roy Brister was held. In attendance were Donn Marinovich, Amil Gehrke, Mike French, Don Cose, Bob Scafani, Jim Reid and his brother, Tom Gong, Roger Gong, Bob Carrere and many others which have faded quickly from memory. A Micro-Meet was held with those in attendance and we discussed the importance of the upcoming REDWOODS to HOLLYWOOD Tour being hosted by Ken Sobel and the importance of attending the Galt Old Car Festival with vehicle.

Here are the NCDBS members who were available for the annual photo-op during the Turlock Swap Meet.

B. Scafani, T. Gong, D. Marinovich, M. French, R. Gong, A. Gehrke and J. Reid

A few inquiries were made during the event and are listed below.

1936 4-door sedan, needs interior or make offer. George Garcia. 12555 Ave. 407, Cutler, CA 93615

1929 4-door converted into a pickup. Need front doors or sell for $2K. Jerry Jones. (209) 545-0425, Salida, CA.

1932 coupe suicide doors wanted. Tom @ (541) 826-4688.

1927 4 door for sale. Aaron Beaver @ (916) 777-5306 or cell (916) 417-0456

1926 Panel truck with wood wheels. For sale $1500. Dave Hernandez (209) 627-7171

NASA/AMES ANNIVERSARY PARADE

A few of the NCDBS Region/Group attended the 70th Anniversary of the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California on Jan. 28, 2010. The NASA Ames group had invited many car enthusiast to a Classic Car Parade. Following the parade there was a special performance of the One Man Play about NASA. It was an enjoyable experience slowly touring through the entire site of the facility. We did tour very near the dirigible hangers and past the wind tunnels and almost every street within the complex.

PAST YEAR - 2009 ACTIVITIES

THIS IS TO INFORM ALL NCDBS MEMBERS THAT ROY BRISTER WAS INVOLVED IN AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT AND SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES. ROY PASSED AWAY, DEC. 15, 2009. ROY RESIDED IN BATESVILLE, ARKANSAS FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS, MOVING THERE AFTER MANY YEARS IN THE SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA AREA AND WAS THE PROPRIETOR OF "ROY'S DODGE PARTS". HE WILL BE MISSED BY ALL OF US. RUTH BRISTER (ROY'S DAUGHTER) HAS REQUESTED ANY CLUB, EVENT OR OTHER PHOTO'S OF ROY OR HIS 1917 SCREENSIDE BE SENT TO HER AT designruby@yahoo.com or call at (541) 954-3285

The NCDBS Group/Region attended the Galt Old-Car Festival on Sunday September 27, 2009. We are urging all Northern California Dodge Brothers and Sisters to join in at Galt this coming year in 2010. This years date will be September 25. There was an advisory vote taken last year as to opening the participation beyond the WWII timing. This would bring in cars of the later years including modified hot rods and some of the 1960 cars. This proposal was voted down. However, if the attendance continues to decline as it has for the past few years, the organizers will be forced to make radical changes to improve their ROI for this event. Therefore, we of the NCDBS Group are requesting that all members strongly support the event. Yes, we need your cars out there to represent the cars of pre-WWII vintage.

The NCDBS Group was represented at the Arte Deco Society of California's Gatsbys Afternoon affair by two Commercial Car Screenside trucks. Donn Marinovich with Sherrin Grout (members and volunteers of the ADSC) brought their award winning 1923 Screenside while Roger and Lynne Gong (with daughter Leah) were in their 1925 Screenside. It was a rather cool day which made the affair quite pleasant. There were 60 cars registered and some did not make it to the affair for unknown reasons. However, there were LaSalle's. Buicks, Cadillacs, Packards, Fords, Chevrolets, Ed Archer in is infamous Dryers Ice Cream Ford truck and many other exotic cars were present. One could see what that the state of the economy did have an effect on the usually outrageous displays this year. As for the awards to cars that were present, the Marinovich/Grout 1923 Screenside won "Best Agricultural Representation" of a vehicle. Everyone had a great time and the rain that was forecast began to pelt down exactly when the Don Neely Orchestra completed its last number. Yes, the skies opened up and the rain really came down. People were soaked to the skin as they were walking out with their arms full of picnic paraphenalia. It was something that none of the NCDBS Group should have missed - but alas it does seem that a few did for various reasons. Put the second Sunday of September on your schedule. It will be back.

The "DRIVE AROUND MOUNT DIABL0" tour was held the weekend of August 22 and 23. Joining in the tour were the following participants: Jim and Delores Hebb in their 12 volt 1926 sedan, Herman and Barbara Boone in their 1933 sedan, Mike and Suzette Sordello (and daughters) in their 1922 Touring car, Bob and Timber Vincent in their 1936 KC pickup, Tom and Elaine Gong in their 1935 Coupe and Travis and Jennifer Barham in Tom and Sharon's 1926 sedan. Tom Barham drove a trouble trailer and Roger (with daughter Leah) Gong followed in modern iron.

During the recent International Dodge Brothers Meet in Keizer, Oregon, the Board of Directors was petitioned to grant the Northern California Dodge Brothers and Sisters Group for status in the Dodge Brothers Club as a REGION. The petition was accepted and the following members were appointed Region officials:

President: Elaine Gong

Vice President: Sharon Gehrke

Secretary: Barbara Boone

Treasurer: Lynne Gong

Chief Magistrate: Sherrin Grout

First Prelate: Etta Nickol

Great Pontificator: Bill Gess

One could surmise that the group relies heavily upon the distaff side of things, but the NCDBS Group Region is an equal opportunity organization and we see fit to let those who do the best do their best.

This photograph shows Space 47 at the Turlock Swap Meet 2009. Note that the banners proudly display the Dodge Brothers logo.


This photograph shows a number of NCDBS members enjoying themselves at the Turlock Swap Meet 2009. From left to right: Roger Gong, Donn Marinovich, Don Cose, Tom Gong, Herman Boone and Dave Johnson. In the foreground are Herman Boone's grandsons. We regret that many other NCDBS members did not make this historic photo-event and are too numberous to list here.

As an early start of the NCDBS 2010 Schedule of events the schedule of events should look much like past years. i.e.,
1. Turlock Swap Meet. Jan. 30 - 31

2. Annual Planning and Picnic. 3rd Sunday in March 28

3. Hills to Hollywood Tour. April 29 - May 2

4. Sonora Round Up Parade. May 8

5. Danville 4th of July Parade. Obvious date

6. International Meet in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. June 21 - 25, 2010

7. Tallac Gatsby Festival. August 14 and 15.

8. Dunsmuir Gatsby Festival. Sept. 12

9. Galt Old Car Festival. Sept. 25

10. Falling Leaf Tour. October 9 and 10

11. Sonora Christmas Parade. November 26.

As for the NCDBS group Dodge Sisters - the following was proposed:
1. A meeting in La Jolla sometime in the spring.

2. A second meeting in Carmel or Asilomar in the fall

3. Election of Officers for 2009: President: Barbara Boone; Vice President: Sharon Gehrke; Secretary: Timber Vincent; Treasurer: Elaine Gong and Sargeant of Arms: Sharon Barham.

IT'S GOING TO BE A GREAT YEAR!

We find the time in today’s fast paced living to appreciate slower times when the DB was the King of Automobiles. The Northern California Dodge Brothers and Sisters Group hold tours throughout the year along with social events. The 2003 Golden State Meet was held June 24th through 29th of 2003. A good time was had by all members with about 70 DB and GB vehicles in attendance. NCDBS has over 240 members and is growing everday. This NCDBS website may be navigated by using the menu located to the right. Simply click on the icon or item to navigate through out this website. We hope you have a good time while you are with us, here, at the Northern California Dodge Brothers and Sisters Website. Please click on the What's New icon located in the upper right corner near the Site Map. This Feature contains the latest NEWS about completed events and tours. Click on the 'News and Events' button to see the NCDBS Groups schedule of events. Thanks for visiting the NCDBS.