Firehouse Grill Cruise-in–July

Firehouse Grill Cruise-in–July

What can I say… who wants to sit outside in the shadeless parking lot in 107° weather to bake in the sun? We are tough, but we like to be in air-conditioned comfort so we sat inside the Firehouse restaurant and had a few beers, tacos, pizza and sandwiches at the weekly Firehouse Grill Cruise-in. 17 brave and hardy souls endured the creature comforts and finally went outside to sit in the parking lot in the, then, 97° temperatures. Thanks to Danny and Liz for shuttling over to the Smart and Final close by and coming back with some ice cream drumsticks. What a treat! We sure know how to have a great time. As the night went on, we enjoyed each other’s camaraderie and the slowly cooling temperatures while planning our next moves.

For more pictures of this event, click on our Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/158760832@N02/albums/72157710782207533

Ridgecrest Corvette Club’s Cruise to Kernville

Ridgecrest Corvette Club’s Cruise to Kernville

Ridgecrest may be rumbling due to earthquake aftershocks, but it was also rumbling due to some beautiful vehicles cruising through on Sunday, July 21, 2019—including three from Corvettes of Bakersfield!

Last month, COB received an invitation from Ridgecrest Corvette Club’s Kyle to join them on a cruise from Ridgecrest to Kernville.  Dale and Cathy in a C7, Ron and Bill in a C6, and John and Cher in a C5 made the run and had a great time with some new friends.

John and Cher traveled to Ridgecrest on Saturday after Friday’s C8 Reveal Run, planning to meet up with the group on Sunday morning at the cruise’s meeting spot;  Beansters Espresso in Ridgecrest.  

Early Sunday morning, Dale, Cathy, Ron, and Bill assembled at the Broken Yolk on Brundage in Bakersfield to head to the meeting spot.  They had a scenic and fun early-morning drive through the Tehachapis and across the desert.  Their route included curvy and hilly Garlock Road, which passes by Garlock Ghost Town.  This little 1800’s town provided water for cattlemen and freighters wishing to avoid the potentially treacherous washes in Red Rock Canyon.  There’s not much there now to see, especially passing by at highway speeds…but it is a fun road to drive.

They met up with John and Cher at Beansters and everyone got a chance to enjoy some good coffee and baked goods while sharing some fun stories of their journeys to Ridgecrest!  

Kyle from RCC arrived and joined the COB group.  He said that he invited several more car clubs to join the cruise—not just other Corvette clubs.  As a result, there was a nice variety of vehicles that started showing up for what would become a fourteen-car caravan.  There were several Corvettes, a couple of Mustangs, a Maserati, a Fiat, and a Toyota truck, driven by some fun car enthusiasts.

The caravan left Beansters and proceeded east on Highway 178 to the southern Sierra Nevada mountains, through Walker Pass and down to the Kern River Valley, travelling around the north side of Lake Isabella on Sierra Way to Kernville.  There were great views of the lake along the way.  The caravan’s destination was Ewing’s on the Kern Restaurant for lunch.   The group sat on the patio overlooking the mighty Kern River.  Both the lake and the river were beautiful and many people were out enjoying them.  

After a delicious lunch and great camaraderie, most of the caravan continued around Lake Isabella on Highway 155 for a photo opportunity at French Gulch.  Afterwards, the COB group split off and proceeded west down the Kern River Canyon on scenic and winding Highway 178, heading back to Bakersfield.  But, the run wasn’t over yet…

Realizing that the best way to end a great run on a hot summer day would be ice cream, the group decided to stop at Rosemary’s Family Creamery on the way home!  Linda also joined the group there and the fun continued.

After a great day of driving, camaraderie, and food, the group dispersed, looking forward to the next event.

Special thanks to Dale for coordinating the run, and to Kyle and RCC for the invite!

John S.

For more pictures, Click on this Flickr link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/158760832@N02/albums/72157710017888482

Chevrolet Corvette C8 Reveal

Chevrolet Corvette C8 Reveal

10 Corvettes and many more members enjoyed traveling to Tustin, Ca. to take part in the 2nd day of the C8 Corvette Reveal. The first day was organized for the media and other dignitaries and the second day for enthusiasts and future owners of the fabulous C8 Corvette. Corvettes of Bakersfield managed to caravan all the way to the Tustin Blimp Hangars in ONE GROUP which is quite an accomplishment in the LA area. Once we got there we were amazed at the size and construction of the hangars which were built in 1942 for airship support of the US Navy coastal patrol efforts in WWII. Inside the hangar were displays of the early mid-engined Corvette concepts and experimental mules and, also, cutaways of the C8 to show the all aluminum construction. Colors and upholstery samples were also on display as well as wheel and seat options. Also on display, were C5, C6 and C7 Corvette racers. Snacks and drinks were available to munch on as we moved around the displays. There was also a presentation and films by Tadge Juechter, Chief Corvette Engineer, who was very instrumental in bringing the mid-engined Corvette C8 to life. After freshening up and taking a break, we had a very nice dinner at J. T. Schmid’s Restaurant where are we discussed our wants and desires of everything we’ve seen of the C8. It was a thrill and privilege to be one of the first to sit inside the brand-new C8 Corvette.

Click on link for more pictures on our Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/158760832@N02/albums/72157710016965637

Greenhorn Grill Run and then Rosemary’s Ice Creamery

Greenhorn Grill Run and then Rosemary’s Ice Creamery

We had another great run today through the scenic roads and curves leading up to Glenville, California, through Lake Isabella and ending up at Rosemary‘s Creamery in Bakersfield. .

Glenville is a small, tiny community 30 miles north east of Bakersfield in the Greenhorn Mountain foothills, a part of the Sierra Nevada. 18 Corvettes (later joined by one more Corvette owner who is the nephew of the Greenhorn Grill’s owner) made a short pit stop at the Hiway 155 Market and Café where we met the friendliest people; the owners Edwin and Kristine. We got to sample some of their barbecue and boy was it delicious. This place is a definite ‘must stop’ for a meal in one of our future runs.

On we went up the road and over the summit to an area where we pulled over to take pictures of the beautiful countryside as a backdrop for our Corvettes. From there we headed to Lino‘s Greenhorn Grill where we met the wonderful and friendly owners, Lino and Francis and where the waitresses were outstanding and so outgoing. We had a great meal there from a full menu of steaks, tacos, sandwiches and salads and much more. What a great place to eat. Congratulations to Melanie for winning our raffle prize.

Coming down the mountain from the over 3000 foot level, we had a problem with one of the member’s older Vette overheating the brakes. As we waited for help, the rest of the members went on to Rosemary‘s Creamery in Bakersfield to enjoy some ice cream made on the premises. That was a wonderful, cool way to end a very hot day.

For more pictures, Click on this link:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/158760832@N02/albums/72157709628749201

General Meeting – July 2019

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Corvettes of Bakersfield, Inc.

General Meeting

7/9/2019 at Three Way Chevrolet

6:39 P.M.  Meeting called to order by Bob Vella.

46 members in attendance.  2 Guests (Emily Ames and Ken Weir)

Bob Vella handed the gavel over to newly-elected President Larry Young.  Larry thanked our sponsor, Three-Way Chevrolet, for sponsoring us by providing us a donation every month and allowing us to meet in the current room.

Flag Salute – Led by Dave Kielty. Dave introduced Emily Ames (Larry’s granddaughter) who sang the national anthem.

Oath of Office:  Ken Weir, Bakersfield City Council Member, swore in the new officers: Larry Young, President;  Dave Kielty, Sergeant At Arms; and Elizabeth Zaninovich, Public Relations.

Larry Young welcomed the guests and new member, Matt Collins, who has a 2017 Stingray.

Birthdays and Anniversaries:  Acknowledged by Larry Young.

Prizes & Refreshments:  Brought by Tony Ennis and Chevy Garza.

Minutes: Liz Zaninovich motioned to approve the minutes from last month’s meeting.  Melanie Mitchell made a second.  Motion passed.

Larry Young/President:  At the Board of Directors meeting last week, Danny Ellison stepped forward and volunteered to be the Events Coordinator again.

Kim Miller/Secretary:  Nothing to share

Betsy Slauson/Membership: Received several membership renewals tonight.  Those that have not renewed yet need to do so soon.  Thank you to those that went down to Don’s memorial service.  Pictures were shared of their car.

Carl Lange/Treasurer Report: Carl was not present but a balance of $19,676.09 for both accounts was shared with the membership.

Dave Kielty/Sergeant At Arms: Dave was introduced as the new Sergeant At Arms.

Virgil Miller/Webmaster: Nothing new to present.

Adrian Medina/Social Media:  If you don’t do Facebook, try it.

Danny Ellison/Events –  The Loading Chute Fun Run raised $135 for the Christmas party.  The fund now has a total of $1,246 in it.  The Summer Solstice event raised $305, $67 from The Pizza Press and $241 from The Habit Burger Grill.

The following events are coming up:

7/11/19 – Chuy’s Cruise-in.  Will have root beer floats.

7/13/19 – Greenhorn Grill with a stop in Glennville and wrap up at Rosemary’s Family Creamery in Bakersfield.

7/17/19 – Corvette Owner’s Breakfast at The Links at Riverlakes Ranch.

7/26/19 – The Firehouse/Rosedale Station.  A night of car camaraderie.

9/28 & 29/19 – Annual Paso Robles Wine Run.  Information for signing up and making reservations is on the website.

MyCorvette facebook page is a private facebook page for club members only.  If you haven’t checked it out or joined it, please do so.

Virgil displayed one of the new portable banners that was purchased for the club.

Vettes 4 Vets Car Show – Flyers have been printed for the event.  There are several versions available:  trophy sponsor, sponsor application, vendor application and a thank you/receipt for donation version.

Annie Bailey said she will get donations for goodie bags if we decide to do them.

Michael Rouw received a 58” TV donated by Banducci’s Family Pumpkin Patch for the upcoming car show.

New Business – Larry Young presented Bob Vella with a fuel pump trophy as a gift from the club for all his work as president. 

Reminder that Annie Bailey is responsible for snacks next month and Dale Frye has prizes.

Larry Young thanked everyone for their votes and for attending the meeting tonight.

Cher Silliman shared that the Pederson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles is hosting a Zora Duntov Tribute Weekend 7/27-7/28/2019.  More information can be found online.

John Silliman reminded everyone that there will be a Camarillo Run on 8/17/2019 to the Outlet mall in Camarillo.

Danny Ellison advised that on 7/18/2019 at 7:10PM Three-Way Chevrolet will be live streaming the C8 reveal.  Wylon is the Three-Way contact.

8:00 PM  Meeting adjourned.

Minutes provided by Club Secretary, Kim Miller